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The National Railway Museum at Shildon will be working with The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust and the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group to put a record-breaking locomotive on display at the museum this summer.

The magnificent LNER class A4 4468 Mallard will be leaving the National Railway Museum at York and travelling by rail to Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon on Wednesday June 23. This record-breaking engine – which holds the world’s speed record for steam traction by rail – will be hauled to Shildon by Peppercorn Class A1 Pacific 60163 Tornado – Britain’s newest steam locomotive.

The last of the renowned Peppercorn Class A1 steam locomotives was scrapped in 1966 – but, thanks to the dedicated volunteers and supporters of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, a brand new A1, 60163 Tornado, was built in Darlington and made its first public moves in steam in August 2008.

60163 Tornado has been built according to the original Peppercorn design, but – thanks to additional water capacity and the latest railway safety electronics – the locomotive is fully equipped for today’s main line railway.

When the train arrives at Locomotion on June 23, the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group’s J72 class steam locomotive 69023 Joem will be on hand to shunt both 4468 Mallard and 60163 Tornado around the museum’s sidings. The shunt will allow 60163’s volunteer support crew to prepare the locomotive for its onward journey, and will also put 4468 in position to be prepared for display inside the museum’s Collection Building.

J72 class locomotives were used in shunting yards, railway-owned docks and coal staithes, and on station pilot workings all over the North East until 1958, when – following the introduction of diesel shunters – the earlier engines began to be withdrawn from traffic.

Built in Darlington in 1951, 69023 Joem is the only surviving example of its class. The locomotive was purchased by the Darlington-based North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group (NELPG) in 1983 and was used at heritage railways around the region until being taken out of service in 1996. The locomotive was then put into storage until 2005, when the dedicated volunteers at NELPG were able to begin work on its restoration – a project which was finally completed in February 2010.

Exact timings for Mallard’s move on June 23 and the subsequent steam shunt at Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon are still to be confirmed – for more information, please contact the museum by telephone on 01388 777999, by emailing locomotion@nrm.org.uk, or visit the website at www.nrm.org.uk/mallard

The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, a registered charity, built Peppercorn class A1 Pacific 60163 Tornado at its Darlington Locomotive Works to haul charter trains operating on Network Rail. Fitted with additional water capacity and the latest railway safety electronics, Tornado is fully equipped for today’s main line railway.

The class A1s were designed by Arthur H Peppercorn for the London & North Eastern Railways and 49 were built in 1948/49 by British Railways. However, following the dieselisation of the railways, all were scrapped by 1966. The project to build a new Peppercorn class A1 was launched in 1990 and after 18 years of planning, construction and fundraising the £3 million locomotive was completed in August 2008. Following tests and trials, on the Great Central Railway and the Network Rail main line, Tornado hauled her first main line passenger train in January 2009.

ornado was named by TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall at York station on Friday 19th, 2009. Funds to build Tornado have been raised through deeds of covenant, sponsorship (principal sponsor William Cook Cast Products Limited), loans and a bond issue.

The Trust is still seeking to raise funds to repay the outstanding £500,000 borrowed to complete her construction and provide a support coach. For details of how to help or where to travel behind Tornado, visit www.a1steam.com or email enquiries@a1steam.com. For more information, please contact: Mark Allatt, Chairman, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust on mark.allatt@a1steam.com or 077110 878979.

The North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group (NELPG) was formed in 1966 with the intention of preserving some of the steam locomotives still working in the North East of England. A charity run entirely by volunteers, NELPG now owns four locomotives with associations to the region – J72 class locomotive No. 69023; K1 class locomotive No. 62005; Q6 class locomotive No. 63395; and J27 class locomotive No. 65894. NELPG’s primary objective is to have as many of these locomotives in steam as possible. For more information, visit www.nelpg.org.uk

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