A HISTORIC locomotive took to the road as it headed to the National Railway Museum to appear in the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Mallard breaking the steam speed record.

The A4-class Dominion of Canada is on loan from the Canadian National Railway Museum, in Montreal, to take part in the Mallard celebration.

As part of the loan deal it has enjoyed a £50,000 face-lift at Locomotion: The National Railway Museum in Shildon.

The Doncaster-built Gresley A4 Pacific engine arrived in Britain for the first time in 50-years after a 2,527 mile trip across the Atlantic.

Workers have stripped the engine of its British Rail green livery and have returned it to its original garter blue colour.

The Dominion of Canada is one of six remaining A4-class engines which are coming together to mark the anniversary of the Mallard reaching 125.88mph in 1938.

The engine has now left Shildon to travel by road to the National Railway Museum, in York, to join the other A4-class engines.

They are to line up at the museum for rail fans to view from July.

In February next year they are to return to Locomotion: The National Railway Museum in Shildon where all six engines can be viewed again.

Sarah Towers, marketing communications manager at the Shildon museum, said: “There’s a sense of sadness and pride now that it’s going.

“It’s the start of the Mallard celebration and that’s very exciting news for both of the Shildon and York museums.

“It will also be good to see the engine return to Shildon in February next year before they all split up again.”

Further details can be obtained via 01388-777999 or on-line at www.nrm.org.uk.