THE first mainline steam locomotive to be built in over 40 years will be called Tornado.
The station commander of the fighter base at Leeming, near Northallerton, Group Captain Andy Walton, has presented the Darlington-based A1 Steam Locomotive Trust with a nameplate for the new engine.
The trust is building the engine at the Darlington Locomotive Works, at a cost of £1.7m. The project to build a new Peppercorn class A1 was launched in 1990 at the time of the Gulf War and it was decided to name it after the Tornado because the aircraft was the backbone of the RAF's involvement in that campaign.
Gp Capt Walton said: "Our relationship with the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is part of our building of partnerships with our local community, and we look forward to helping promote this exciting project.
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