Tornado, the first new main line steam locomotive to be built in Britain for almost 50 years, will be unveiled in her glorious apple green livery at the National Railway Museum (NRM), York, on Saturday 13th December 2008 in front of 500 people who funded the construction of the locomotive. Apple green was the original colour carried by the first 30 of the 49 Peppercorn class A1s.

The unveiling with be undertaken by Mrs Dorothy Mather, widow of Arthur Peppercorn, the last Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) who designed the class Al in the late 1940s.

The unveiling will take place in the Great Hall at the National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York, YO26 4XJ at 13:00hrs on Saturday 13th December 2008.

Interviews are available with Mark Allatt, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, Andrew Scott, director of the National Railway Museum and
David Elliott, director of engineering of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust.

Click here for a clip of the unveiling - NOTE, it's a 3MB download.

The Peppercorn class A1s were built in 1948/49 by British Railways and all were scrapped by 1966. Costing £3m, Tornado is the 50th class A1 and was mechanically completed in August 2008. Since then she has been undergoing tests and trials, first on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough and latterly on the Network Rail main line.

Speaking about Tornado’s unveiling, Mark Allatt, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust said:

“Today is another historic day for Tornado. All of the original Darlington-built Peppercorn class A1s were turned out in apple green livery and so it is entirely appropriate that Tornado should follow suit – just as Arthur Peppercorn’s widow Dorothy first remembers them. Over the duration of her first boiler certificate Tornado will carry all of the A1’s historic liveries of LNER apple green with ‘British Railways’ on the tender, BR blue and BR Brunswick green, with both crest and emblem.”

Since her final test run on night of 18th/19th November, Tornado has been in the NRM’s paint shop where she had her now familiar test livery of photographic works grey replaced with apple green. The locomotive will be based at the NRM, York, until at least February 2009.

Director of the NRM, Andrew Scott explains:

"Not only was York the final home of the Peppercorn class A1s but the original drawings used to recreate this extinct class of steam locomotive are preserved in the NRM’s archive centre Search Engine. Without the Museum’s involvement in hosting the locomotive during her main line trials and providing painting facilities this fantastic project would not have been possible. We’re very excited to see Tornado make an appearance in the NRM’s Great Hall this weekend - we are certain she will attract many visitors to the Museum and it’s a credit to everyone involved."

Mark Allatt, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust added:

“Tornado’s unveiling in apple green is the end of another chapter in the story of a project that many said could never be completed. In 1990 a group was formed with a vision and the determination to make it succeed – to build and operate a Peppercorn class A1 Pacific steam locomotive for main line and preserved railway use. 18 years later, and thanks to that shared vision and determination, Tornado turned her wheels in anger for the first time on 1st August 2008 in front of the world’s press. It is thanks to our more than 2,000 regular monthly and other donors, our sponsors led by William Cook Cast Products Limited and the hard work of our volunteers and contractors that the project has achieved so much. The Trust is now looking to the great British public to help us get Tornado in to main line passenger service by making a donation, sponsoring a component, taking part in our covenant scheme and/or our £500,000 bond issue. There are now only 8 weeks until Tornado's main line passenger début.”

Phil Speight, managing director, Craftmaster, who donated the apple green paint, said:

"We were very pleased that the Trust chose Craftmaster products initially and since all of us here have been involved in heritage one way or another for most of our lives, we thought it most appropriate to provide Tornado's final livery paint as a donation to the project."

The painting of Tornado at York in apple green livery has been undertaken by the father and son duo of Ian and Dan Matthews of M Machine (who had previously applied the grey livery at Darlington) with Tony Filby, the NRM’s painter, applying the lettering and Mike “Tomo” Tompson the lining.

- ENDS -

Photographs of original A1s and Tornado are available on request.

Note to Editors
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, a registered charity, has built Peppercorn class A1 Pacific 60163 Tornado at its Darlington Locomotive Works and when certified it will be used on 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 Railway 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. Over £2.9m has been raised to-date through deeds of covenant, commercial sponsorship (principal sponsor William Cook Cast Products Limited) and through a bond issue. For details of how to help or where to travel behind Tornado telephone 01325 4 60163, visit www.a1steam.com or email enquiries@a1steam.com.

Craftmaster Paints - www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk - has supplied most of the paint for the project including for Tornado’s first livery in works grey. The Trust is grateful to Craftmaster for the sponsorship of the paint for the full painting in apple green livery.

M Machine - www.m-machine.co.uk – is the Darlington based firm which restores and makes panels and parts for old cars - particularly BMC Minis. M Machine also supply the model engineering fraternity with a wide variety of metals, have supplied The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust with a lot of small quantities of specialised ferrous and non-ferrous materials and have made some of the platework for Tornado’s cladding.

For more information please contact:
Mark Allatt, chairman, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, on 07710 878979 or mark.allatt@a1steam.com

Catherine Farrell Senior Press Officer, National Railway Museum on 01904 686281 or catherine.farrell@nrm.org.uk