TORNADO HITS 100mph (161km/hr)
On 12th April 2017 steam locomotive 60163 "Tornado" reached the speed of 100 mile per hour ( = 161 km per hour) during specially conducted speed tests.
In 1994 work started to build this new locomotive to the design of of London & North Eastern Railway A1 Pacific (4-6-2 wheel arrangement) but with minor modifications required by today's railway operators and engineers. Thirteen years and £3-million later, "Tornado" was 2008 working "specials" and "excursions" over much of UK's rail network.
Photo by Alan Weaver.
2013: "Tornado" in early British Railways express passenger blue livery.
Photo by Anthony Hayes.
2016: "Tornado" as it might have appeared in 1948 with new "British Railways" name on tender but in London & North Eastern Railway apple green express passenger livery.
The April tests were designed to investigate the feasibility of allowing the locomotive to run at 90mph (144km/hr) while on UK mainlines. The current speed limit is 70mph (112km/hr), the increase to 90 will allow the steam locomotive to fit in better with timetabled revenue earning train services.
There are several video clips of "Tornado" in action on YouTube, here's a link to one of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejruyx5nO5I
For the history of "Tornado" check out this link:
https://www.a1steam.com/history/
In 1994 work started to build this new locomotive to the design of of London & North Eastern Railway A1 Pacific (4-6-2 wheel arrangement) but with minor modifications required by today's railway operators and engineers. Thirteen years and £3-million later, "Tornado" was 2008 working "specials" and "excursions" over much of UK's rail network.
Photo by Alan Weaver.
2013: "Tornado" in early British Railways express passenger blue livery.
Photo by Anthony Hayes.
2016: "Tornado" as it might have appeared in 1948 with new "British Railways" name on tender but in London & North Eastern Railway apple green express passenger livery.
The April tests were designed to investigate the feasibility of allowing the locomotive to run at 90mph (144km/hr) while on UK mainlines. The current speed limit is 70mph (112km/hr), the increase to 90 will allow the steam locomotive to fit in better with timetabled revenue earning train services.
There are several video clips of "Tornado" in action on YouTube, here's a link to one of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejruyx5nO5I
For the history of "Tornado" check out this link:
https://www.a1steam.com/history/