BREAKING NEWS! Tornado's final main line test

Although I'm still plugging along with my LNWR post, I thought it might be best to quickly post up some exciting news that's just been posted on the A1 Trust website, concerning that wonderful engine, Tornado:

Tornado...will haul her final test train on the Network Rail main line from York to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and return on Tuesday 18th November 2008. This test train, sponsored by National Express East Coast, will consist of 10 carriages plus a class 67 diesel locomotive, equating to about 550 tons, and will run at up to 75mph. The new £3 million Peppercorn class A1 60163 Tornado will be wearing National Express livery for the test train as the train operator is the modern-day inheritor of the routes the class A1s were designed to work on.

So, let me just weigh in a brief statement: today, Tueday the 18th, will see Tornado in its LAST tests for mainline running, and thus getting closer to hauling its first main line official passenger train. To make it even better, we'll see it for the first time in a paint scheme other than the plain works grey we've seen it in thus far.

The full post can be read here.

Also, a reminder that the engine needs money to continue to operate, so please free up a little cash and donate something to the A1 Steam Trust! Actually, it would probably be a good thing to donate something to the other new build projects while you're about it too!