The majestic LNER 60163 'Tornado' at the head of the 1Z61 'Christmas White Rose' 0737 Dorridge - York. LNER Peppercorn Class A1 No. 60163 Tornado is a 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotive completed in 2008 to an original design by Arthur Peppercorn. At the time of completion it was the first new build steam locomotive for the British mainline since 1960, and is the only Peppercorn A1 in existence as the final locomotive of the original class was scrapped in 1966.
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust launched the project in 1990 and was financed through fundraising initiatives, public donations, and sponsorship deals. Construction began in 1994 at Darlington Works, England with other components manufactured elsewhere, most notably the boiler, which was constructed at Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works in Germany to meet modern EU regulations. Following testing on the Great Central Railway in 2008, Tornado was granted its mainline running certificate in January 2009 and has since worked heritage and mainline trains across Britain.
In 2017, Tornado became the first steam locomotive to officially reach 100 mph (160 km/h) on British tracks in over 50 years. It was withdrawn in 2021 for an extensive overhaul and returned to service in 2024.[2] The success of Tornado led the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust to launch a new build project for another LNER locomotive, P2 Class 2007 Prince of Wales.
