The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust have announced their plans for a new multi-million pound home at Darlington, and will be used for both 60163 Tornado and 2007 Prince of Wales.

If the fundraising is successful, the new shed will be operational in time for the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 2025.

In the new housing for steam locomotives, there will be a 70-foot in diameter turntable for both locomotives and future locomotives such as the V4.

There will also be a carriage shed to store the trusts Mk3 charter stock.

The trust want the site to be accessible to the public on open days and a 1/3 of a mile running track to run passenger rides.

The Trust has appointed Darlington-based lifelong railwayman Paul Bruce as its Whessoe Road project director.

Graeme Bunker-James, Trustee and Operations Director at The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, commented, “Our long-awaited new base will be somewhere that both Tornado and Prince of Wales can truly call ‘home’. We hope that we will be able to operate the world’s newest steam locomotives from the world’s oldest active main line engine shed – a true ‘Top Shed’ of the north!  The intention is to open the Whessoe Road site as an operational base for the Trust soon after we complete the construction of Gresley class P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales, which is scheduled for 2021/22 – and in good time to play a central role in the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 2025.”

• Visit the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust Website
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