The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust have announced that to celebrate the End Of Steam Anniversary, they have purchased a tender for steam locomotive No.60163 Tornado and completes the 28-year-old dream.

The 163 Pacifics Club have raised an incredible £200,000 for this purchase to take place.

Today, 4th August 2018, marks the 50th Anniversary of the end of scheduled steam services on British Railways. The A1 Steam Locomotive has purchased the locomotive’s tender from William Cook Cast Products Ltd following the successful campaign.

One week ago, over 100 supporters gathered to celebrate 10 years of Tornado. The locomotive made her first moves on the 1st August 2008.

The tender is was leased on a 15-year deal to the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust. This was due to come to an end in 2021. The tender is owned by William Cook Cast Products Ltd, which are the Trust’s Principal Sponsor. This is thanks to Chairman, Sir Andrew Cook CBE, kindly offering to fund the tender in 2006.

By 2014, the Trust had repaid the £1 million debt needed to complete the locomotive in 2008. It then funded the conversion of BR Mk1 BCK E21249 into her support coach.

The 163 Pacifics Club was launched in September 2013 to fund the purchase of Tornado’s tender on the expiration date of the lease in 2021.

Since completion in 2008, Tornado has covered more than 100,000 miles in service. This has included three Royal Trains, including HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in February 2009. The locomotive has also featured on, as well as featuring on BBC’s Top Gear.

Tornado’s tender is unique in its design. Due to the lack of surviving steam infrastructure, the tender carries 6,200 gallons, rather than 5,000 originally. It carries 7 tons of coal, rather than 9 tons originally.

The tender also has an alternator, Timken cartridge roller bearings, TPWS, NRN and GSM-R. It also has a GPS tracker and a mobile phone charger.

What did the officials say?

Mark Allatt, Trustee, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, commented:

“On 1^st August No. 60163 Tornado celebrated her tenth birthday and remains the only new main line steam locomotive to be completed in Britain since 1960, despite over 20 standard gauge new build projects being launched. Tornado’s first 100,000 miles have seen the locomotive criss-cross Great Britain, a testimony to those supporters who stuck with the project over the 18 years that it took to fundraise and build – ‘This locomotive was built and paid for by people who shared a vision and were determined to turn it into reality’.

“We are delighted that thanks to the generosity of our dedicated supporters we have raised more than £200,000 plus gift aid through our The 163 Pacifics Club fundraising campaign. This means that we are now in a position to purchase Tornado’s tender from William Cook Cast Products Ltd three years before the end of its 15 year lease in 2021.

“William Cook Cast Products Ltd has been principal sponsor to The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust through its Chairman Sir Andrew Cook CBE since 1994, providing all the steel castings for No. 60163 Tornado and No. 2007 Prince of Wales – including all the wheels – at preferential rates and on generous terms – for which the Trust is enormously grateful as well as assisting with the funding of Tornado’s boiler. Any additional funds raised have been ring-fenced and will be used for the next overhaul of Tornado’s tender.

“Keeping Tornado on the Network Rail main line is expensive and time consuming and so the Trust is always seeking new supporters and volunteers to come on board. There could be no better way to celebrate Tornado’s first ten years in steam than the purchase of her tender from William Cook Cast Products Ltd, thus completing the project to build a new Peppercorn class A1 ‘Pacific’ launched in 1990.”

Sir Andrew Cook CBE, Chairman, William Cook Cast Products Ltd, added:

“William Cook Cast Products Ltd has been delighted to be associated with The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust for almost 25 years, supplying all of the steel castings for both No. 60163 Tornado and No. 2007 Prince of Wales and assisting with the funding of Tornado’s boiler, as well as purchasing and leasing back to the Trust Tornado’s tender, which enabled funds raised to focus on the construction of the engine. As the Trust’s Principal Sponsor, I believe that the building of Tornado is a great example of ‘The Cook Guiding Principles’ – Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence… persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

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