The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has issued an update on the overhaul of 60163 Tornado, reporting that the work in continuing in Loughborough and Darlington.

At LMS’ works, the project is approaching completion of work prior to rewheeling the frames. Whilst work was progressing, a minor alignment issue with the Cartazzi came to light, which needed to be resolved before work could progress. This has now been well advanced and final alignment checks are being completed on the frames and cannon boxes before rewheeling.

The pipework on the locomotive frames is now almost complete, with a few tasks remaining that can only be carried out once the boiler is refitted. Easier access has enabled all the more difficult work to be completed without what the Trust calls “the need for our team to discover their inner contortionist”! The Trust now plans to rewheel the locomotive during the last week of April using the Mattinson jacks, which are being moved down from Darlington for the task.

The motion is being fully refurbished at the Severn Valley Railway, where work is progressing well. This will enable swift installation on the locomotive soon after the rewheeling, when Tornado will become a Pacific once again. Final fitting of pipework and other smaller components can then be completed to give an almost complete rolling chassis ahead of the boiler being put into place.

Refurbishment of the boiler has not been without difficulty and stress, as has been reported before. The small tubes needed to be replaced but the Boiler Inspector also recommended the replacement of the flue tubes to mitigate any similar risk that testing had could not discover. As a result, all the tubes have been removed and a full new set of small tubes and flues is scheduled to arrive in the UK and be delivered to Darlington this week. The team is ready to begin installing the tubes in the coming days so as to move as swiftly as possible to a hydraulic test, and then a steam test at Darlington.

Plans for the refurbishment included a number of stay replacements to avoid potential reliability issues. However, DB Meiningen did not complete them all, so they are being completed at Darlington. Replacement would need the cab to be removed, so by installing new material now it should significantly reduce the risk of this happening.

The Trust admits that it is not as far advanced with Tornado’s refurbishment as it would like to be, but is confident that its team is “fully focused on getting the locomotive into traffic as rapidly as possible”. Unfortunately, the loco will not be able to appear at the North Norfolk Railway (NNR) as planned in May, but the Trust and the Railway are discussing the potential of a future visit. At present, despite recent bridge works, Network Rail has advised that large locomotives cannot traverse the Sheringham branch, so the Trust will be working with the NNR to try to overcome this problem.

The European Train Control System (ETCS) installation also continues to progress. In the coming weeks, it is intended to switch the main parts of the system on for the first time, a key milestone for this part of the project.