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Railtour promoter

The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust

Darlington charity that built Peppercorn A1 60163 Tornado in 2008 and promotes its main line tours; now building P2 2007 Prince of Wales.

  • BasedDarlington Locomotive Works
  • Founded1990
  • TractionSteam
Book with The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust Official website
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust Photo: Ben Salter from Wales, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust was formed in 1990 to build a new Peppercorn A1 Pacific after every original member of the class was scrapped. 60163 Tornado was completed at Darlington Locomotive Works in 2008, the first new main line steam locomotive in Britain since 1960. It returned to service in 2024 after a major overhaul.

The trust is now building P2 2007 Prince of Wales, intended to be the most powerful steam locomotive in Britain, and has begun a V4 project, 3403 Highlander. Darlington Locomotive Works opens to visitors on the first full weekend of each month.

Tornado's tours are marketed through promoters, mainly Vintage Trains and The Railway Touring Company, and the trust's A1 Rail Tours page links through to each one. In 2026 Tornado has worked The Great Northern from Birmingham over the Settle to Carlisle line and hauls The Cathedrals Express to Edinburgh in November.