Class A1 60163 Tornado BR Apple Green

A1 Class No. 60163 Tornado in lined BR apple green with BRITISH RAILWAYS in full on the tender.

The A1 Class, which numbered 49 locomotives in total, has usually been accredited to A H Peppercorn of the LNER, but in reality their construction was authorised when Thompson was still the CME at Doncaster.

The first 16 were authorised for construction at Doncaster, in October 1945, followed by an additional 23 in 1946, built at Darlington.The remainder of the Class was built at Doncaster in 1949.

Tenders linked to Darlington engines had countersunk (flush) rivets, whilst Doncaster tenders had snap-head rivets clearly visible on their surfaces. Originally the locomotives were un-named, but later took names removed from Class A4’s, whilst others were named after previous CME’s, and a few named after constituent companies which formed the LNER.

On their introduction, the A1’s were allocated to principal sheds between London and Edinburgh on the East Coast Main Line, working many of the prestigious expresses. The arrival of Type 4 and ‘Deltic’ diesels on the ECML saw the A1’s quickly withdrawn from service, sadly after only fifteen years working life and all were scrapped.

The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust - a registered charity - has built a completely new 'A1' to the original design and with the help of the latest technology. Fitted with additional water capacity and the latest railway safety electronics, Tornado is fully equipped for today’s main line railway. The loco is currently hauling specials on the main line and details can be seen at www.a1steam.com

Bachmann will make a donation to the A1 Trust for every model sold.

£ 102.65