SD7916 : Tornado approaching Ramsbottom
taken 7 years ago, near to Ramsbottom, Bury, England
Peppercorn Class A1 60163 “Tornado” is a main line coal-fired steam locomotive. Unlike other steam locomotives, Tornado is not a preserved locomotive but was specially built. Construction of Tornado began in 1994 and was completed in 2008, making her Britain’s newest steam engine; indeed, Tornado was the first such locomotive built in the United Kingdom since Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by British Railways in 1960. Having been designed with compliance to modern safety and certification standards, Tornado has been conducting passenger services on the UK rail network and on mainline-connected heritage railways since 2008.
Tornado is the only example of an LNER Peppercorn Class A1 locomotive in existence, the entirety of the original production batch having been scrapped without preservation. Despite her youth, she has already become an icon, finding fame in “Top Gear” and the 2017 family feature film “Paddington 2” and in April 2017 Tornado became the first steam locomotive to officially reach 100 mph in over 50 years on British tracks.
See other images of 60103 Tornado
The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is a heritage railway based in Bury. It is currently (as at July 2022) operating between Rawtenstall and Heywood, with intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street, Burrs Country Park, Summerseat, Ramsbottom and Irwell Vale, respectively.
The original East Lancashire Railway Linkopened in 1844, beginning as a railway from Clifton via Bury to Rawtenstall. It was later amalgamated with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Parts of the network remain in use today, and the section of the original line between Bury and Rawtenstall is now operated by the heritage railway.
After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat was reopened on 25 July 1987 as a new heritage railway. In 1991 the service was extended northwards from Ramsbottom to reach Rawtenstall, via Irwell Vale and in 2003 an eastbound extension from Bury to Heywood was re-opened. To reach Heywood the extension had to cross over the Metrolink line to Bury, at the site of the former Bury Knowsley Street station. This necessitated the construction of a new intersection bridge, with steeply graded approaches of 1 in 36 and 1 in 41 nicknamed 'The Ski Jump'. The heritage line is now just over 12 miles long, and has a mainline connection with the national railway network at Castleton, just beyond Heywood. The ELR plans to extend the running line further into Castleton in the future, to where a new (and separate) platform named "Castleton Village" will be constructed adjacent to the main station itself (Link
The railway is run by volunteer members from the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society (ELRPS). The railway is well known for its collection of diesel locomotives which reside on the railway, along with over 140 carriages, wagons and utility vehicles. It is open every weekend of the year and holds a number of themed events and galas throughout the year which include steam and diesel events amongst others, and also offers driver experience courses.
Link
- Grid Square
- SD7916, 692 images (more nearby 🔍)
- Photographer
- David Dixon (more nearby)
- Date Taken
- Thursday, 29 March, 2018 (more nearby)
- Submitted
- Friday, 30 March, 2018
- Subject Location
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OSGB36:
SD 793 169 [100m precision]
WGS84: 53:38.9400N 2:18.8505W - Camera Location
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OSGB36:
- View Direction
- North-northeast (about 22 degrees)