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17th June 2009 Tornado Hits Washford
Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust museum and shop volunteers often comment that weather conditions at Washford station , the Trust’s headquarters on the West Somerset Railway, can be distinctly breezy but they have never experienced a Tornado, that is until this June! The newly built A1 Class “ Pacific” locomotive No. 60163 “ Tornado” visited the West Somerset Railway between 1st and 15th June running regularly on scheduled services between Bishop Lydeard and Minehead. The A1’s were designed by Arthur Peppercorn and were built between 1946 and 1949 at Darlington and Doncaster Works. The locomotives were regular and excellent performers on the East Coast main line between Kings Cross and Scotland All of them were scrapped by 1966 with none being preserved. The A1 Trust launched a project to build a brand new locomotive in 1990 and “Tornado” achieved national and international coverage when it entered service in 2008 as the first new build main line express locomotive to be built since the end of steam in the sixties. “ Tornado” is actually a development of the original design incorporating various engineering and design developments that have taken place since the A 1’s were first introduced .
Saluting “ Tornado” as it enters Washford Station with a Bishops Lydeard to Minehead service is the Trust’s own locomotive “ Kilmersdon” which is based at Washford and can be seen performing shunting duties in the station yard on gala days and other special occasions. “ Kilmersdon “ was built by Bristol based locomotive builders Peckett & Sons and worked at Kilmersdon Colliery near Radstock from 1929 to 1973. The 0-4-0 saddle tank did at least make it into preservation unlike its bigger sisters the A 1 Class but “Tornado “ is a magnificent example of how perseverance and a lot of hard work can recreate one of the true legends of steam.
All Photographs (c) Andrew Marsh
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