Tickets on sale for Paddington 2 steam train Tornado's Butterley visit

The A1 Peppercorn Pacific 60163 Tornado will be hauling passenger trains at the Midland Railway centre over the weekend of April 21-22.

Tornado was the first steam locomotive to be built in the UK for almost half a century. Completed in 2008, it clocked 100 miles per hour on the mainline in April 2017.

Midland Railway spokesman Alan Calladine said: “It’s a great scoop for us to have Tornado visit as part of its tenth anniversary tour. It’s a very famous train and doesn’t visit heritage railways very often.

“Many people will have seen steam trains like ours, which might be 70 or 80 years old. Tornado is in a league of its own. It’s a truly unique machine, and its got all sorts of new technology built into it.”

He added: “Normally people might see it fly past on the mainline, but this will give them chance to get up close, see it properly, and even ride behind it. With the Paddington connection too, it’s sure to be a hit with children.”

A ticket will entitle passengers to one full line trip behind Tornado, unlimited all day travel on the heritage diesel services.

Visitors can access great photo locations to capture Tornado in action as well as all of the regular attractions, including a visiting model exhibition from the TV series Tugs.

Tornado will run six journeys between 10.30am and 4pm. Children under five can ride for free, ages up to 16 for £10, and adults for £20. A family ticket for five is £50. Prices will rise on the day of travel.

For more information and to book tickets, click on the train of your choice at www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk/calendar.

To learn more about Tornado, see www.a1steam.com.