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Date: 2025-03-14 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00027038

BRITISH RAIL STEAM: TORNADO Tornado. The 100mph steam engine. Full film by Tom Ingall PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8fp8Gknm0w Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess
Tornado. The 100mph steam engine. Full film by Tom Ingall Tom Ingall Jan 9, 2023 4.22K subscribers ... 460,113 views ... 7.3K likes A dramatic night out with the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust. I was given exclusive access to their attempt to run their brand new steam engine Tornado at 100mph. In order to gain certification to regularly operate at 90mph, one of the tests required was to check if it continued to operate safely above that speed. This is the first time a British Steam Locomotive has run at such a speed, since the phasing out of steam on BR in the mid to late sixties. An A4 class was given permission to run at 90mph for a special occasion in the 2000s - but not 100mph. For more about Tornado and the A1 SLTs other locomotive projects see https://www.a1steam.com/ Steam at 100 mph Transcript 0:02 they said it couldn't be built they said it shouldn't run at speed I reckon that magic 100 mile an hour is going to be in the bag [Music] they said the steamage was dead well big steam train of it this is the story of how tornado was tamed and taken to the tunnel [Music] 0:37 [Applause] 0:43 foreign 0:45 [Music] 0:46 locomotive on a mission tornado a 0:50 peppercorn class A1 Pacific arrives in 0:52 Doncaster it's a spiritual homecoming 0:55 the class was designed in the town now 0:57 its base camp for a thrilling Railway 1:00 Adventure it's traveled up from London along with Hugh Parker one of the team of volunteers who keep it on the rails if you are sitting where I am you'd feel the heat coming out of there is very hot indeed once a light managing the fire is an essential chore if the Loco's been cold we light a small warming fire and take as long as we can to bring it around into steam to allow the boiler to heat evenly [Music] 1:32 and even off the foot plate there's a 1:34 need for elbow grease cleaning isn't 1:37 just for cleaning's sake all the oil and 1:40 grease from the axle boxes and from the 1:43 front end have all that has been thrown 1:45 back over the rods 1:46 so again just checking that center of 1:49 the wheel where it joins the axle to 1:51 make sure that there's no sign of 1:53 movement here 1:54 the pressure is on tornado needs to be 1:58 in the form of its life 2:00 we're very confident that this engine will will meet the challenge without a problem three days from now the team will attempt a 100 miles per hour run no one has driven a steam engine at 100 miles an hour in this country since 1967. we are moving into a an environment where we are asking people to do something that they've been trained for but they haven't physically 2:26 done 2:30 it will be a test of man and machine 2:33 and while it has all the Hallmarks the 2:36 thrilling tale from an adventure annual 2:38 there is a serious point 2:42 tornadoes bread and butter living is 2:44 made by running Excursion trains around 2:46 the country thousands rode behind it 2:49 when it stormed along the roof of 2:51 England on the settle to Carlisle 2:53 Railway 2:55 we have since the back end of the last 2:58 century run Steam at 75 miles an hour 3:01 but as people will be aware the round network has got busier and busier and busier there are more fast Express trains there are more commuter trains there are more freight trains at 75 miles an hour with the fact that steam doesn't accelerate as fast as on the electric train we are starting to run out of places that we can run the Loco and to make it commercially viable 3:23 it costs hundreds of thousands of pounds 3:26 to run tornado every year it's essential 3:28 they can please passengers and still fit 3:31 around other trains 3:34 a plan has been devised to prove tornado 3:37 can run regularly at up to 90 miles per 3:39 hour starting From Doncaster the Loco 3:42 will haul a test train up the East Coast 3:43 Main Line pausing at York to take on 3:46 water then they'll press on northwards 3:48 steadily increasing their top speed to 3:51 hit 90. 3:52 just outside of Newcastle they'll stop 3:55 and examine everything making sure 3:57 tornado is running perfectly after 4:00 turning round they'll Dash South with permission to try to 100 miles per hour this is part of a test to show tornado is safe even when exceeding the speed limit we want to run regularly at 90 miles an hour we need to show that the locomotive operates satisfactorily 10 over that speed it's 99 but the point of 100 came 4:20 from Network rail whose comment was uh 4:23 if we're going to authorize you at 99 we 4:25 should authorize you 100 mile an hour 4:27 and not leave you like a batsman at the 4:28 crease 4:31 the Tornado Story itself is remarkable 4:34 every original locomotive of its type 4:36 was scrapped this left a gap in the 4:39 family tree of East Coast Mainline 4:41 Motive Power to fill it a group of 4:43 enthusiasts club together to build a 4:45 brand new one 4:47 top this side up again 4:49 working from a converted Carriage shed 4:52 in Darlington they spent 18 years 4:54 Machining and making the parts 4:59 by the time the last bolts were 5:01 tightened in 2008 the bill came to 3 million pounds but their efforts were rewarded as the First new steam engine built for Britain's Main Line since 1960 it certainly caught the imagination this engine is named tornado 5:20 and may God bless all who are lucky 5:23 enough to locomotes behind her 5:28 since then it has become a steam star 5:32 but to keep its place on the east coast 5:34 line running faster is essential 5:39 and back in Doncaster tornado won't be 5:41 going anywhere unless it passes The 5:44 crucial Fitness to run examination 5:46 [Music] 5:49 every tap tells a story every cranny 5:53 could conceal a show-stopping problem 5:54 Hugh faces an anxious weight we've got 5:58 an independent examiner from DB cargo 6:00 our train operating company who is auditing our own engineering procedures so I've got my own engineer going around the engine making sure that everything is safe and secure we check all the pins for security check all the split pins are there all secure 6:14 there's no loose legs there's nothing 6:16 loose 6:18 36 hours before the run everything needs 6:22 to work perfectly 6:24 I'm beginning to feel happier 6:30 and out of sight can't mean out of mind 6:33 the locomotive is reversed over an 6:36 inspection pit we've got the three sets 6:38 of valve gear unconnecting rods on the 6:40 outside if you're examining them this is 6:42 the middle big end it's up flying around 6:45 Fair speed in here really so we want to 6:47 make sure that the knots and the split 6:48 things are in place for those as well 6:50 really 6:52 the inspection lasts for most of the day 6:56 eventually though they have in their 6:59 hands a piece of paper Steam and speed 7:01 in our time tornado is good to go this is all about confirming that the locomotive is safe and in afic condition to be running on the main line um and uh yeah we're all quite excited and looking forward to having a crack at that 90 mile an hour on Tuesday night we are going into an element we've never had the Loco at that speed so as much as we can predict what it will do and we 7:24 can measure what it will do we don't 7:25 know for sure so this is where there's 7:27 an element of 7:29 um excitement but also caution 7:32 as tornado accelerates air will be drawn 7:35 faster across the fire making it burn 7:37 hotter it will eat coal and the firemen 7:40 will have his work cut out to make 7:42 enough steam the driver will need plenty 7:44 of power at his disposal 7:46 but as the metal work moves ever quicker 7:49 if anything overheats it's game over the 7:52 lubrication systems are absolutely 7:54 critical this is a five-figure Endeavor 7:57 if you take into account all the money 7:59 we've spent so far on getting here ready 8:01 to do the test it's a six-figure Endeavor so we have we have to succeed going further faster has been a recurring theme through Railway history the Legends Slumber in the Great Hall of the National Railway Museum but before them all came rocket soon as Rocket wins the rain Hill trial speed becomes a major ingredient people want to travel places the railway gives 8:28 you the ability to move long distances 8:30 but you don't want to spend forever 8:32 doing it and especially in third class 8:34 as there were then you know it's quite 8:35 an uncomfortable thing so improving the 8:37 journey time is really important 8:40 a century later speed was the epitome of 8:43 Railway Endeavor in 1934 Flying Scotsman 8:47 was the first locomotive to be 8:49 officially driven at 100 miles per hour 8:51 four years later the world steam speed 8:54 record was set by Mallard at 126 miles 8:58 per hour it has never been beaten this 9:01 is where we turn speed from a phenomenon for people into a science a rolling laboratory called a dynamometer car was used to record accurate performance data for the first time there's an umbilical cord between the locomotive and this car that's feeding back all sorts of variables you need to understand what's going on whether it's the track that you need to improve to make the train go faster the braking 9:27 that's also something that was measured 9:29 in this thing the the ability of the 9:31 train to slow down from speed to stop 9:37 but despite the advances by the late 60s 9:40 steam was done Swept Away by 9:42 modernization 9:44 fastest train in Britain the bristolian 9:47 at times exceeds 100 miles an hour it's 9:49 sad to think that superb locomotives of 9:51 the king and coronation class must be 9:53 superseded drivers who know their ways 9:55 and moods as if the engines lived are 9:57 those to beat them goodbye southern 9:59 region in 1967 10:01 there were numerous occasions where bully pacifics were clocked at 100 miles an hour plus because they wanted to go out in a blaze of glory and the timings allowed them to do so to prove steam can still cut it at speed the obsession with measuring continues tornado is being cabled up like a moon rocket these are the accelerometers so 10:25 that's measuring vertical loads and that 10:28 one there is very lateral loads 10:31 stability matters tornado will naturally 10:33 move from side to side but too much and 10:36 that's known as rough riding it might be 10:38 the track or it could be a problem with 10:40 the Loco meanwhile the wheels and the 10:43 rods which connect them will reinforce 10:45 downwards just like the blow of a huge 10:47 hammer we've been able to balance 10:49 tornado much more thoroughly than any 10:52 other steam engines ever been able to be 10:54 done and that means that tornado at 90 10:57 miles an hour produces less Hammer blade 10:59 than an A4 such as world record holder 11:01 Mallard at 75 miles an hour but we also have to look at this is nearly 170 tons of locate when it arrives onto a bridge the deflection forces and so on are very important indeed as the vehicle moves up and down the accelerometers at the measure the g-forces speed to get one G that's one G upwards Against Gravity so at that point you're in free space so if we're getting to that sort of situation 11:24 there's a possibility the vehicle might 11:26 become stable and actually want to jump 11:28 off the track so that's a No-No 11:30 obviously but as part of the safety 11:31 process we have to go through the 11:33 criteria to make sure that it's safe to 11:35 operate and it doesn't actually exceed 11:37 those levels 11:39 the data gathered on the test might help 11:42 other steam engines run faster in future 11:44 too 11:46 and the Heritage world is watching 11:50 steam Railway magazine are holding their 11:52 presses hoping to be first with history 11:54 this is really the big store isn't it so 11:57 we can't really underplay it reporter 12:00 Tony Streeter will join the train writing his copy on the Move I've written about these things now for the best part of 20 years I've never done anything quite like this I cannot think of another locomotive anywhere in the world another steam locomotive anywhere 12:18 in the world that will regularly run at 12:21 90 miles an hour yes I think it will 12:23 make it the fastest in the world at 12:26 least on a regular basis Greene the 12:29 mainline but the East Coast Mainline is 12:31 faster still the modern electrics have a 12:34 top speed of 125 miles per hour even at 12:38 a special one-off ton let alone the new 12:41 planned maximum of 19. tornado will be 12:43 outpaced 12:48 at Network rails London headquarters 12:51 word of the test train has reached the 12:53 very top 12:54 the railway is the heart of the British 12:56 economy it creates economic growth that 12:58 could create jobs and it creates houses 13:01 and people have to travel in order to do 13:04 that but that's travel through necessity 13:06 and we would like people to also Kindle 13:09 their emotional and romantic side and 13:12 actually feel that the railways is for 13:14 them and that they're connected with it 13:16 and there's nothing like a steam like a 13:17 native to do that if you're old like me 13:20 you remember them uh when when you were 13:22 young 13:23 if you're not old like me it's just 13:25 something quite extraordinary when you 13:27 see a steam locomotive passing by at 13:30 some point somebody will be driving 13:31 along on the motorway at 70 miles an 13:34 hour and this thing will go tearing past 13:37 them and leave them for dead and you 13:39 know what's the average car driver going 13:41 to think when they see a steam train of 13:43 all things doing a good 20 mile an hour 13:45 than they are 13:46 that engine's now ready all the 13:48 maintenance is done all the preparation 13:50 is done we just need to get out there 13:51 now 13:53 the time has come to hand over the star 13:55 act to the train operating company DB 13:57 cargo the only thing now is uh waiting 14:01 for the train crew and then we an 14:03 experienced footplate crew has been 14:05 hand-picked to meet the challenge 14:06 everything is going much faster things 14:08 happen more quickly so their reactions 14:11 are probably going to have to be quicker 14:13 they're going to have to react to how 14:15 the engine's performing what it's 14:17 demanding of them 14:19 the run is taking place at night the 14:21 railway isn't as busy then but it's also 14:24 been kept a secret so there isn't a 14:26 problem with crowds of onlookers we'll 14:28 see how we do go in North we might run 14:29 without the diesel on the back as the 14:32 Gloom gathers the whole team comes 14:34 together for a last briefing 14:39 that is correct answer 14:41 cheers guys 14:43 and then the men of the hour arrive the 14:47 footplate crew ahead of them 230 miles 14:50 of high speed running into the night and 14:52 behind them a tender full of eight tons 14:55 of coal it's a bit special 14:58 yeah it should be good though we'll just 15:00 see if we can do it I think no problem 15:02 maybe I can't see any problems you know 15:05 a moment years in the making has finally 15:09 arrived 15:26 steam fills tornado cylinders heads are 15:30 turned as it drifts through Doncaster 15:31 station and the test begins 15:37 the first stage of the journey to York 15:39 should be routine but with the data 15:41 analysts and invited guests on board who 15:44 know they're here for something special 15:45 it's not long before eyes are on clocks 15:49 I use a GPS to determine how fast you're 15:51 going these days we used to do it by 15:54 time in the mail post or by counting the 15:56 rail Beats 15:59 the numbers are already being crunched 16:03 pretty steady 16:07 before long York is in sight the plan is 16:10 for a quick Splash and Dash water stop 16:12 word of the run is already out 16:15 it's kind of a thing in my family and 16:19 we're all big steam train of it so I was 16:21 kind of grown up with it since I was 16:22 little so any chance to come see it I 16:25 hopped in the car and come here as fast 16:27 as I could we've taken about two and a 16:29 half thousand gallons of water 16:31 um it should take us about between five 16:33 and ten minutes depending on how fast 16:34 the tanker can feel it strive to achieve 16:37 it in the past time as we can really 16:39 Hugh is joining the crew on the foot 16:41 plate for the next part of the Run 10 16:43 more minutes of water Lindsay please 16:46 the plan is to take tornado well above 16:48 the usual 75 limit 75 to Skelton 16:53 83. tall and thirst 90. 16:59 I'm right 17:13 before long the Loco is settling into 17:15 its stride again on a part of the east 17:18 coast line known as the racing stretch 17:23 [Music] 17:30 northallerton comes and goes in a blur 17:37 thank you 17:38 [Applause] 17:41 slowly tornado nudges towards Uncharted 17:44 Territory but it's interesting if we 17:47 feel it through the cage 17:49 there are anxious moments as the speedo 17:51 climbs towards 80. there are hints of 17:54 rough riding suggest a little bit of a 17:56 natural Resonance of the light cover 17:58 very low we have seen one little anomaly 18:01 but with a bit of bad track so it's been 18:03 a very stable run so far 18:14 this is the fastest a peppercorn Pacific 18:17 has run since the end of Steam on board 18:20 the train journalist Tony Streeter is 18:22 writing up the story there'll probably 18:24 be discussions forever more afterwards 18:27 about exactly this bid or that bit but 18:29 that's a sign I guess of the importance 18:30 that people are placing on 18:34 what and there's more to come 18:37 as tornado touches 90. it's been a 18:41 phenomenal effort for the crew back in 18:43 2013 a sister engine of world record 18:46 holder Mallard was allowed to go this 18:48 fast but no more early 18:56 but as the lights of Durham come into 18:58 view the pace setting is over for now 19:03 a few miles from here tornado will turn 19:06 off the main line into a Depot just 19:08 outside of Newcastle for a thorough 19:10 inspection 19:14 [Music] 19:32 fastest I've ever been on a steam engine 19:35 it's the equivalent of a Formula One Pit 19:38 Stop albeit at a more measured Pace with 19:41 the crew off the foot plate Hugh can 19:43 give the fire a once over 19:45 yeah that's the temperature of the 19:47 middle eccentric there at 40 degrees 19:50 meanwhile David Wright is one of the 19:52 first support crew members on the ground 19:54 we're confident with how it runs 19:55 normally at 75 we know what it does but 19:58 90 is just that little Edge more really 20:02 on tornado's motion alone there are 14 20:05 oiling points to check as the bearing is 20:08 working it's obviously using oil and 20:11 it's trying to draw air in so in order 20:13 for it to draw air and we've basically 20:14 got a cork with a bamboo cane through 20:16 the middle 20:17 um so then as it's using oil air is 20:19 drawn in replaces it therefore don't get 20:21 a vacuum therefore it's actually using 20:23 the oil 20:25 having run 80 miles since York another 20:28 water tanker pumps thousands of gallons 20:30 into tornadoes tender ready for the next 20:33 leg of the trip 20:34 because waggling a bit at around the 80 20:37 miles an hour mark but she settled down 20:39 and was good as gold 20:41 with some assistance from the gradients 20:43 downhill on the way back I reckon that 20:46 uh Magic 100 mile an hour is going to be 20:48 in the bag 20:49 oh Dave Graham will ride on the foot 20:52 plate back to York and there's a new 20:54 pair of hands on the shovel too 21:01 retires to the train if tornado does top 21:04 the tongue he'll confirm the onboard 21:06 measurements with the foot plate 21:10 [Music] 21:11 foreign 21:19 first though the whole train is heading 21:21 across the tine to turn around 21:32 it's half past two in the morning 21:34 Britain's commuters are asleep we're in 21:38 a position to uh to head off uh shortly 21:41 and you know we'll see what the future 21:43 brings 21:44 it's calm and quiet and you know it's 21:47 professional job 21:49 you know that's that's the point we're 21:51 not playing train said Dave remember 21:53 it's there's plenty of Daniel out of 21:55 here or just blow its head off otherwise 22:00 on the way home there are three places 22:03 where they can drop 100 but to take 22:06 Heritage steam into a new realm 22:07 everything has to be in their favor I 22:11 sent the message to the network rail 22:13 head of operations North at this end 22:15 brings all the way please 22:22 tornadoes staccato exhaust beats 22:24 reverberate across the city the crew are 22:27 getting stuck in and as requested 22:29 there's a clear road ahead 22:31 [Music] 22:36 now everyone on board is watching a 22:38 speedometer 22:44 at more than a mile a minute Durham is 22:47 quickly reached 22:53 [Applause] 23:00 is going up it's going up eight to one 23:14 96 23:15 come on come on come on 23:19 come on come on it's a post 60s record 23:23 they're not what they came from how far 23:26 to aycliffe 23:30 and at the a-cliff curves there's a 23:32 speed restriction for all trains there's 23:35 no choice but to slow down 23:39 they don't shut off just knees are back 23:41 a bit on here 23:43 they're disappointed but not eaten we'll 23:46 bring around 23:51 so we so the drive will be mindful of 23:54 the 90 mile an hour over the voiding 23:56 line at Darlington station 23:58 Graham joins the firemen in shoveling as 24:01 they prepare for the next Sprint 24:04 but a couple of Miles later there's bad 24:07 news 24:08 why have we got two flashing yellows 24:11 they haven't got the green signal they 24:13 were expecting is that right 24:15 instead of going round Darlington 24:17 station for some reason they're being 24:19 sent through it 24:22 and that means slowing down again 24:26 a solitary member of Staff gets an 24:29 unexpected surprise 24:32 [Music] 24:37 a mournful lament on tornado's chime 24:39 whistle their second chance at the ton 24:42 has just disappeared we'll leave it now 24:45 when we get over the Restriction the 24:47 other side of town to get too fast get 24:50 past the visual section and then we'll 24:53 go for it 24:55 we've now accelerating again 24:57 unfortunately we have another 75 at 25:00 northallerton to obey 25:03 train is not scheduled to stop at this 25:05 station 25:15 it's still a spectacular sight but 25:18 another temporary speed restriction 25:20 follows just down the line of thirst 25:23 now tornado has to drop down to 50 miles 25:25 per hour they're running out of track 25:28 and time 25:35 it's all down to the final few miles 25:37 before York 25:42 87 88 25:46 88. come on 25:56 [Applause] 25:59 keep going 26:08 come on come on oh come on come on 97. 26:17 all right 26:20 [Music] 26:22 trailing wind anything anything 26:33 [Music] 26:37 to celebrate the rarest of snaps for the 26:40 album a defining moment for tornado and 26:43 the crew they're wonderful people so 26:45 they've done us proud 26:52 water stop at York Beckham us all right 26:55 tie it out and you sleep 26:58 oh he's been doing a lot of 26:59 concentrating 27:08 anywhere there stays anywhere there 27:16 boys 27:18 don't want to do that again 27:23 I'll hook your door right after this 27:26 so do I 27:29 100 miles an hour is a big figure to 27:32 achieve and it's incredibly simple 27:35 [Music] 27:37 I think it's a milestone and a real real 27:41 Talisman for the future 27:44 I asked for a picture of the speedometer 27:46 and it goes over a hundred I think it's 27:49 a really great thing to do I'll do it 27:52 again I don't know if tornado do it 27:54 again but 27:56 it's been done anyway so 27:58 [Applause] 28:00 we're still in 100 mile an hour for 48 28:02 seconds I think we could say I did 100 28:04 mile an hour 28:05 when we get it home and it's all in one 28:06 piece then we can be proud 28:09 from a casual idea to a Titan of steam 28:12 from naught to 100. tornado has quickly 28:16 garnered accolades yes there is a 28:19 serious business here but it's adventure 28:22 that makes the heart race there are 28:24 still plenty of pages of that animal to 28:26 fill 28:30 [Music] 28:35 next tonight on BBC 4 Chinese new year 28:38 2016 the biggest celebration on Earth 28:41 with the hairy bikers partying up a 28:43 storm in Beijing 28:51 foreign

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