Riding the Tornado on the Severn Valley Railway

26 October 2009

How’s this for amazing? After about 50 years of diesel and electric trains, a brand new steam locomotive has been built! For two weeks in October 2009, the Severn Valley Railway hosted the Tornado and I got to ride on it!
The Severn Valley Railway has 16 miles of standard gauge track between Kidderminster in Worcester and Bridgnorth in Shropshire. They run steam trains throughout the year on this route, with special events like Santa Steam trains, World War II commemorative events, murder mystery trains and more. Go check out their website, or better yet, go visit them – it’s a great day out.

We arrived at Kidderminster Station for our journey to Bridgnorth on the Tornado (yes, the one Jeremy Clarkson drove on TopGear). We arrived early to get a good look at the locomotive and we did (apart from all those pesky other passengers getting in the way - where was my private tour?)
The Tornado is an A1 Peppercorn class locomotive (go look it up). It seems the last of the class was scrapped in 1966 and it was impossible to restore an original so, why not build a new one? That was the challenge taken by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust and this is the result. The Tornado is based on the original design but includes a few modern gadgets and gizmos that mean it can travel on mainline track (which is how Mr Clarkson got away with it.)

Even with the crowds, I was able to get onto the footplate (apparently, I could have ridden the whole journey on the footplate for a measly £250, but my assistants wouldn’t stump up the funds! Grrr!!!)

Anyway, here it is – the heart of the Tornado. I could explain all the pipes and gauges and stuff, but you wouldn’t understand anyway.
This big black stuff is the coal…it gets shovelled into the fire - that’s the orange-y flame stuff behind me (NOT my sweater!) The water boils, the train goes - what more do you need to know?
Even though they wouldn’t let me drive, I did get to pose as an engine driver, although the hat did nothing for me.
Close-up tour over, we took our seats in the LNER teak coaches, ready for the 16-mile ride. We sat in a 6-seater corridor compartment (even though there were 8 of us but it saved us mingling with the masses) towards the back of the train so we could hopefully get a view of the engine if we went around a curve in the track. They also had some first class and table carriages so there was a nice mix depending on your travelling preferences.

The route along the Severn Valley Railway is incredibly green and pretty, with antelope approaching the watering hole- hang on, hang on. Ahhh, I see. We're overlooking the West Midlands Safari Park. Well, it's not the Amazon, but you do get views of the Severn (the clue’s in the name).


You also pass through some very pretty stations, often used in period television shows and films where they need real steam trains.
At our destination – Bridgnorth – there was time to get out and take a look at the station. The Railwayman’s Arms offered refreshments while the gift shop offered a selection of train-type gifts at reasonable prices. You could even pick up something for your own layout (I must get one of those).

From the footbridge, there’s a great view of the locomotive works, and we could watch as Tornado took on water, before moving to the back (soon to be the front) of the train, although this time ‘tender-first’. Actually, we had a little longer than anticipated, as there was a bit of a delay before the return journey – this is a busy line for a heritage one – so I guess we were waiting for a safe slot (no one actually explained the delay).

For the return journey we stocked up on drinks from the buffet car and settled down in a tabled carriage, then we sat back to admire the view. I sat the other side this time so I could see what I missed on the way up.
Back at Kidderminster, we watched as they backed up the engine and drove it around to the new front of the train for the afternoon's journey. The Tornado was only in town for two weeks but was certainly generating a lot of interest.
There are other things to see at Kidderminster – there’s a café, gift shop and a railway museum. Plenty to do if you didn’t find enough to do along the line, but every stop has it’s own characteristics and things to do...but that’s for another tour!

The Severn Valley Railway is always good for a day out, and the presence of the Tornado locomotive gave me another reason for travelling the route. It’s amazing that in the twenty-first century people are still building steam trains (well, one anyway). Let’s hope there are many more of them – if I’ve got to stand up on the commuter route, I don’t think it would be so bad behind a steam locomotive. Okay, so I’m a little delusion (and I work from home!)

On the way home, we decided to go get a meal (you know me, always ready to eat). We chose The Lakeside, a Table Table restaurant in Oldbury, West Midlands. There is a large dining area, with a variety of alcoves and tables. By this time we were up to 11 and yet we found a nice secluded alcove all of our own.
There is a large choice including several vegetarian options. Di, my picky veggie assistant chose the macaroni cheese but it was apparently pretty tasteless. We thought the starter was a long time coming - it arrived with our mains! So, as everyone was eating by then, I was forced to eat it on my own - 12 inches of cheese flatbread. Good job I have a healthy appetite - and Terry Wogan's racing snake figure! We were too full for desserts though. Maybe next time. Apart from the misunderstanding, the staff were friendly & pleasant, the wine and food good value and the meat-eaters all seemed to enjoy their food.

Overall, a brilliant day out. The sun was shining and the trains were steaming, our time at the Severn Valley Railway couldn’t be bettered (well, maybe if they’d closed it to those pesky public folk). Loved it.

Why did they call it “Tornado”? The locomotive’s name was chosen in 1991 in honour of the RAF aircrew taking part in the first Gulf War. Just in case you were wondering.

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