Treat for rail enthusiasts as livery unveiled (From Oxford Mail)

Treat for rail enthusiasts as livery unveiled

7:00am Wednesday 28th November 2012 in Didcot

RAIL fans were got all swept up by a Tornado at Didcot Railway Centre at the weekend.

The centre hosted a special event where enthusiasts could have a close-up view of the recently-built replica A1 Class steam locomotive No 60163 Tornado wearing British Railways blue express livery for the first time.

After arriving at Didcot early on Sunday, the locomotive was taken to the engine shed to be cleaned before moving to the turntable for exhibition at noon.

It had been repainted during winter maintenance at Southall, in West London.

Mark Allatt, the chairman of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, which owns the engine, said: “It went very well, people seemed delighted to see the train in its new livery.

“When the original A1s were painted blue around 1950, the pigment faded badly, so this livery hasn’t been seen on a locomotive of this type for many years.”