Tornado to the fore

I make no apology for the predominance of Tornado and Shildon features recently - it is great to have the loco at one of our sites on display, particularly so when this is the closest stay that it has had to its Darlington place of construction since it was completed in August 2008. It is spending this week on display in the Collections building alongside "Deltic", APT-E and others, with its cab open for a small admission fee and host to a large number of schoolchildren too. Maintenance is ongoing on the engine even here, but being undertaken outside opening hours, so that visitors are not disturbed by the work. Visitors this morning take the chance to get up close and personal with the A1.An additional display piece is this very fine 5" gauge A1 model, on loan from a NELPG member, seen here with the real thing in the background.