Emergency repairs to steam loco

The Tornado's debut is expected to attract thousand of visitors

The steam locomotive Tornado is undergoing emergency repairs after making its debut on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The steam engine, the first to be built for almost 50 years, is featuring as part of the Spring Steam Gala.

Organisers said a mechanical problem was found on Saturday, meaning the engine was unlikely to make scheduled its scheduled runs on Sunday.

A new part is being fitted and it is hoped to be running on Monday.

'Very sorry'

Phillip Benham, general manager of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, said: "Sadly yesterday afternoon a bit of a problem was found with a fairly important component in the locomotive firebox.

"Safety comes first and this is being attended to."

He added: "We are very sorry indeed.

"We know a lot of people will be disappointed and we are making some recompense for people coming back."

The Tornado has joined at least 10 other engines at the event, which runs from 1 to 4 May and 8 to 10 May.

The locomotive was designed by Arthur Peppercorn, the last chief mechanical engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway.

In 1990, the Darlington-based charity A1 Steam Locomotive Trust started a campaign to build a new operational steam train for the East Coast line.

In February, Tornado made its first long-distance passenger trip to London and was later officially named by the Prince of Wales.

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