THE A 1 Steam Locomotive Trust (A 1 SLT) has marked the 30th anniversary of its formation by returning its raison d'etre - 'A 1' No. 60163 Tornado - to British Railways locomotive (Brunswick) green.
During the course of the Peppercorn Pacific's first 10-year boiler certificate it carried representations of all the historic liveries worn by the original Peppercorn 'A 1 s; including locomotive green and BR express passenger blue.
However, the LNER- style Apple green with British Railways on the tender is the loco's 'official' livery, and it has therefore carried this paint scheme twice.
The decision to repaint No. 60163 was made primarily as a way of acknowledging three decades of the A 1 SLT, but also as a'nod'to the last of the original 'Al' class, No. 60145 Saint Mungo, which was the subject of a bold, but ultimately unsuccessful, preservation attempt following its withdrawal in 1966.
'Famous run'