BIGGEST VISITOR EVER FOR BODMIN & WENFORD

New-build ‘A1’ Tornado will be the biggest locomotive ever to grace Bodmin & Wenford Railway metals when it visits the line on June 1-4 this year - the first time an ‘A1’ has ventured into Cornwall. The Peppercorn ‘Pacific’ will arrive at the railway on May 29, hauling UK Railtours’ ‘The Cornishman’ Paddington-Penzance railtour but, owing to weight restrictions over one of the bridges on the Boscarne branch from Bodmin General, it will only run between the line’s headquarters and the main line connection at Bodmin Parkway. BWR Publicity Officer Jimmy James says: “We will only be able to operate it in top-and-tail formation from Parkway to General due to our lack of turning facilities. Nevertheless, the three miles of 1-in-40 should be quite a spectacle, and it will look very impressive in Bodmin General yard.” When asked what locomotive would be paired with Tornado for top-andtail operation, he said: “It depends what is available at the time, probably one of the panniers or No. 4247.” Negotiations with the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust were started “three months ago”, but No. 60163’s visit was only confirmed on February 14, the same day as its historic service trains over the S&C (see page 6). The last time such a large locomotive operated over the Bodmin & Wenford Railway was when ‘King’ No. 6024 King Edward I visited the line on May 16/17 and 23-25 1998. It too was limited to running between Bodmin General and Parkway, due to the tight curvature of the line out of the former station to Boscarne.