TOUGH LUCK FOR TORNADO

I had intended to devote a major part of this Top Link to Tornado’s run from Doncaster to Carlisle and on to Tyne Yard with the A1 Steam Trust’s ‘North Briton’ railtour, which took place on February 24. However, the locomotive unfortunately failed its Fitness to Run examination the previous day, owing to a TPWS fault. This was doubly regrettable because, in order to include a pick-up stop at Leeds without reversal, the train was unusually routed down the East Coast Main Line to Hambleton South Junction, where it took the spur up to the Hull-Leeds line at Hambleton West Junction and continued via Gascoigne Wood and Micklefield to approach Leeds from the east.