Trevor Mitchell and Tornado - Part two

The famous 21st century steam locomotive, No.60163 TORNADO, is the focal point of today's post, 27th September 2023. A few enthusiasts got together in 1990 and formed the A1 Locomotive Trust. The poject - to build a new, class 'A1' locomotive, originally designed by A.H. Peppercorn in the 1940's, began in 1994. Ready to run on the modern, safety regulated railways required safety and security installations, plus certification, that increased the total cost of the project to over £3million. Fundraising efforts, sponsorships and donations enabled the locomotive to steam successfully in 2008. Qualification to run on the mainline was attained a year later.

In 2017, during trials, No.60163 became the first steam locomotive to achieve a speed of 100mph, since 1967. In the same year the locomotive headed the 'Torbay Express' as in Trevor Mitchell's painting. The jigsaw is a 500-piece example by Corner Piece, titled Torbay Express. For the same painting by Trevor, go to the post of 5th May 2012 where you will find a 500-piece puzzle by Ravensburger titled Tornado hauling the Torbay Express. It was one of a pair of jigsaws marketed under the name The Magic of Steam and sold together in a single box. Paintings by artists such as Kevin Walsh and Trevor Mitchell are often re-issued by other jigsaw companies. However, in a duplicate issue of the puzzle, the artist may include at least one subtle addition or alteration. The title and size may change also. This has happened with both artists in the past. I have noted no changes, other than the title, in the two Mitchell paintings 1 and 2; can you see any? NOTE - At the present time, TORNADO is under overhaul at Darlington Works.