It has been almost 50 years since a new steam train left Darlington bound for King’s Cross. David Roberts joined passengers on board as it headed to the capital

THE cheer erupted as the train slowly pulled into Darlington station.

This was what the gathered throng had been waiting for.

In truth, many of them had been waiting for it for the past 19 years. Ever since a group of like-minded enthusiasts met in a pub in 1990 and decided it would be a good idea to build a new steam engine.

The fact that this was Tornado’s first commercial main line trip and it was setting off from its “birthplace” made the occasion all the more poignant.

It would seem that National Express’ earlier ill-advised, and hastily reversed, decision not to allow spectators on the platform had been very quickly forgotten as even the station announcer seemed to get caught up in the moment.

It may have been the loudspeakers, but his voice definitely seemed to crack with excitement as he announced that the next train to arrive at the platform would be the “historic Talisman train pulled by Tornado”.

Soon the station was filled with that wonderfully evocative smell of steam, coal and oil that modern day diesels cannot hope to match.

The passengers boarded and those left behind on the platform watched enviously as the by-now familiar chug of Tornado started up and the train rolled out of the station on its way to London.

For those of us on board, we would soon have to get used to those envious eyes.

It very quickly became apparent that Tornado had captured the hearts of not only this region, but the entire country.

It is hard to guess how many people had turned out to watch the sleek apple-green engine pull the train to London, but it must have numbered in the tens of thousands.

At every available point along the 250-mile route, spectators had turned out to see the locomotive that had been built in Darlington.

Not only at stations and platforms, but at level crossings and fields and footpaths.

Anywhere that afforded a good view of the East Coast Main Line, there were groups of people in the cold with their cameras and binoculars waiting to catch a glimpse of the train.

On board, the atmosphere harked back to an altogether more civilised era of travel.

In the first-class dining carriages, waiters in pristine white uniforms served up breakfast.

It was preceded by a glass of champagne to toast the successful departure of the locomotive.

Looking out of the window, the shadow of the train could be seen dancing across snowcovered fields.

The plumes of smoke from its chimney looked like clouds in the bright blue sky.

A more perfect day for the journey could not have been possible.

Despite that, a few members of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust were still anxious about how Tornado would perform on its biggest test to date.

They need not have worried.

When the delay came, as it is inevitably does on a British rail journey, it was not the fault of the steam engine. Instead, an electricity cut south of Peterborough had knocked out the overhead lines and the tracks were blocked by electric trains that had no power.

This was proof enough, if any were needed for the enthusiasts on board the Talisman, that they had been right in their quest for a steam renaissance.

As the train pulled into King’s Cross, the true scale of their achievement became apparent.

Thousands of people were gathered on the platforms to witness the Talisman’s arrival.

Like a football crowd, they moved en masse to gather round the locomotive.

There were so many people, they blocked in many of the passengers trying to get off the train.

While some people complained about the horde, others were content just to marvel at the feat of engineering that had brought them to London.

“I’m so glad that you were able to get close and touch it,”

enthused one woman to her grandson. “This is something that you’ll be able to tell your grandchildren about.”

The sheer numbers of people left trust chairman Mark Allatt almost speechless.

He said: “It is just awesome, I knew we would get a bit of a crowd, but I did not think it would be this big.

“We have brought the whole of King’s Cross to a halt I think.

“It is just an awesome sight, it makes you feel very, very proud of the team’s achievement in building Tornado.

“There were no niggles. She was just raring to go. If she had been allowed to go any faster, she would have done.”

The deputy mayor of Darlington, Councillor Jim Ruck, also made the trip to London and was impressed by Tornado.

He said: “It was one of the most exciting experiences I have had for a long time, it’s full of nostalgia.

“It has been a really exhilarating experience for all the people on board.

“It gives us a wonderful boost, as far as prestige is concerned, that the engine was built in Darlington.

“There is an ownership, a sort of content about the thing.

“We are showing it off to the rest of the country.

“Nothing but good business can come of this in terms of the development of the A1 trust and the effect on tourism.

“When I am mayor, I will be doing everything I possibly can to improve, enhance and encourage the A1 trust.”