A STEAM engine which has made headlines around the world is to be handed its greatest honour next week.

Tornado, which was built by a small group of volunteers in Darlington, is to be given the honour of pulling the Royal Train.

The £3m locomotive will haul the train containing their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, between York station and Leeds.

The journey will be made after Prince Charles and Camilla have officially named the A1 Peppercorn class locomotive.

The royal couple will also meet Dorothy Mather, the president of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, the organisation behind the project.

Mrs Mather is the widow of Arthur Peppercorn, the designer of the original A1 class steam engine.

Prince Charles will then board the footplate of the steam engine to meet the crew and the locomotive will set off.

Mark Allatt, chairman of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, said: “The trust, and all of its supporters, are very deeply honoured that The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will be naming Tornado at York railway station.

“This honour is the ultimate recognition of the shared vision and determination of all of those who worked so hard over 19 years to bring Tornado into being.”

Darlington Mayor Ian Haszeldine will also be attending the ceremony to represent the borough.

He said: “It is a real privilege that something that’s spent so much time in Darlington has got to the stage where it’s going to be named by a member of the royal family.

“It’s really the icing on the cake for the trust, and for Darlington.

It’s superb.”

At the weekend, tens of thousands of people turned out to watch as Tornado made its first commercial main line trip between Darlington and King’s Cross station, London.

It will now be spending the next few months hauling special trains on main line and heritage railways.

The trust is raising money to repay £832,000 borrowed to complete the locomotive construction.

For details of how to help, or to book tickets to travel behind Tornado, telephone 01325-460163, visit a1steam.com or email enquiries@a1steam.com