UK Stream train hits record speed of 100mph first ever in 50 year
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LONDON: A steam train clocked 100 miles (161 kilometres) per hour on Britain's mainline railway network for the first time in almost 50 years on Wednesday.
Tornado, a Peppercorn-class A1 steam locomotive, reached the landmark speed during a test run aimed at proving it can operate passenger services at 90mph (145 kph).
A steam locomotive has not hit 100mph in Britain since 1968, according to The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Built by heritage enthusiasts, Tornado hit the three-figure speed on the East Coast Main Line -- the route between London and Edinburgh -- during a run between Doncaster and Newcastle in northern England.
The test run was part of a bid to raise Tornado's speed limit for passenger services from 75mph (121 kph) to 90mph by the end of this year.
Preservation steam locomotives have been restricted to 75mph since the end of steam services on the main lines in the 1960s.
Tornado was the first steam locomotive to be built in Britain for almost half a century when it was completed in 2008.
If Tornado can run at 90mph it will be able to fit in better with other trains on the busy main railway lines.
Pulling passenger carriages on Wednesday on a secret run, it ran at 10 percent above the 90mph mark to demonstrate a sufficient safety margin. (APP)
