‘Lubrication not speed’ caused 90mph Tornado’s failure

AN examination of Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado following its April 14 failure minutes after hitting 90mph on the East Coast Main Line, indicated that the problem was caused by a lack of lubrication rather than speed.

The locomotive was headingThe A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust’s‘The Ebor Flyer’ from King’s Cross toYork – its first public 90mph trip – and had hit 91mph at East Road level crossing north of Arlesley. It held 90mph for a mile through Biggleswade, before the train ground to a halt at Sandy, 43 miles out of London.

At first it was thought that had struck a large object on the track, but it was soon realised that the problem was mechanical.