A LOCOMOTIVE that hit the headlines this week when it became the first steam engine to haul a timetabled passenger service in half a century is going to be calling in at Swindon next month.

The Peppercorn class Tornado has been pulling trains between Settle and Carlisle to celebrate the reopening of the famous line.

But it heads south to take the Saint David special from London Paddington to Cardiff on March 1 and will be stopping in Swindon.

Enthusiasts are expected to turn out in force to see the loco which was built for the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust over 18 years ago and first moved under its own steam in 2008 – 42 years after the last Peppercorn class engine was scrapped.

Steam engineer Colin Hatch, who was involved in the Swindon 175 celebrations last year and will be at a wind down meeting at the Steam museum when the train comes through on the return trip, said: “It is sure to evoke memories for people that go to see it.”

He said steam locos still held a draw and the noise, the steam and the smell lent them a presence that made people stop and look.

“It is almost like they are a living being really. They have a kind of ambience about them,” he said.

Although the Peppercorn class was built originally for the London and North Eastern Railway, it was significant that it would be going past what remained of the old GWR works.

“The steam engine itself, right from when the industrial revolution started, was the driving force and the steam engine is still very important in our lives, but most people don’t realise it.”

Although built to the original 1945 design, Tornado is equipped for the modern mainline with the latest safety electronics.

Funding for the £3m project came from public donations and backing was provided by businesses including Rolls-Royce and Bae Systems.

The trust recently unveiled plans to build a second express locomotive – a Gresley class P2 Mikado called Prince of Wales.

The St David special runs from London Paddington via Slough and Reading, calling at Swindon at 11.05am. It is back in Swindon at 7.20pm.

Visit a1steam.com for details.