Nostalgia: Train fans chuffed as steam returns

TRAINSPOTTING might be the preserve of a few ardent fans willing to stand for hours on Waverley's loneliest platforms with just a flask and notebook for company, but there is something about the romance of steam which can captivate the most unlikely of folk.

Little wonder then that Waverley was mobbed back in 1981 for the appearance of a rather special locomotive, for not only is the 673 Maude a TV star, but it can also boast a proud war record.

Built in Glasgow in 1891, the train was deployed to the Western Front during the First World War and was later named after Lt Gen Maude, commander of the British Forces in Mesopotamia, in honour of its service.

For many years after that, it followed a humble career, transporting freight from its bases in Haymarket and Bathgate, only being withdrawn in 1966.

But in 1999 its moment in the spotlight came again when it became one of the locomotives which starred in the TV version of the classic novel, The Railway Children.

And while train enthusiasts had to hang around on a bridge for a brief encounter with the engine back in 1981, it's rather easier to spot these days – its home is now in the Scottish Railway Exhibition at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway, saved by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society.

However, the golden age of rail will be making a return to Waverley this weekend as the first steam locomotive to be built in Britain for almost 50 years rolls into the station.

The Tornado steam train arrives today for a seven-day visit to the city as part of a national tour – although it won't be on public display until it leaves next Saturday.

The 3 million Peppercorn class train was built by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, and is based on the locomotives that ran on the East Coast Main Line between the 1940s and 1960s. By the 1960s, though, diesel was replacing steam and the last steam train on a regular service to puff out of Waverley was the Lord Farringdon on December 11, 1965. Thousands gathered for the historic occasion.

But, over the years, there have been plenty of steam trains which have visited Waverley for guest appearances, often thanks to the Scottish Railway Preservation Society's efforts.

And it's not just Waverley which has been graced with visits from iconic steam trains. For the centenary celebrations of the Forth Bridge in 1990, the 1937-built Union of South Africa, also known as The Osprey, crossed the bridge – followed by more than 100 South Queensferry residents who took the chance to walk across the bridge.