Tornado

Here we go again. The old ” if people support Locomotive A then Locomotive B will suffer” argument. This argument predates the arrival of Tornado on the scene and ignores the fact that people will support what they want, whether there are alternative schemes or not. An ardent Gresley supporter is unlikely to support a new County Tank and a disciple of Churchward is unlikely to support a new GER 2-4-2T. In my opinion people who complain about the success of the A1 trust are simply jealous. There have always been groups better than others at fundraising and the jealousy aimed at those is just the same as that aimed at the Tornado people.

 

On the subject of Tornado, things are very quiet about the investigations and return to service. It's five months since the Ebor. No mention of 90mph running in next year's proposed tours.

 

I'm surprised about that too. I also thought the RAIB was going to produce a report as well. It is now accumulating miles (is the target 750?) on the NVR as we speak though and has a busy programme of events there including driver experiences, running days and even fish and chip specials! All looks set for a return to main line service on the 29th.

 

Annoying though the branding and straplines can be, the relentless consistency really does communicate a determination to succeed and invites the opportunity to 'Own' and belong to something Popular, Tangible, Worthy...
With the A1 it was , do you remember - these are good we should have one
With the P2 it was, no one remembers these amazing things because of bad things, but surely You can see why everyone wants to see one again
With the V4... not sure yet ? how about these would have been Brilliant even though they are so wee and cute

 

If they're wee and cute they'd be perfect for running the Teddy Bear Specials on the NVR

 

Considering Mark Allatt's background and business is marketing, communication and branding it's no surprise.
http://markallatt.com/About.html

 

Man is a Hero.

 

Without Mark Allatt, we wouldn't have an A1, we wouldn't be nearing a completed P2, and his other work for us LNER enthusiasts should not be under estimated.

I find myself always going back to his best known phrase - "it can be done" - when things get difficult.

 

Agree and Tornados Covenanter scheme is new money, I have given one example and a second one is me, my 20 quid a month wouldn't go anywhere else and the founders lump sum was purely because I want to see a P2 running, I can't think of any other loco I would have made the bank account anorexic for.

 

Quite a few founder members on Nat Pres. I suspect I will be a V4 founder when they open up the scheme.

 

By the time the V4 comes on the scene I will be drawing a pension and thus unable to afford the scale of my donations to the P2.

I don't expect to be around for the V3.

 

Not wishing to rain on Tornado's parade, or on the achievements of the A1ST, but the covenant scheme was first brought to the railway world by Gordon Rushton and my father for the Taliesin 2000 project in the late 1980s (I remember filing all of the forms as they came in!), which raised the full half million required to build Taliesin, and the same team has been behind the supremely successful public fundrasing, by covenant, for the Welsh Highland Railway which, over the course of 15 odd years, raised some 4 million towards the rebuilding of that railway.

Tornado was very much in the public eye as far as the fundraising was concerned, and far larger than Taliesin in terms of amount raised, but it was merely the very successful application of ideas born over a bottle of brandy in 1986, and used by many others since.

John

 

I didn't know that and really that's the point, the success of Tornado was to adopt that scheme and bring it to the masses

 

They have been and are.....a success.
'Not draining the lake;.........that's a strange thing to say, folk are free to donate to whatever they choose

 

Of course. Not having a go Al, mind - but I think the point is fair that we can all learn from each other. Different circumstances require different solutions. No one size fits all way of doing things.

 

Back to the locomotive and repairs we had the "excitement" of it being lit up have we had any news of further progress or even the locomotive moving under it's own power.

 

Running in on the NVR as I write

 

Great news

 

For all you Tornado watchers - taken at lunchtime today.