The Tornado was built by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust as a way to correct an historic oversight. But it is the first proper steam locomotive to be built in Britain in over half a century and it incorporates a number of improvements and modern safety devices that allow it to make regular runs on mainline railways. There are many functional ones in the hands of the National Railway Museum in York, private collectors, and charitable trusts. Nor is it the only steam train operating in Britain. That accolade belongs to the Mallard, which reached 126 mph (203 km/h) in 1938. It isn't the fastest steam locomotive ever built.

Despite its old-fashioned appearance, it was only completed in 2008 after 14 years of construction at the Doncaster Works in the North of England. Though it looks like something out of a period drama, the Tornado is actually one of Britain's most modern locomotives and its seemingly Victorian name is actually a reference to the Panavia Tornado fighter bomber flown by the Royal Air Force.

On Wednesday, the coal-fired LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado hit its maximum speed on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between Doncaster and Newcastle as part of its certification trials to allow it to operate on the UK rail network alongside its electric and diesel siblings. It may not be a bullet train, but a steam locomotive made history this week as it became the first steam-driven train clocking 100 mph (161 km/h) on a British mainline track in over 50 years.

Mainline steam 2017