Crowds gather to see Tornado make its way through region

Steam engine fanatics gathered to see the majestic Tornado stop at Cosford, Telford and Shrewsbury train stations.

A big crowd also waited at Codsall station to see it go by in all its glory.

The Tornado was travelling from London Victoria on its Red Rose voyage, a special event organised in honour of Valentine's Day today.

A standard ticket for the voyage cost £99, with a first class dining ticket coming in at £235.

The engine stopped at Cosford Railway Station where passengers were given a few hours to look around the RAF Cosford Museum.

When it pulled up in Telford, buses were waiting to take guests on another journey back in time to Blists Hill Victorian Town and Ironbridge Gorge Museum, before heading to Shrewsbury where the passengers had three hours to peruse the town's shops and historic streets.

Engine enthusiast David Harrison, from Penkridge, waited at Codsall train station to see the Tornado.

The 69-year-old said: "It was a really good day and there were lots of people who had gone along to see it – I would say more than 40.

"The last time I saw the Tornado was on the Severn Valley Railway when it was stationary on the shed at Bridgnorth.

"At Codsall it was coming through the station on the main line at speed so it was an opportunity to see it doing what it was built for – in all its glory."

In 2008, the Tornado was the first steam locomotive to be built in Britain for decades. The last of the renowned Peppercorn A1 steam locomotives, like the Tornado, was scrapped in 1966.

It cost £3 million and was built in Darlington over 18 years. The Tornado rides along the Network Rail main line running at special steam train experiences.