The first steam locomotive to be built from scratch in Britain in almost half a century made its maiden journey last week  -  a gentle 120-yard chug at a Darlington railway yard.

The 62ft, 170-ton train is the product of 18 years of fundraising by 2,000 steam enthusiasts.

The controls of the £3million engine  -  full name Peppercorn Class A1 Pacific 60163 Tornado  -  are replete with brass pipes, dials and wheels, and there isn't a satnav, joystick or climate control system in sight.

The only concession to the 21st Century is mandatory electronic safety equipment.  

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Magnificent: Steam hissing from her pistons, the Torando takes to the tracks in Darlington

In the final days of steam, the A1s  -  designed by Arthur Peppercorn for the London and North Eastern Railway  -  plied their trade until 1966, when the last of their class were scrapped in favour of the diesel engines.

Enlarge  Driver's view of the cab: The only concession to the 21st Century is mandatory electronic safety equipment

Last Friday it was 40 years since the fabled 'last weekend' when British Rail ran its final scheduled mainline steam services.

But in 1990 a group of enthusiasts decided the A1 would chug again and began to build Tornado from original drawings held at the National Railway Museum in York.

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The Peppercorn Class A1 Pacific 60163 Tornado, a replica of the last passenger steam locomotives, prepares for its first test run in Darlington

Mark Allatt, chairman of the A1 Trust, was just 25 and could not remember steam travel when he decided to help  -  little realising that he would be using his annual leave from the City law firm where he works to help with the engine he loves.

He said the idea to build an engine from scratch came from a desire to resurrect an example of the steam locomotive at its peak.

'Not one was saved,' he added.

'They were the most reliable of their type on the railways, but sadly, with accelerated dieselisation, what should have lasted for 50 years ended up lasting for only 15.'

The project has received almost no public money, instead being funded mostly from 'people's pocket money' and sponsorship.

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The A1 Trust has built Tornado to be fully equipped for use on Britain's main line railways

In 1990, enthusiasts were asked to donate the price of a pint a week, which was then £1.25.

'Some of them have been doing it since 1990, so that's a hell of a lot of pints they haven't drunk,' said Mr Allatt.

Once painted (apple green like the Flying Scotsman), she will be put through her paces and is destined for life on the main line where  -  like the Orient Express  -  she will be run privately and for hire.

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It is the first new main line steam locomotive in Britain for almost 50 years

Capable of topping 100mph, she will at first travel at 70mph with an eventual top speed limit of 90mph. When she takes her first passengers, Mr Allatt is in no doubt 'there won't be a dry eye in the house'.

As for her first public run, he said: 'It was phenomenal, so much blood, sweat and tears have gone into the project.'

On board for the landmark trip was Dorothy Mather, Arthur Peppercorn's 92-year-old widow and president of the trust.

She said she was thrilled. 'I was horrified when the whistle went off and I thought I would be deafened, but it was exciting,' she added.

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The project to build a new Peppercorn class A1 was launched in 1990

'I think it is wonderful. My husband would not have believed it. He would be very proud, very proud.'

Steam trains have long sparked the imagination and conjured up dreams of a bygone era.

They have inspired a wealth of writing, including W H Auden's Night Mail 'shovelling white steam over her shoulder'.

As for the volunteers, Mr Allatt summed up the feeling.

'The steam locomotive is the nearest thing Man has ever created to a living thing,' he said.

'You can't turn it on. You can't turn it off. You sort of coax it along and it hisses and it bubbles and it fizzes and that is not like a modern machine.

'A child when they first draw a picture of a train, they never draw diesel, they draw a steam engine. And that is what it is all about.'