the golden age of steam ....

.... is now, it seems. There we were, waiting on Tonbridge Station (platform 2) waiting for the train to London (more of later), turned round and was transported back 40 years. There was the Tornado, a beautiful, gleaming lump of steel and steam heading towards us, pulling 6 carriages or so of happy looking diners.

Turns out, this particular loco was only completed a couple of years ago, an overly ambitious idea of a group of rail enthusiasts who managed to raise the millions it cost to make the machines that made the train.

Now I'm no train-spotter, but even I got a bit dewy-eyed when I saw this thing coming - reminded me of rushing to the fence running up the side of our back garden with brother Nick to catch the trains going past on the now defunct line from Tunbridge Wells Central to Tunbridge Wells West - good old Beeching.