But this weekend marked the maiden commercial service of the first main line steam engine to be built in Britain for nearly 50 years, evoking childhood memories and proving a testament to the efforts of hundreds of fundraisers who were on board.

More than 1,000 people had descended on York Railway Station to see Tornado leave on Saturday lunchtime, the first time an A1 steam engine had been seen on the main line since the mid-1960s.

The 80.9-mile trip to Newcastle was a repeat of the journey made by the last Peppercorn class A1, 60145 Saint Mungo, on December 31, 1965, shortly before it was scrapped.

Tornado has been a labour of love for the fundraisers from the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, who launched the project in 1990 and spent 18 years collecting nearly £3m to finance the new locomotive.

The trust's chairman, Mark Allatt, who was on board the first commercial run, said: "It has been really quite emotional and this first trip does mark a milestone for Tornado.

"One of the best things about this project has been the chance to dispel some of the myths about people who like trains. Everyone who have supported us are all normal people, and not geeky trainspotters.

"It has been absolutely phenomenal to achieve what we have done, and it has been a hugely important day to get Tornado out on the main line as a commercial service."

Ahead of the weekend's landmark journey, the steam locomotive has been kept at the National Railway Museum in York and undergone extensive tests since it was completed in August last year.

On Saturday, crowds thronged around platform 10 of the city's railway station to witness a new chapter in railway history when the engine was due to leave hauling the Peppercorn Pioneer at 12.07pm.

Tornado actually left two minutes after the scheduled departure time before heading out on the East Coast Main Line - a rail route which the original A1s last thundered along between London and the North-East more than 40 years previously.

Railway enthusiasts were peppered along the route after securing vantage points at bridges and down remote country lanes to see Tornado and its 13 carriages pass by at speeds of up to 75mph in brilliant sunshine.

The trip took the train through Darlington and Durham stations before the service eventually arrived one hour and 14 minutes later in Newcastle to be greeted by crowds of onlookers who had crammed on to the station platform to catch a glimpse of Number 60163.

The train driver, Brian Grierson, 59, from Carlisle, admitted that the
chance to be in charge of Tornado on the historic day had been a highlight in a career stretching back 42 years.

He said: "Everything went like clockwork and I never expected in more than 40 years to be driving an A1 down the East Coast Main Line. It has been a special day for me, just like for everybody else involved."

More than 500 supporters of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust and specially-invited guests were on board the train for Saturday's trip, with many travelling from as far afield as Suffolk, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Brian and Susan Lerigo, who live in Richmond in North Yorkshire, were
among the passengers after they have donated £10 a month for the last eight years as part of the fundraising drive.

Mr Lerigo, 59, a retired waterboard engineer, said: "It has been a pleasure to help, and we will continue to do so. However, the fundraising does not stop now.

"We had been looking forward to this day for weeks and it is wonderful to be part of a little piece of history."

Sheffield Hallam University graduate Simon Hulse had volunteered as one of the stewards and travelled from his home in Stockport to be on board Tornado's first commercial service.

The 22-year-old, who graduated last summer with a degree in geography and transport, is now hoping to pursue a career connected to the railways and has been applying for graduate trainee schemes with freight companies.

He said: "It has been mind-blowing to see so many had turned out to see Tornado, it really has captured people's imaginations. I have been interested in trains ever since I was a boy, and to be part of something like this is really quite special."

Tornado undertook its second commercial service with a return journey from Doncaster via York to Durham on Sunday, and it is due to haul another train to King's Cross in London on Saturday, February 7.

A total of about 25 passenger services are planned for Tornado throughout this year.