Puffing into the future: the digital upgrade keeping steam on track

About 500 steam trains run across the UK each year, from Penzance in the south to Inverness in the north, transporting tens of thousands of passengers to a bygone age, bringing joy to the faces of enthusiasts and bemusing commuters.

- Daniel Puddicombe

But the future of main line steam operations could be under threat unless the traditional fire-breathing machines can be fitted with pioneering modern technology.

The UK's railways are undergoing a major change to their signalling systems in the coming years. Network Rail is planning to remove traditional lineside colour light signals in favour of in-cab signalling systems along key routes. No steam locomotive in the world had ever been run with in-cab digital signalling - until now.

On a Monday night earlier this month, the new technology was trialled for the first time as part of a "pathfinder" project aimed at securing the future of steam locomotives in the UK.

The "A1" No.60163 Tornado - Britain's first steam locomotive to be built in 50 years and which has appeared in the Paddington 2 movie and on Top Gear - has been fitted with European Train Control System (ETCS) technology as part of a Network Rail-led initiative that was launched in 2021. Fitting the new technology cost about £9m.

ETCS is to be rolled out across the country in the coming years and some trains will run in digital-only mode from the end of this year.