IT was like turning back the clock to when fire eating giants rolled out of the railway running sheds at Eastleigh.

The town which created famous locomotives, like the Lord Nelson, came to a standstill as it welcomed Britain's newest steam train.

The £3m A1 Tornado 60163 - the first mainline steam engine to be built in Britain for nearly five decades - made its first journey outside of London on Valentines Day and won the hearts of hundreds of rail fans who turned out to record the historic moment.

Lining the platform at Eastleigh, they used cameras and mobile phones to capture the moment The Tornado pulled in to take on water.

Marcus Robertson, chairman of Steam Dreams, said: "It has been amazing. Every single bridge has been lined with people.

"It is touching that very British nerve for nostalgia and we are bringing steam to a new generation."