The train recorded a speed of 102.3 miles an hour

The "City of Truro" which was the first to record a speed of 100 miles an hour is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its record-breaking run on Sunday.

The train left Devonport docks in Plymouth at 0923 BST on 9 May 1904.

On board was Charles Rous- Marten, who was a writer and columnist for the Railway Magazine and also a respected time keeper.

The fireman would have been shovelling steadily as the engine flew down Whiteball bank Ray Towel, Chief Engineer

He calculated the speed by timing the train as it passed mile posts beside the track.

As "City of Truro" hurtled down the Whiteball bank near Wellington on the Somerset-Devon border, he calculated what he called the "hurricane descent" at 102.3mph.

Ray Towel, the train's chief engineer, described the scene.

He said: "There would have been a staccato roar of the chimney and the fireman would have been shovelling steadily as the engine flew down Whiteball bank like a feather bed."

Secret record

The directors of the Great Western Railway (GWR) kept the record a secret because they thought passengers would be terrified if they knew that they were travelling at such incredible speeds.

Their decision to keep quiet meant that 30 years later the London and North Eastern Railway claimed the record with the Flying Scotsman.

But GWR enthusiasts are convinced the "City of Truro" was first to reach 100mph.