The unique Duke of Gloucester has steamed out of its shed at Bury for the final piece to be fitted into the jigsaw of its seven year transformation from tired workhouse to gleaming railway icon.

The Duke, as it is known in railway circles, has travelled to Crewe to undergo the final lick of paint which will restore the magnificent engine to its former glory. But the loss to Bury is only temporary.

For it will be returning to the East Lancashire Railway to serve hundreds of steam fanatics and day trippers.

But the fate of the well-known train could have been drastically altered if it had not been for a team of enthusiasts who rescued it from the cutter's torch in 1973 after it had been left to rot in a South Wales scrap yard.

The unique Italian-designed engine only performed eight years of duty on the West Coast Mainline before steam started to be replaced by diesel powered locomotives and was condemned for scrap when it was granted a reprieve.

From there, the train was pas partially restored and ran between 1986 and 1996 before it was once again pulled off the rails for the Duke of Gloucester Steam Locomotive to begin a seven year restoration at an estimated cost of £1 million.

Each weekend, a team of dedicated enthusiasts descended on the East Lancs Railway yard in Baron Street, Bury, to help breath life back into the train.

Adrian Meakin, operations manager for the Trust, said: "This isn't a train that is as instantly recognisable as the Flying Scotsman or the Mallard but it is certainly something of interest for anybody who knows about history on the railways.

"I've worked on the train nearly every week for the last seven years and, at times, it's been sheer hell. Sometimes you do wonder why you do it, but we've been very much rewarded when it made its first journey last week."

He added: "It's just about to reach the final hurdle now and very tentatively it will be placed back on to full line service. It's been a long, hard slog but everyone involved with the project has been satisfied."