Pete Waterman has locomotive named in his honour after opening Kilmarnock rail plant

dailyrecord.co.uk:

He did 'The Locomotion' with Kylie – now music mogul and railway enthusiast Pete Waterman has a locomotive named after him thanks to a Kilmarnock firm.Veteran record producer Pete, 75, visited the town on Monday where he was a VIP guest at the long-awaited official opening of Brodie Engineering's Caledonia Works rail plant.And after performing the honours at the West Langands Street site, the former Pop Idol judge was thrilled to discover the company has named a small locomotive 'shunter' in his honour.He quipped: "I've heard of Thomas the Tank Engine, but not Pete the diesel!"Waterman was invited to the opening in his guise as president of the Railway Benefit Fund along with Scottish Government minister Patrick Harvie, Willie Coffey, the MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, and Provost Jim Todd of East Ayrshire Council.Brodie Engineering bought the historic Caledonia Works site in August 2020 – five months after its closure – with 90 employees on the books.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.The rail engineering plant dates back to around 1847 and Brodie's intervention preserves its future in Kilmarnock and Scotland.

The site is a stone's throw from Brodie's existing Bonnyton Rail Works with each on either side of the Kilmarnock rail track.Brodie Engineering’s owner and managing director Gerry Hilferty said: “I saved these works during a challenging time with