A steam train restored in Bream was at the heart of the London Underground's 150th anniversary and was driven through the capital by an engineer from Lydbrook.

The train wowed the crowds as it puffed its way from Kensington Olympia Tube to Moorgate carrying a delighted London Mayor Boris Johnson, the chiefs of the capital's transport network and a few lucky passengers, who had managed to get tickets priced at £150 each.

The 1898 loco, Metropolitan Railway No 1, spent two years being restored at Bill Parker's Flour Mill engineering works on the outskirts of Bream ready to take pride of place at the event on Sunday.

"Seeing my steam engine pull the Orient Express was a proud moment but this beats everything else," said Bill, who also lives in the village.

"People on the platforms were so excited to see it come through, they were jumping up and down and clapping.

"Howard Collins, the Chief Operating Officer for the London Underground, said it was his best day in more than 30 years of working at the Underground."

Transport bigwigs, including the Commissioner of Transport for London Sir Peter Hendy, made several trips to the Forest of Dean to check on how the loco was shaping up.

Bill said fish cakes at The Ostrich pub in Newland were an important part of keeping the high profile visitors buttered up. They included two donors, who committed £10,000 each towards the project.

The entire scheme, including restoring the loco, a carriage and putting everything together for the day is thought to be around £1 million.

"Four million passengers travel on the tube every day and 1.2 billion journeys are made every year," said Bill.

"For them to want to fit a steam engine into all of that is amazing."