TWO 'sisters' of iconic steam loco Mallard are returning to America and Canada after taking part in the National Railway Museum's hugely successful Mallard 75 reunion last year.

Dominion of Canada and Dwight D Eisenhower departed from Peel Ports, Port of Liverpool’s container terminal, at the weekend to begin a 2,527-mile journey aboard ACL vessel Atlantic Concert.

Their appearance has changed considerably since they arrived on UK soil in October 2012 after receiving a comprehensive cosmetic restoration by experts at the York museum, prior to Mallard 75.

The event, which brought all six survivors of this class of locomotive together to mark the 75th anniversary of Mallard’s unbroken world speed record, attracted an unprecedented 365,000 visitors to the museum in York and its sister museum at Shildon in Co Durham.

Dwight and Dominion were on loan to the NRM from the National Railroad Museum in Wisconsin, USA and Exporail, the Canadian National Railway Museum in Montreal for two years.