- The Flying Scotsman is the most famous steam locomotive in Britain.
- It is 70 feet long and weighs 96 tonnes.
- It was built in Doncaster, England, in 1922.
- It made its first journey in 1923.
- It was the first locomotive to journey non-stop from London to Edinburgh.
- It is the first train to travel faster than 100mph.
- It is considered by many a triumph of engineering.
- It has featured in films, in books and on coins.
- It was retired from service in 1963.
- In total, it has travelled approximately 2.5 million miles.
- In 2004, it was bought by the National Railway Museum.
- The NRM has spent the last decade restoring it at a cost of £4.2m.
- The engine made its official return to service yesterday morning (25 February 2016) by going from London to York.
- The platform at London King’s Cross was full of onlookers.
- The Scotsman left King’s Cross at 7:40am.
- Many passengers paid up to £450 for a ticket.
- Soon the 300 people on board were enjoying a three-course breakfast, served with champagne.
- Onlookers who lined the route were treated to clouds of steam and friendly whistles.
- Safety warnings were issued after 60 people got onto the track amid the excitement.
- At 1:20pm the train pulled into York.
- It was 54 minutes behind schedule after the hold-ups caused by trespassers.
- About 3,000 people had gathered to welcome the train.
- Ron Kennedy, who drove the train in the 1950s and 1960s, said the experience of riding it again was ‘unbelievable’.
- This old steam engine helps us understand what our ancestors were capable of in simpler times.
- The first steam engine was invented in 1698.
- The first steam train journey took place in 1804.
- The first passenger railway, the Stockton and Darlington line, opened in 1825.
- British Rail produced a modernisation plan in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Diesel and electric trains are faster, more affordable and comfortable than the old steam trains.
Webography:
- BBC News presents footage of the
Flying Scotsman, both from yesterday and from its earlier existence, and
gives some handy facts about the train. (1:13)
- This Pathe News clip
from 1969 reports on the Flying Scotsman being taken to America, giving an
insight into why it was taken out of service and why it would become such
an attraction. YouTube. (1:36)
- The website of the Flying
Scotsman.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A3_4472_Flying_Scotsman
