The Flying Scotsman at ELR
The world’s most famous steam engine – 60103 The Flying Scotsman – is a regular visitor to the East Lancashire Railway.
With its unmissable Brunswick Green livery (its colour), The Flying Scotsman is one of the most recognised, most loved steam engines of all time. While its home is usually at the National Railway Museum in York, you’ll find it soaring up and down the ELR on special occasions.
An icon of the British Railway
When it was originally built in 1923, The Flying Scotsman was just another A1 class locomotive for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). But when it appeared at the British Empire Exhibition in London in 1924, named after the famous London to Edinburgh rail journey, it quickly became a sensation. An engineering marvel and a true icon of the wonderful age of British rail travel.
Essential Facts about the Flying Scotsman
- Built: 1923 in Doncaster
- Original cost: £7,944
- Restoration costs: £4.2 million
- Length: 70 feet
- Locomotive Weight: 96.25 tons
- Top Speed: 100mph
- Mileage: approx. 2,500,000 miles
- Cylinders: 3
- Tender Capacity: 8 tons of coal, 5000 gallons water (LNER corridor tender)
- Wheel Notation: 4-6-2 (Pacific)
- Restored at the East Lancs Railway, Baron Street site
A triumphant record breaker
The Flying Scotsman holds the record for hauling the first ever non-stop London to Edinburgh service in 1928.
It was the first locomotive to reach 100mph in 1934 and the first steam engine to travel all around the world (with visits to the USA and Australia).
During its Australian tour in 1989, it travelled for 442 miles without stopping – a new non-stop record for a steam engine.
After its restoration in 2016, it became a record breaker again as the oldest mainline working locomotive on Britain’s tracks.
Restoring the golden age of steam
Since it first rolled off the production line in 1923, The Flying Scotsman has been through extensive repairs, changes and renovations. It’s been painted at least three different colours, had several different tenders and been operated and owned by many different people.
In 2004, with its survival threatened, a public campaign led by the National Railway Museum raised funds from thousands of supporters to save the Flying Scotsman and restore it to its former glory. It steamed back to life in 2016.
The Flying Scotsman on the ELR
The last visit of The Flying Scotsman at the East Lancs Railway was in March 2023. Keep in touch with the ELR for details of any future visits.