LNER CLASS A3 4472 FLYING SCOTSMAN

:''This article is about the locomotive the "Flying Scotsman". For the passenger service, see Flying Scotsman (train).''
The LNER Class A3 Pacific locomotive number '4472 "Flying Scotsman"' (originally no. 1472) was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of Sir Nigel Gresley. The locomotive was later renumbered to 103, then 60103 by British Railways following nationalisation. It was employed on express trains on the East Coast Main Line from London King's Cross to Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle-upon-Tyne or Edinburgh. It was commonly employed on the Flying Scotsman service, its namesake, from London to Edinburgh. In its career, the ''Flying Scotsman'' has travelled 2,000,000 miles (3,200,000 km).
During its period of British main line service the Flying Scotsman could travel the 633 kilometres from London to Edinburgh in 8 hours non-stop, with water replenishment using the water trough system. For this train, it was fitted with a large eight-wheel tender which included a corridor connection to allow the crew to change over.

Contents

History

Preservation

In fiction

Gallery

External Links

History

The locomotive was completed in 1923, construction having been begun under the Great Northern Railway. It was built as an A1, but later (January 1947) rebuilt as an A3. It initially carried the number 1472.
Flying Scotsman was something of a flagship locomotive for the LNER. It represented the company at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924 and 1925. At this time it acquired its name and the new number of 4472. From then on it was commonly used for promotional purposes.
This locomotive was the first of its class to haul the prestigious ''Flying Scotsman'' train, on its first non-stop service from London to Edinburgh on May 1st 1928. The following year, it appeared in the film ''The Flying Scotsman''.
When on November 30, 1934 it became the first steam locomotive to be officially recorded at 100 miles per hour and earned a place in the Land speed record for railed vehicles the publicity-conscious LNER made much of the fact.
Following the Second World War it was renumbered 103, and at the nationalisation of the railways in 1948 it became numbered 60103. It acquired a set of smoke deflectors and a double chimney to improve steaming. Its last years in service with BR were spent at Leicester Central shed on the Great Central running Nottingham Victoria to London Marylebone services via Leicester Central. It pulled one of the last services on the line before it closed.

Preservation

It ended service with British Railways in 1963 and was sold for preservation to Alan Pegler. It was restored as closely as possible to its original LNER condition and worked a number of railtours, including a non-stop London-Edinburgh run in 1968 - the year steam traction officially ended on BR. During this time, it was fitted with a second tender to increase its water capacity, a move that divided enthusiasts.
In 1969 it went on a promotional tour to the USA, where it was fitted with cowcatcher, high-intensity headlamp, bell, air brakes and buckeye couplings. The trip was initially a success, but when Pegler's backers withdrew their support, he began to lose money and was finally bankrupted in 1972. Fears then arose for the engine's future, the speculation being that it could take up permanent residence in America or even be cut up. Fortunately in January 1973 William McAlpine stepped in at the eleventh hour and had the locomotive repaired and repatriated.
In 1988 the locomotive travelled to Australia to take part in that country's bicentenary celebrations. There it set another record, travelling 442 miles from Parkes to Broken Hill non-stop, the longest such run by a steam locomotive ever recorded.
In recent years ''Flying Scotsman'' has continued to have an eventful existence. In 1995 it was in pieces at Southall depot in West London and facing an uncertain future owing to the cost of restoration and refurbishment necessary to meet the stringent engineering standards required for main line operation. Salvation came in 1996, when Dr Tony Marchington bought the locomotive and then restored it to running condition at a cost of some £750,000.
In 2004 ''Flying Scotsman'' was put up for sale because of the mounting debts of its owning company. After a high-profile campaign, it was bought in April by the National Railway Museum in York and is now part of the national collection. Unfortunately it broke down before reaching York and had to be recovered by a Class 37 on loan from West Coast Railways. As of 2006, ''Flying Scotsman'' is undergoing a major 18-month overhaul at the NRM and is not due to resume running until late 2010. The bay in which the locomotive is being refurbished is on view to visitors to the NRM but currently the engine has been dismantled to such an extent that the footplate is its only recognisable component.
This overhaul has attracted some controversy in British railway preservation due to the heavy emphasis which the NRM is placing on the locomotive, which cost the museum £2,200,000. The museum recently rejected a request for the oldest operational mainline diesel locomotive in the UK to be allowed out of the museum for its 50th birthday (it was the first locomotive to be built under the Modernisation Plan), owing to a shortage of staff. The investment involved is seen by some as denying many other historically important exhibits the opportunity to be properly exhibited and overhauled. Only one other locomotive has benefitted - Stirling "Single" No. 1, which occupies Flying Scotsman's special exhibition room when "Scotsman" is away.
'Flying Scotsman' is often referred to as "the most famous steam locomotive in the world".

In fiction

Flying Scotsman has been featured in The Railway Series by Rev .W. Awdry. He visited the fictional Island of Sodor to see his only remaining brother, Gordon the Big Engine.
The Flying Scotsman is featured in the PC game Microsoft Train Simulator.
The locomotive is also included in the 2006 edition of Trainz Railroad Simulator.
When it comes to a train simulator Gordon the Big Engine is often made using Flying Scotsman.

Gallery

Many more images of the Flying Scotsman can be viewed at the official National Railway Museum print website

External Links

★ National Railway Museum's section about the Flying Scotsman train and locomotive

★ The official National Railway Museum print website containing many Flying Scotsman prints and posters

★ Photo: from Gresley Society

★ BBC "Nation on Film" article with historic films of the Flying Scotsman in steam.

★ The LNER Encyclopedia page for the Gresley A1/A3s including Flying Scotsman

★ History of the Flying Scotsman by Southern Steam Trains