The Flying Scotsman at the Doncaster Works 2003 by Rich@rd

Britain’s historic Flying Scotsman–the locomotive and the train–will return to a large-scale program of excursions starting in March 2016. Most trips will be on current mainline segments, including the train’s original route, Edinburgh-London; others will be on such scenic segments as Carlisle-Settle and on some heritage lines.

The Flying Scotsman locomotive, fully restored, once held a world’s speed record. In addition, the train it hauled, the Flying Scotsman, was something like the British equivalent of the U.S. 20th Century Limited in railroad lore. Before dieselization and electrification, the East Coast Flying Scotsman–and its west coast London-Glasgow counterpart Royal Scot–made daily trips between London and Scotland in seven hours. By contrast, today’s mainly electrified London-Scotland trains make the trip several times daily in four and a half hours.

Britain’s National Railway Museum organized the restoration and operation. For more information, check nrm.org.uk/flyingscotsman.aspx.

— Ed Perkins, editor

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