The "Flying Scotsman"

London & North Eastern Railway #4472

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german_a lan Pegler's devotion to steam locomotion has gained him a worldwide network of fellow enthusiasts, and with his chief engineer, he logs every improvement and alteration fitted inside and outside the locomotive. He even turns up at 2 o'clock in the morning to watch her being 'fired-up' at Carr Locomotive Depot at Doncaster, where the engine is based. He has now shed the responsibilities of business, and regards Flying Scotsman and her operation as a full-time job, and his visit with the famous engine to North America in 1969 sees the fulfilment of yet another ambition. To him, railways and the great locomotives that ran along them, are not just a hobby they are a consuming, life-long interest.

"Flying Scotsman" history, 1969

egyptian_l ondon & North Eastern Railway #4472, the Flying Scotsman, is a 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive built in 1923 for the LNER at Doncaster Works to the design of Nigel Gresley. Along with others in Class A3, the locomotive worked long-distance express express trains, notably on the London to Edinburgh Flying Scotsman train service for which it was named. The locomotive set two world records for steam traction, becoming the first steam locomotive to be officially authenticated at reaching 100 miles per hour in 1934, and then a record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive when it ran 422 miles in 1989 while in Australia.

Retired from regular service in 1963 after covering more than two million miles, Flying Scotsman enjoyed considerable fame in steam preservation circles under various owners: Alan Pegler, William McAlpine, Tony Marchington, and finally the National Railway Museum. As well as hauling railfan specials in the United Kingdom, the locomotive toured extensively in the United States and Canada from 1969 until 1973, and then in Australia in 1988 and 1989. Flying Scotsman is often described as the world's most famous steam locomotive.

Flying Scotsman plans above from Flying Scotsman: The History of a Famous Engine - 1969 / collection

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1969 Steam-o-Rama

In November of 1969, the Flying Scotsman and a British trainset — on a British Industry tour through the United States — participated in a steam-in celebration in Anniston, Alabama. The event was hosted by the Southern Railway in celebration of its 75th anniversary. Flying Scotsman joined Southern Railway #4501 and Savannah & Atlanta #750 for the event. Locomotive owner Alan Pegler participated in the anniversary cerimonies.