train enthusiasts were transported back in time as the Flying Scotsman steamed across the Forth Bridge yesterday.
Hailed in a 2015 poll as the most famous steam locomotive ever, the train took passengers over the bridge and round the Fife Circle.
Designed by Edinburgh-born Nigel Gresley, the loco was built in Doncaster for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923 and left the works with number 1472.
By 1924, when it was selected to appear at the British Empire Exhibition in London, it had been renumbered 4472 – and given the name “Flying Scotsman” after the London to Edinburgh rail service.
The exhibition made Flying Scotsman famous, and it went on to feature in many more publicity events for the LNER.
In 1928, it was given a new type of tender with a corridor, which meant a new crew could take over without stopping the train.
This allowed it to haul the first ever non-stop London to Edinburgh service, reducing the journey time to eight hours. The train would go on to set two world records. It was the first steam loco to hit 100mph, doing so on a special test run in 1934.
Then in 1989, while based in Australia, it set a record for the longest non-stop run by a steam loco, measuring 422 miles.
Although retired from regular service by British Rail in 1963, Flying Scotsman was kept in working order by various private owners and the National Railway Museum in York. It toured in the US and Canada from 1969 to 1973 and was in Australia in 1988-89.
In 2004, the Flying Scotsman hit the headlines again as a campaign spearheaded by the National Railway Museum to save the loco for the nation amassed the support of thousands, confirming its status as a national treasure.
Between 2006 and 2016, it underwent a £4.2 million restoration to bring it back to life.
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