Flying Scotsman

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 21st Year

Issue

Issue No.

7

Date Released

Mar 1968

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1Flying Scotsman
2. 2Nottinghamshire - Easy Does It
3. 3County Durham - Old Folks at Home
4. 4National story - 125 Horses

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 4

Summary

NoS synopsis: The Flying Scotsman, now privately owned, on a run from Grimsby to London
NCB Commentary - Back in the 1930s - as it still does today - a train left Kings Cross in London every morning for Edinburgh. She was the famous Flying Scotsman, in her day one of Britain’s crack trains.
The class A1 Pacific Locomotive which hauled her was a 150 ton monster, and she gobbled up a ton of coal every 50 miles, and 50 gallons of water each mile.
The Flying Scotsman was a luxury train in those days and she did the run to Edinburgh in just over 8 hours.
Today, the Flying Scotsman loco is still on the road. At Grimsby a party of enthusiasts gathered by the local newspaper had a rare chance to see her again and to ride with her down to London and back.
The famous loco is now owned privately. Bought from British Rail in 1963, she had more than 2 million miles on the clock, but she’s good for many, many more.
On the journey down South, crowds gathered by the track to greet her wherever she passed. Inside the train young fans mingle with the old.
Mr. and Mrs. Gardner have a special reason for being on this journey they got engaged on the train’s first run.
Owner Allan Pegler always likes to dress the part. Other old time drivers, like Frederick Elms who drove the Flying Scotsman on her first run, still like to take the opportunity of being with their old charge.
A ton of coal to shift every 50 miles is still a handful for today’s fireman, more used to lighter duties in diesels and electrics.
Once again back through the outskirts of London to Kings Cross, and to the reception engine drivers used to get when they were the Kings of the iron road.
Then it was out to sidings in North London to take on 6 tons of Sterling house coal - more than enough for the return journey.
Today, British Rail are still burning coal, even though the day of the steam loco is past. We call is coal by wire - the electricity that runs fo many modern expresses.
The Flying Scotsman is an older soldier among locos - she’ll never die.
And the name cherished by so many railway fans still lives on in the 10a.m. out of Kings Cross, today and every day.

Keywords

Railways

Locations

England

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases
Films on Coal Catalogue   1969, p.55
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963

Credits:

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Production Co.

National Coal Board Film Unit