Railpage Sightings Mailing List Archives - July 1999: Fw: it's back .. !

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----- Original Message -----=20
From: Barrie Edwards=20
To: bevans@mpx.com.au=20
Cc: michaeljdale@bigpond.com=20
Sent: Monday, July 05, 1999 5:41 PM
Subject: it's back .. !

=A9
The Flying Scotsman leaving King's Cross yesterday. =
Some of the volunteers who helped to restore the engine would turn up at =
weekends in workclothes from the great days of steam=20
Photograph: TOBY MELVILLE / PA=20

=20
Links=20
THE Flying Scotsman took to the rails yesterday, delighting =
rail enthusiasts who feared that it might never appear in public again.=20

Four years after being left to rust in a repair shed, the =
record-breaking 76-year-old locomotive steamed out of King's Cross =
station to set the seal on its restoration.=20

The journey to York, for which 252 enthusiasts paid =A3350 =
each, is expected to be the first of many for The Flying Scotsman, which =
will join millennium celebrations by taking passengers from Edinburgh to =
London at =A31,750-a-head on January 1.=20

Four years ago the LNER engine, which in 1934 was the first =
to reach 100mph, looked doomed. The engine had been left to rust in a =
former Great Western repair shed in Southall, West London, after its =
former owners were unable to meet soaring restoration costs.=20

Then Tony Marchington, 43, a computer software millionaire, =
bought the engine and its nine Pullman carriages for =A31.5 million, and =
spent =A31 million restoring it with the help of steam enthusiasts led =
by professional engineers.=20

The Flying Scotsman - its 4472 engine number treasured by =
trainspotters - was built in Doncaster at a cost of =A37,944. On May 1, =
1928, it made the first non-stop express run from London to Edinburgh in =
eight hours and three minutes. Then, on November 30, 1934, on a test run =
between Leeds and London, it touched 100mph for 600 yards between =
Grantham and Peterborough. It was the first steam traction engine to =
travel at an authenticated 100mph.=20

The engine was withdrawn in 1963, and toured America for =
four years before being bought by Sir William McAlpine, of the building =
company. The pop music impresario Pete Waterman bought a stake in the =
engine, but by the mid-1990s the pair were finding it too expensive to =
maintain. It was retired in 1995 with a cracked firebox.=20

At the end of yesterday's six-hour trip The Flying Scotsman =
arrived 15 minutes late, but not through any defect in the restored =
engine. Dr Marchington said: "The most obvious emotion is one of great =
relief in that after 3=BD years and a fair amount of expense, the thing =
is back working very well."=20
=20
=20

M I C R O P L E X ACN 076 698 756
PO Box 565 St.Leonards NSW 1590
02 9641 3555 phone 02 9906 2326 fax

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July 5=20 1999 =

BRITAIN

=20 =A9

The Flying Scotsman leaving=20 King's Cross yesterday. Some of the volunteers who = helped to=20 restore the engine would turn up at weekends in = workclothes=20 from the great days of steam =
Photograph: TOBY MELVILLE / PA

Flying = Scotsman is=20 back on the rails=20

BY = WARWICK MANSELL

Links=20

THE Flying Scotsman took to the rails yesterday,=20 delighting rail enthusiasts who feared that it might never = appear in=20 public again.=20

Four years after being left to rust in a repair shed, the = record-breaking 76-year-old locomotive steamed out of King's = Cross=20 station to set the seal on its restoration.=20

The journey to York, for which 252 enthusiasts paid = =A3350 each, is=20 expected to be the first of many for The Flying = Scotsman,=20 which will join millennium celebrations by taking passengers = from=20 Edinburgh to London at =A31,750-a-head on January 1.=20

Four years ago the LNER engine, which in 1934 was the = first to=20 reach 100mph, looked doomed. The engine had been left to = rust in a=20 former Great Western repair shed in Southall, West London, = after its=20 former owners were unable to meet soaring restoration costs. =

Then Tony Marchington, 43, a computer software = millionaire,=20 bought the engine and its nine Pullman carriages for =A31.5 = million,=20 and spent =A31 million restoring it with the help of steam = enthusiasts=20 led by professional engineers.=20

The Flying Scotsman - its 4472 engine number = treasured by=20 trainspotters - was built in Doncaster at a cost of = =A37,944. On May=20 1, 1928, it made the first non-stop express run from London = to=20 Edinburgh in eight hours and three minutes. Then, on = November 30,=20 1934, on a test run between Leeds and London, it touched = 100mph for=20 600 yards between Grantham and Peterborough. It was the = first steam=20 traction engine to travel at an authenticated 100mph.=20

The engine was withdrawn in 1963, and toured America for = four=20 years before being bought by Sir William McAlpine, of the = building=20 company. The pop music impresario Pete Waterman bought a = stake in=20 the engine, but by the mid-1990s the pair were finding it = too=20 expensive to maintain. It was retired in 1995 with a cracked = firebox.=20

At the end of yesterday's six-hour trip The Flying=20 Scotsman arrived 15 minutes late, but not through any = defect in=20 the restored engine. Dr Marchington said: "The most obvious = emotion=20 is one of great relief in that after 3=BD years and a fair = amount of=20 expense, the thing is back working very well."=20