Homeward bound...

ICONIC TRAIN WILL PASS THROUGH NORTH EAST

THE famous Flying Scotsman is steaming back to the North East.

The iconic locomotive will roll through Durham and Newcastle in May.

Thousands turned out along its route to watch the last time it travelled through the region.

Restored to its former glory in 2016, the steam engine now tours the UK.

As part of the Cathedrals Express, the Scotsman will be heading from York to Edinburgh on May 19.

This includes visits to Durham and Newcastle along the way. There will be lots of places to spot it powering through Northumberland on its way north too.

Tickets are available if you want to be on board. They start at £349 for the train journey only.

Specific timings for journeys are kept under wraps as much as possible for safety reasons.

Trainspotters are also advised to make sure they take up a safe vantage point and do not trespass onto the line.

Operators Steam Dreams state on their website: “Steam Dreams respectfully asks that all people who wish to see Flying Scotsman do so from a permitted location and do not trespass on the railway.

“While we understand interest in Flying Scotsman will be extremely high, we urge those wishing to view it on its tour dates do so from a safe vantage point.

“It is vital that spectators do not venture onto the railway, particularly when it is on the mainline as a full timetable of regular services will be running. Trespassing on the railway is illegal, and can endanger yourself and others.”

Built in Doncaster in 1923, the Flying Scotsman went on to become perhaps the most famous locomotive in the world.

It set a world record as the first steam train to officially clock 100mph.

Put into service initially on the London and North Eastern Railway, the train served through the Second World War and the nationalisation of the country’s railways.

The Scotsman retired in 1963 after covering more than two million miles of British track.

Named for the daily London to Edinburgh rail service, it also set a second world record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive in 1989.

A series of owners preserved the train as it toured across the globe, before a campaign to have it restored in 2006.

Ten years and a £4.2m investment later, the legend was ‘brought back to life’ in its iconic green coat.

BOOK a ticket for the Flying Scotsman at www.steamdreams.co.uk