Record-breaking Flying Scotsman grinds to a halt trying to climb wet Somerset hill
● Rescue engine drafted in to come to locomotive’s aid
It was once synonymous with speed and style, hauling Edinburgh-london expresses and becoming the first steam locomotive to reach 100mph.
However, Flying Scotsman has suffered the same fate that still bedevils today’s trains – wet leaves and slippery rails.
The engine that thundered at high speed over the flat east coast main line was brought to a halt tackling a hill at low speed on a heritage railway.
Officials were forced to draft in another locomotive to help push Flying Scotsman and its carriages up the incline on the West Somerset Railway near Taunton.
It was reported to have slid backwards while battling to keep going up the wet track.
A passenger on the train last Thursday said: “Great work by West Somerset Railway as rescue was achieved very quickly.
“Think they’d anticipated FS might have problems as she’s designed for speed, not steep slippery hills.”
Thomas Macrae, who was in the second carriage with his “train mad” son, commented online: “The staff were brilliant and kept all informed.”
A rail industry source familiar with the incident told The Scotsman: “Flying Scotsman was designed to be a greyhound racing up the east coast main line, not climbing steep hills in Somerset.
“The gradient is 1:65, which in railway terms is a fair old haul, especially with a 300-tonne train behind it.
“From a standing start at Bishops Lydeard Station, the line starts to climb, so the locomotive would not have had a chance to get a run at it.
“There’s also a 25mph speed restriction on the railway.
“The slipping was limited in scope and was overcome with a ‘banking’ engine.
“It’s not uncommon, especially with a reasonably heavy train.
“Other visiting locomotives have also been prone to slipping.”
Slippery rails caused by a combination of moisture and leaves are a perennial autumn nightmare on the railways.
Drivers are forced to accelerate and brake more slowly than normal to prevent skidding, particularly at stations and signals.
This has caused significant delays, including on several Scotrail routes last year.
A spokesman for the National Railway Museum, which owns Flying Scotsman, said: “It is one those things that happens at this time of year, causing poor conditions for any railway.
“These made it a bit difficult for Flying Scotsman on that part of the line, especially as it was not built for hilly routes.
“But it didn’t run out of steam or slide down the hill.
“There’s nothing wrong with the locomotive mechanically, and it was able to continue its journey as planned.
“Future tours will be unaffected.
“Several locos have had similar problems on that stretch because of the conditions.”
Flying Scotsman ended its week-long visit to the line yesterday and will next appear on its old stamping ground, the east coast main line, between London and York on Friday.
Trips next months include to Norwich and Worcester.
The 94-year-old locomotive, designed by Edinburgh-born Sir Nigel Gresley, returned to service last year after a decadelong restoration costing £4.5 million.
It has visited Scotland twice since, hauling sold-out trips on the Borders Railway and over the Forth Bridge into Fife.