What’s the Plan B for ‘Sco

Too early to judge ‘West Coast effect’ says the National Railway Museum

AFTER A rebuild that ultimately took more than a decade, the National Railway Museum gave just 22 days’ notice in early February of the date of Flying Scotsman’s ‘official’ main line comeback - Thursday, February 25.

Uncertainty by the museum over the final completion of Gresley ‘A3’ No. 60103’s overhaul by Bury contractors Riley & Son (E) Ltd, an eleventh-hour ‘overheated bearing’ scare, and speculation over the revocation of West Coast Railway Company’s operator’s licence by the Office of Rail and Road, meant that the NRM did not confirm the date of the ‘inaugural’ run from King’s Cross to York, until February 3. The announcement on February 17 that the ORR was revoking West Coast’s licence to run trains “until it is satisfied the company’s governance and operations meet industry practice and are fit for the scale of its operation” has forced the museum to switch to its backup plan, and the LNER 4-6-2’s February 25 train will now be crewed by men from the only other eligible main line steam operator, DB Schenker. Said an NRM spokesman: “We are confident that the inaugural run of Flying Scotsman on February 25 can still go ahead, but it is too early to ascertain the full implications and the longer-term picture. We will be working closely with our partners to assess whether any changes to our plans need to be made.” Despite Steam Railway’s early warning back in October that the price of tickets for the ‘A3’s’ official main line comeback was likely to be set “substantially into three figures”, few people could have anticipated the eyewatering figure of £450 that was ultimately announced by the museum on February 3. The fare for the 188-mile one-way trip behind the restored Gresley ‘A3’ class ‘Pacific’ (the return to London is diesel-hauled), outstrips all but one of the all-day Belmond British Pullman luxury trains being hauled this year by ‘new-build’ ‘A1’ class ‘Pacific’ No. 60163 Tornado - though ‘Scotsman’s’ train will comprise only regular Mk 1 railtour stock, not Pullman cars. Initial public reaction to the £450 fare has been mixed, ranging from anger that the price has been pitched beyond the reach of ordinary working people, thousands of whom have already contributed to successive NRM Flying Scotsman appeals, to ambivalence from others who think the fare is justified by a purchase and repair bill that could well settle at close to £5 million. The February 25 comeback run by the newly repainted BR Brunswick Green No. 60103 will be a not-too-testing 11-coach train (including two dining cars, support coach and guard’s brake coach) with seats for 296 people - but the NRM was declining to say how many seats were being put up for sale to the public, how many invitations had been issued to VIPs, or even who is on its special guest invitation list, claiming that to do so would be a breach of the Data Protection Act. Steam Railway has learned, however, that the split between paying passengers and invited guests is almost exactly 50-50, with just under 150 tickets being made available for sale at £450 each. With the announcement that tickets would go on sale from 10am on February 4, NRM Public Events Manager Kate Hunter declared: “After the ‘Scotsman’ mania that has struck the North West in recent weeks, we’re expecting them to fly out the door.” Initial sales were reported to be brisk, with the NRM claiming 68 tickets sold in the first 48 hours. However, with just a week to go before the inaugural run, ticket agent Steam Dreams still had tickets for sale, and was actively promoting the run in mail-outs to its customer database. Sensitive to the criticism that the so-called ‘People’s Engine’ was perhaps too expensive for many ordinary working people, the museum announced that a free draw for five pairs of tickets would open on February 4, only requiring entrants to submit their personal details in order to qualify. In the four days