The Flying Scotsman.....ish

[10ClarionSt]

Went to see The Flying Scotsman this morning. It doesn't have the green livery, or the nameplate and it has windshields. The original didn't have windshields. It was at the back of the carriages, which were being pulled by a huge diesel engine, so it looks like it's being "run in" rather than doing all the work.It seems like there's an element of suspension of disbelief, rather like The Emporers' New Clothes. It has the number 60103 rather than the more famous 4472. But people, it's The Flying Scotsman, taking it easy on it's little runs between Bury/Heywood and Bury/Ramsbottom, for which you can ride for £12 in one of the carriages. Might be better to wait till it's fully liveried and in York Railway Museum to see it in all it's glory. A bit of a disappointment but the grandkids loved it, and that's the main thing.

[Jonathan-Joe]

I think most steam specials have a diesel loco at the rear nowadays - in case the loco fails.

[Jonathan-Joe]

The Flying Scotsman was fitted with smoke deflectors (not "windshield") in Br days. For a discussion about choice of present day livery, number and condition see here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A3_4472_Flying_Scotsman (scroll down to "Debate over Restoration")

[New Judge]

Yes nice to see the “Scotsman” back in steam after such a long time.

It will be in its black (wartime) livery for a short while before being repainted into BR (Brunswick) green. The number 60103 is its BR (post 1947) number. There are no plans currently to display it in LNER “Apple” Green or with its 4472 number but it will undertake an intensive programme of mainline runs in the coming months.

All class A3 Pacifics (of which the Scotsman is the only preserved survivor) had “Kylechap” double chimneys fitted in the 1950s. These had been first fitted to the streamlined A4s (“Mallard” types) but when fitted to the non-streamlined A3s drifting smoke and steam obscuring the driver’s view posed a problem. To cure this most of the A3s had German type smoke deflectors fitted. These “elephants’ ears” are the type now fitted to the Scotsman and they are authentic for the time period in which the locomotive is currently depicted.

I was lucky to be a “train spotter” in the late 1950s and early 1960s and my “patch” was the East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross. I often saw the Scotsman and many of its Pacific stablemates. It was an everyday occurrence for us to see these fine machines ploughing their way northwards with their heavy trains.