Crowds gather to watch the Flying Scotsman leave London …
Crowds gather to watch the Flying Scotsman leave London Paddington as it embarks on 100th anniversary tour from capital to Cardiff - amid fears iconic train will be forced off the tracks due to new health and safety rules
- The train will travel to Cardiff, Wales, and return to London Paddington today
- It comes amid fears it could be forced off rail lines over health and safety issues
Crowds gathered to watch the Flying Scotsman leave London[2] today as it embarked on its journey to Wales as part of its centenary tour.
People were gathered at London Paddington to watch the world-famous locomotive leave at 7.50am for a scenic rail tour through the Thames Valley along the River Severn to Cardiff, Wales.
The locomotive, operated by the Railway Touring Company, will spend 2023 touring Scotland, Wales and Yorkshire in celebration of its 100th anniversary.
But today's passengers will get to spend the day in Cardiff before the steam train returns through Reading and Slough before terminating at London Paddington.
It comes amid fears it could be forced of rail lines over demands for its carriage door locks to be updated.
People were gathered at London Paddington to watch the world-famous locomotive leave at 7.50am for a scenic rail tour through the Thames Valley along the River Severn to Cardiff, Wales
The Flying Scotsman's doors are currently locked and unlocked with an old-fashioned bolt.
But the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) want to modernise the carriages with a central door locking system to prevent passengers from opening doors when the platform is too short.
It is understood the upgrade could cost more than £1million and is regarded by West Coast Railways as unnecessary because stewards man the doors on its charter trains at all times.
An exemption from regulations banning carriages without central locking expires this month and West Coast Railways is seeking a judicial review, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Railway enthusiasts expressed surprise and bewilderment on Twitter at the demand for central locking.
One said: 'Is it not possible to treat a locomotive of great historical value, such as this one, as a protected structure and therefore exempt from alteration?'
The locomotive, operated by the Railway Touring Company, will spend 2023 touring Scotland, Wales and Yorkshire in celebration of its 100th anniversary
Today's passengers will get to spend the day in Cardiff before the steam train returns through Reading and Slough before terminating at London Paddington.
It comes amid fears it could be forced of rail lines over demands for its carriage door locks to be updated
The Flying Scotsman's doors are currently locked and unlocked with an old-fashioned bolt
Another said: 'Well it's lasted this long, some PC madness has said can't go on without these locks, yet no one has cared to date.'
A third said: 'OMG, when these trains were built, the people must have been so sensible and not fall out of the train when in motion.'
The Flying Scotsman broke records by hauling the first non-stop London to Edinburgh service in 1928 and became Britain's first locomotive to officially reach a speed of 100mph six years later.
The 70ft locomotive retired from regular service in 1963 after covering more than two million miles.
In 1970, it embarked on a North American tour of Canada and the United States.
It changed hands between steam preservation enthusiasts before becoming a working exhibit at the National Railway Museum in 2004.
The Flying Scotsman broke records by hauling the first non-stop London to Edinburgh service in 1928
The 70ft locomotive retired from regular service in 1963 after covering more than two million miles
It changed hands between steam preservation enthusiasts before becoming a working exhibit at the National Railway Museum in 2004
The Flying Scotsman London to Cardiff Route
Outbound
London Paddington - 7.50am
Slough - 8.20am
Reading - 8.48am
Didcot Parkway - 9.22am
Challow - 10.16am
Swindon - 10.33am
Bristol Parkway - 11.16am
Pilning - 11.27am
Maindee North Junction - 12.36pm
Cardiff Central - 1.24pm
Return
Cardiff Central - 4.50pm
Bristol Parkway - 5.48pm
Wootton Bassett Junction - 7.04pm
Swindon - 7.27pm
Milton Junction - 8.12pm
Didcot Parkway - 8.41pm
Reading - 9.07pm
Slough - 9.32pm
London Paddington - 10.07pm
References
- ^ Alexander Butler (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ London (www.dailymail.co.uk)