Trainspotters furious after Flying Scotsman Nuneaton visit – ‘it’s an …
Rail enthusiasts were left seething after their view of the Flying Scotsman at Nuneaton[1] Railway Station was blocked out by a domestic train on the platform next door. Dozens of people gathered at the station this morning (June 10) to get a glimpse of the iconic train as it stopped off on its steam-powered journey from London Euston to Chester.
But the overwhelming majority of people huddled together at the station saw nothing of the world-famous locomotive when it called in shortly before 9.40am. Nuneaton resident Steve Creagh said the whole experience was incredibly disappointing.
“It’s an absolute shocker,” he told CoventryLive. “A steward said the other train would be moving on in a few minutes, but it never did. The Flying Scotsman passed out before the domestic train so hardly anyone got to see it.”
“I could not believe it,” the 60-year-old added. “You’d have thought the organisers would have made sure no other trains pulled up at the same time. They knew what time the Flying Scotsman was arriving.”
Steve said around 80 per cent of the people who had been asked to congregate on platform one were unable to see past the other train. “Only those who were right at the far end would have seen anything of it,” he said.
“It was just so disappointing. Luckily for me I hadn’t travelled far, but some of those at the station had probably made a big effort to be there. I love trains and train travel, but I wouldn’t describe myself as a ‘nerd’ or a ‘trainspotter’.
“I just thought this was an occasion worth jumping in the car for to get pictures for posterity. Obviously that wasn’t possible in the end. I can’t get my head around it.”
The Flying Scotsman on its way to Nuneaton Railway Station
Steve questioned why the domestic train driver wasn’t told to depart the station and to wait further down the track. Steve attempted to make his way down to platform two, but was told access was restricted to people with tickets for trains arriving there.
After scrambling to a different vantage point, Steve was able to get a view of the train trundling off in the distance, leaving a trail of steam in its wake. “There were people there with really expensive cameras intending on taking lots of great pictures,” he added. “But they got nothing. It’s extraordinary, really.”
“The other train was not supposed to be there,” Nigel Branston said. “A lot of people there were very unhappy.”
The National Railway Museum, owners of the Flying Scotsman, and West Midlands Trains which operates Nuneaton Railway Station, was approached for comment.
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References
- ^ Nuneaton (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Moment Flying Scotsman pulls into Nuneaton Railway Station – but trainspotters feel ‘let down’ (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Warwickshire (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ daily newsletter (data.reachplc.com)