Flying Scotsman to visit just miles from Surrey border at end of …
The iconic 100-year-old Flying Scotsman will visit the Bluebell Railway just miles from the Surrey border for a 12-day stint at the end of the school summer holidays. It comes as part of the steam train’s centenary programme and is the second time families and fans in the county will have the chance to see the locomotive in the space of three months.
The Flying Scotsman – described by the event’s organisers as a “living iconic engine” – last passed through Surrey in June when it visited Staines[1], Woking[2], Guildford[3], and Haslemere[4]. An event was planned at Bluebell Railway for August 2022 but was cancelled due to a fault that could not be repaired in time. As a result, the previous event at the Bluebell Railway was in 2017.
Bluebell Railway chairman, Paul Churchman, described his “delight” that the Flying Scotsman will “fly south”. He said: “An event like this creates a buzz of excitement for our hardworking employees and volunteers and we look forward to welcoming the thousands of ticket holders who are all keen to get close to arguably the most famous and iconic steam locomotive in the UK and probably the world.”
The Flying Scotsman will run non-stop services between East Grinstead Station and Sheffield Park Station from August 23 to 29. It will then be put on static display at Sheffield Park from August 30 to September 3.
Visitors will have the chance to ride the train with regular services and special dining trains advertised. There will also be the opportunity for guests to hop on and hop off at stations to see the iconic green locomotive pass by.
In addition to the Scotsman’s visit to the Southeast, an “old friend” will be reunited with the train at the event. Kenneth Turner was born in the same year as the locomotive was built and worked on the Flying Scotsman as a fireman and stoker throughout the Second World War after joining the railway aged 16.
The Flying Scotsman was built in Doncaster in 1923 and operated in service until 1963. It was the first locomotive on the newly-formed London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and transported passengers between London and Scotland at 80 miles per hour. The steam locomotive was the first to reach 100mph and was the first to circumnavigate the globe.
The Bluebell Railway offers 11 miles of stunning scenery and stations, which have featured in period films and TV shows including Downton Abbey. The site has children’s play areas along the line and refreshments available at every station, as well as restoration and maintenance workshops, a working signal box exhibit, a museum, and a restaurant.
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