Flying Scotsman to make official return to Doncaster today

Iconic steam loco the Flying Scotsman is to make its official return to its Doncaster birthplace later today.
The Flying Scotsman steams through Doncaster en route to London yesterday.The Flying Scotsman steams through Doncaster en route to London yesterday.
The Flying Scotsman steams through Doncaster en route to London yesterday.

The world famous engine, built in the town in 1923, is expected to roll through Doncaster station around noon on its official return to the rails after a decade long £4.2m refit.

She briefly passed through the town yesterday en route to London for today's non-stop journey between King's Cross and York where the loco will go on display at the National Railway Museum.

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Retired from service in 1963, the Flying Scotsman will depart the capital at 7.40am and thunder up the East Coast mainline and is expected in Doncaster around noon.

Huge crowds are expected along the route, with many passengers paying up to £450 for a ticket to travel onboard the iconic steam engine.

However, the NRM and Network Rail have urged fans to view the locomotive "from a safe vantage point".

In a joint statement, they said: "It is vital that spectators do not venture on to the railway as a full timetable of regular services will be running.

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"In order to avoid overcrowding we are not publishing recommended viewing points or the timetable of when the train will be passing through specific locations.

"We wish those who are boarding Flying Scotsman on Thursday, or taking any other journey on board during the summer, an enjoyable experience."

The Scotsman will not stop at Doncaster, but will slow down and sound its whistle as it passes through.

The locomotive undertook a series of test runs through Cumbria and Lancashire earlier this year.

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Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, Flying Scotsman emerged from Doncaster Works on 24 February 1923

In 1934, Scotsman was clocked at 100mph - officially the first locomotive to have reached that speed and has travelled approximately 2,500,000 miles during her lifetime.

Last year, it was official named the world's most famous train - ahead of the Doncaster-built Mallard, Harry Potter's Hogwart's Express and Thomas the Tank Engine in a poll carried out by the NRM.