Editor's Note: 30th November is 85th anniversary of Flying Scotsman setting its first world record – the first steam locomotive officially authenticated at reaching 100 miles per hour.

Perhaps the world's most famous steam locomotive, Flying Scotsman's working programme in 2020 offers the rare chance of travelling behind this iconic engine in full steam on the mainline/at speeds of up to 75mph. 

Two days out, London to Salisbury on 28th May and London to Oxford three days later offer visits to two of the UK's most popular destinations. A London to Edinburgh weekend short break from 2nd – 5th July sees the engine retrace the route for which it was named, the north east line up to Scotland.

Operated by the Steam Dreams Rail Co., with allocated seating in vintage carriages, the day excursion tickets start at £109 for Premium Standard class with complimentary tea, coffee and waiter service. Pullman Style Dining, where Champagne breakfasts and evening meals with wine and canapes are the order of the day costs £275.

The Flying Scotsman to Edinburgh tour over the July weekend starts at £349 up to £899 for Pullman Style Dining without accommodation. Accommodation in Edinburgh can be arranged by Steam Dreams at different hotels in the centre of the city, including the five-star Balmoral Hotel. 

The Flying Scotsman, the last original remaining of the most powerful A3 Class built, still holds two world records, the fastest steam locomotive at 100mph and longest non-stop run at 441 miles.

Photo Credit: Alan Hinks O.B.E.

Booking Office on 01483 209888

9am – 5.30pm on weekdays or purchase online at

www.steamdreams.co.uk  

-ENDS-

For further information contact WixHill PR:

Tim Fordham-Moss / Pippa Evans

tim@wixhill.co.uk / pippa@wixhill.co.uk

+44 (0) 771 491788 / + 44 (0) 7545 522292

November 2019

Editor's Notes:

About Flying Scotsman

• 60103 Flying Scotsman has been described as the most famous steam locomotive in the world.
• Built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works, Flying Scotsman was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley as part of the A1 class – the most powerful locomotives used by the railway. She was employed on long-distance express trains on the LNER and its successors, British Railways Eastern and North-Eastern Regions, notably on the London to Edinburgh Flying Scotsman train service after which it was named.
• By 1924, Flying Scotsman was selected to appear at the British Empire Exhibition in London, the loco had been renumbered 4472 – and been given the name 'Flying Scotsman' after the London to Edinburgh rail service which started daily at 10am in 1862.
• The locomotive, initially numbered 1472, set two world records for steam traction, becoming the first steam locomotive to be officially authenticated at reaching 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h) on 30 November 1934, and then setting a record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive when it ran 422 miles (679 km) on 8 August 1989 while in Australia. She was the first steam locomotive to undertake a non-stop run between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley
• Retired from regular service in 1963 after covering 2,076,000 miles (3,341,000 km), Flying Scotsman gained considerable fame in preservation under the ownership of Alan Pegler, William McAlpine, Tony Marchington and finally the National Railway Museum. As well as hauling enthusiast specials in the United Kingdom, the locomotive toured extensively in the United States and Canada (from 1969 to 1973) and Australia (from 1988 to 1989).
• To find out more about Flying Scotsman, go toflyingscotsman.org.uk

Carbon Offset

The Steam Dreams Rail Co. is the first rail charter to be carbon neutral. Every year the company makes a donation to carbon reduction projects, to offset the carbon emissions that steam engines produce.

This year, Steam Dreams Rail Co. is sponsoring a solar project based in India, supporting India in the transition to a low carbon economy through renewable energy generation and ask all their passengers to contribute a small £1 voluntary supplement towards this cause. www.eco-act.com.

About The Steam Dreams Rail Co.

• The first tour left London for Salisbury in December 1999 and was an immediate success
• Two decades later, the company is proud to be offering day trips to more than 35 different destinations and picking up passengers at over 100 stations across the UK every year
• The Steam Dreams Rail Co. is now delighted to offer a number of multi-day tours around the British Isles as well as overseas tours to Ireland (2019), the USA (2020) and New Zealand (2021).
• The company has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence every year since 2015, and was short-listed for Best Rail Holiday Provider in the inaugural Silver Travel Awards