Flying Scotsman Main Line Railtours September 2026

Thinking outside the box. Which can only be a good thing as Flying Scotsman and Tornado have been woefully underused on the main line since there last overhauls, plus money in Vintage Trains pocket as well

 

That would surely depend on if the Rail Adventure recruitment mentioned by @26D_M is purely for steam loco movements or to run tours. If tours I tend to agree with his hypothesis that ERS stock is likely.
That of course may well confirm or disprove my belief that the vast majority of railtour pax these days (us nerds who inhabit places like this excluded of course) would be far happier with a well airconditioned or heated Mk3 than a Mk1 where they can hear the loco.

 

I thought part of the fall-out between A1ST and WCR was that A1ST felt the loco was being over-used. If that's true, I can't imagine they'll want it out too much.

There's always the question of quality Vs quantity, and whether there's the market to support even more rail tours.
The UK market being very well served compared to probably anywhere else in the world.

 

At the risk of veering into the "Transparency .... etc" territory, that depends on the marketing. If one of the selling points is "travelling in the style of the steam era" but the plan is to use 1970s Inter City coaches I would consider there to be something of a deception.
On the other hand if the train is simply marketed as a ride behind 60103 or the A1 without much reference to the features then I think you're right that the stock is important only to the extent that it meets expectations of a pleasant experience.

 

I think the focus of the fall out was use V maintenance schedules.

I doubt the A1st would object to more mainline use, so long as it was on their terms and allowed sufficient downtime for maintenance.
The fall out with West Coast was hugely unfortunate and self defeating on many levels, Tornado could have picked up a significant amount of RTC work.

The A1st also concluded that extended heritage line use can bring in useful money, but without the wear and tear of 75mph running.

 

I wonder of the September trains will run because of the weather, I am certainly not booking one yet.

 

Must be highly doubtful for any tour down South.
The forecast for both Swanage and Minehead for example until the end of the month has nothing more than a few odd days of light rain showers, and I suspect they will be a bit hit and miss.
I suspect NR will be looking for some weeks of steady medium intensity rain.

 

I dont think anybody is saying 75mph is too fast, the trust's point is that 20 days running at 25mph on a heritage railway likely induces less wear and tear than 10 mainline railtours at 3 times the speed. It probably also induces significantly less boiler cooling / heating cycles as the loco is likely to be running consecutively, rather than one off days.

LSL also seemingly like to operate Blue Peter at lower than its 'allowed' 75mph to limit wear.

 

The simply solution is to stick to the S&C as in the (?good) old days of David Ward. With it's 60mph line limit there will be no high speed wear and tear there - although wear and tear may take on another form.

Peter

 

Has it had extended Heritage Line use though? GCRN, NYMR, NVR on reasonably short visits, maybe coming to Swanage in the unlikely event of rain.

 

The impression I had was that A1ST objected to their loco being used at short notice, and/or with insufficient time between tours, putting strain on their volunteers

 

Its currently at the NYMR on extended hire.

 

I got the impression it was the amount of tours WCRC wanted to use it on didn't fit in with their maintenance plan, especially as it would be sent all over the country. 34028 works mainly out of Southall and London starters, 34067 does the Northern Belle and some others up north. That would leave 60163 to mop up everything else, so could be starting from Bristol then London then York in the space of a week.

 

More Flying Scotsman trips announced. These ones appear to not be using Vintage Trains as the TOC like the others already announced but instead using Rail Adventures who are now entering the mainline steam scene. Coaching stock is apparently Mk2's from Eastern Rail Services.

"Major New North East Journeys Announced for Flying Scotsman!

From November 13th to 15th, the famous locomotive will depart Darlington on a scenic 60 mile journey - with tickets on sale now.

On its trip from Darlington towards its destination of Stanhope, Flying Scotsman will travel over the Weardale Railway, taking in beautiful views of the Northern Pennines Natural Landscape.

A morning departure leaves Darlington at 8:40 while an afternoon option departs at 13:40. The return trip is scheduled to take four hours, including time at Stanhope which will prove popular with passengers wanting photographs and mementos.

These dates are part of a wider return of the engine to the mainline being led by promoter Fox & Edwards Events, alongside successful partnerships with 22 heritage lines. They are working with multiple partners including Northern Steam, who care for the locomotive, and the National Railway Museum, custodians of Flying Scotsman.

These journeys will be particularly significant for the mainline train operator RailAdventure, marking the introduction to steam passenger train services ahead of exciting plans for future years.

MK2 carriages are being provided by the rolling stock specialist Eastern Rail Services.

First class and traditional seating options are being offered, with tickets from £79 for a return trip.

Oliver Edwards, Director & General Manager of Fox & Edwards Events, said: "This November, a truly wonderful steam locomotive will bring pleasure, nostalgia and memories to thousands in the North East on these brand new journeys. We're very grateful to our superb partners for working together on this exciting development."

Northern Steam Operations Chair, Stuart Whitter, said: "As guardians of Flying Scotsman, we are delighted to be working again with Fox & Edwards Events as our two companies clearly share the same values and enthusiasm for our work, as well as a highly professional approach to everything we do."

Sarah Price, Head of Public Programme at the National Railway Museum, said: "Following a popular run at Locomotion railway museum during the summer holidays, it’s wonderful to see Flying Scotsman returning to the Northeast for what promises to be a spectacular journey though the North Pennines. As custodians of Flying Scotsman, the National Railway Museum is grateful to Northern Steam and Fox & Edwards for supporting us in bringing this magnificent locomotive to mainline runs across the UK.”

Kevin Walker, Managing Director of RailAdventure, commented: "RailAdventure UK Ltd are extremely proud and honoured to have been chosen by Fox & Edwards Events to partner with them to develop a mainline steam operations program for Flying Scotsman. We will bring our proven and acknowledged expertise in specialist rail services to ensure the world’s most iconic steam locomotive is operated with care, precision and above all safely, to the benefit of the thousands of passengers who share our passion for heritage rail charters."

Claire Gibbons, General Manager at Weardale Railway, said: “We’re beyond thrilled to be welcoming the iconic Flying Scotsman to Weardale for the very first time. This will be a truly special occasion for our railway, our local communities and the wider region, providing a boost for tourism and local economy and giving people a fantastic opportunity to experience one of the most famous locomotives in railway history right here in the Durham Dales.

“We’re delighted to be working with Fox & Edwards Events to make this milestone possible and, with services running between Darlington and Stanhope, we hope it will encourage visitors from across the region and further afield to come and discover everything Weardale and the surrounding area has to offer.”

Learn more and book tickets now at https://www.foxandedwards.com/event...ng-scotsman-darlington-stanhope-mainline-tour

Flying Scotsman is appearing thanks to its owners the National Railway Museum. Visitors can explore Flying Scotsman’s full 2026 events calendar at: railwaymuseum.org.uk/flying-scotsman/events"