Steam Railways

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Oh, erm, I've only just got it.

[Anna]

Just noticed, of interest to us trainspotters (!) tomorrow BBC2 9pm "The Flying Scotsman - A Rail Romance" Promises interesting archive footage of its journeys between Kings Cross and Edinburgh.

[salymap]

Just noticed, of interest to us trainspotters (!) tomorrow BBC2 9pm "The Flying Scotsman - A Rail Romance" Promises interesting archive footage of its journeys between Kings Cross and Edinburgh.

Thanks for that Anna. That's the train I saw years ago, either from Shortlands, nr Bromley where one of my aunts lived ,or from Chislehurst Common. Actually I think I saw it twice. It whizzed past but it was
lovely to see it.

[Don Petter]

It was taking a very roundabout route, then?

[Anna]

The London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) decided in 1933 to standardise on the Gill Sans san serif typefaces - and they commissioned Eric Gill, creator of the typeface, to hand paint a headboard for the Flying Scotsman train service (London to Edinburgh) Photo here:



I'm due to go to a lecture on Eric Gill in two weeks time, not about railways of course but his unconventional lifestyle in Wales! (Apologies for size of pix!)

[salymap]

It was taking a very roundabout route, then?

No London to the coast apparently. Others have seen it. Whoever did the programme I saw recently on TV mentionbed he had seen it from Kent. Was it the prog about Art Deco ?

[Don Petter]

No London to the coast apparently. Others have seen it. Whoever did the programme I saw recently on TV mentionbed he had seen it from Kent. Was it the prog about Art Deco ?

Not the Flying Scotsman, then! Perhaps it was the Golden Arrow?

Wait a minute, looking at the preview, it is about the loco (4472), as bought by Alan Pegler, not the train, so you may well have seen that. Anna has misled us by talking about the named train, which is not the same thing as the named loco!

Sorry, saly!

[salymap]

Not the Flying Scotsman, then! Perhaps it was the Golden Arrow?

Wait a minute, looking at the preview, it is about the loco (4472), as bought by Alan Pegler, not the train, so you may well have seen that. Anna has misled us by talking about the named train, which is not the same thing as the named loco!

Sorry, saly!

No, I'm sorry Don, of course it was the Golden Arrow. Another senior moment

[Don Petter]

No, I'm sorry Don, of course it was the Golden Arrow. Another senior moment

Well, I was thinking you could perhaps have seen 4472 in South London since it has been preserved, but originally, as an LNER region engine, it wouldn't have travelled there. (Looks like an interesting programme anyway, so thanks Anna for that.)

[Anna]

Anna has misled us by talking about the named train, which is not the same thing as the named loco!

Handbags at dawn Don!
Honestly, I was just quoting the BBC, if they don't know which loco is which ...... How should I know?

[Don Petter]

Handbags at dawn Don!
Honestly, I was just quoting the BBC, if they don't know which loco is which ...... How should I know?

There is only one 'Flying Scotsman' loco, which is what the prgramme is about, but the 'Flying Scotsman' train, from London to Edinburgh, was hauled by a variety of locos, not just that one. I'm not sure if the BBC is going to confuse the issue, I hope not.

[hmvman]

There is only one 'Flying Scotsman' loco, which is what the prgramme is about, but the 'Flying Scotsman' train, from London to Edinburgh, was hauled by a variety of locos, not just that one. I'm not sure if the BBC is going to confuse the issue, I hope not.

There's a nice little film from the 1980s about the Flying Scotsman - train and locomotive - on the iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode..._Two_Scotsmen/

I was interested that interviewee Arthur Dewar says in the film that the train wasn't known as 'The Flying Scotsman' until about 1938 but Anna says that the photo of Eric Gill with the train headboard is from 1933.

[Frances_iom]

I was interested that interviewee Arthur Dewar says in the film that the train wasn't known as 'The Flying Scotsman' until about 1938 but Anna says that the photo of Eric Gill with the train headboard is from 1933.

is it possible that there is some confusion with The Royal Scot which went to USA in 1933 which in photo (The Railway Magazine p 41 Jan 1963) does appear to have a distinctive smokebox door name plate which is not on original engine (and of course there were 2 engines with this name!)

[mangerton]

There is only one 'Flying Scotsman' loco, which is what the prgramme is about, but the 'Flying Scotsman' train, from London to Edinburgh, was hauled by a variety of locos, not just that one. I'm not sure if the BBC is going to confuse the issue, I hope not.

I hope not, too, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be surprised, as the terms "trains" and "locomotives" are frequently regarded as synonyms by the media. The "Flying Scotsman" locomotive is currently being restored at the National Railway Museum in York.

Here are links to two pictures I took at the NRM's Railfest last June. It's interesting to note, especially if you're a pedant like me, that the pictures show that the loco is named "Flying Scotsman", and the train is called "The Flying Scotsman", as indicated by the headboard on front.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59411788/FS2%20%281%29.JPG

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59411788/FS2%20%282%29.JPG

Anna, thank you for the reminder about tomorrow's programme.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There is only one 'Flying Scotsman' loco, which is what the prgramme is about, but the 'Flying Scotsman' train, from London to Edinburgh, was hauled by a variety of locos, not just that one. I'm not sure if the BBC is going to confuse the issue, I hope not.

I presume it's about the loco. The current train of that name now only runs from north to south and does the journey in 4 hours.