LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman

Flying Scotsman

Flying Scotsman at Doncaster Works in 2003, despite the LNER livery, the prominent German-style smoke deflectors and double chimney are BR-era features.

Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Sir Nigel Gresley Builder Doncaster Works Build date 1923

Specifications Configuration 4-6-2 Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 80 in (2,032 mm) diameter Length 70 ft (21.34 m) Height 13 ft (3.96 m) Loco weight 96.25 long tons (97.79 t; 107.80 short tons) Cylinders 3

Performance figures Maximum speed 100 mph (160 km/h) Tractive effort 29,385 lbf (13,329 kgf; 130.71 kN)

Career Operators London and North Eastern Railway, British Railways Class A3 Numbers 1472 (to Feb 1924) 4472 (Feb 1924–Jan 1946) 502 (Jan–May 1946) 103 (May 1946–Dec 1948) 60103 (Dec 1948 on) Official name Flying Scotsman Retired January 1963 Restored 1968, 1996, 2016 Current owner National Railway Museum

LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman is a Pacific steam locomotive built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. It was employed on long-distance express East Coast Main Line trains by 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.

The locomotive 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.

Retired from regular service in 1963 after covering 2.08 million miles,Flying Scotsman gained considerable fame in preservation under the ownership of, successively, Alan Pegler, William McAlpine, Tony Marchington, and finally the National Railway Museum (NRM). As well as hauling enthusiast specials in the United Kingdom, the locomotive toured extensively in the United States and Canada from 1969 until 1973 and Australia in 1988/89.Flying Scotsman has been described as the world's most famous steam locomotive.

The locomotive was completed in 1923, construction having been started under the auspices of the Great Northern Railway (GNR). It was built as an A1, initially carrying the GNR number 1472, because the LNER had not yet decided on a system-wide numbering scheme.