Flying Scotsman set to gather dust in museum after iconic locomotive fails to find contractor
The Flying Scotsman will remain at a museum until the summer after its owners failed to find anyone to tend to the locomotive
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The Flying Scotsman will remain at a museum until the summer after its owners failed to find anyone to tend to the locomotive.
From Friday January 26, the locomotive will be displayed in the Flying Scotsman Story exhibition at the National Railway Museum in York.
The famous steam train has been looked after by Riley & Son, a Bury-based engineering company, since its return in 2016.
But its contract expired on December 31, and the National Railway Museum, which owns the Flying Scotsman, had not issued new invitations to tender.
The famous steam train has been looked after by Riley & Son, a Bury-based engineering company, since its return in 2016
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The steam train will resume rail tours this autumn after the museum appoint the next custodian to operate and maintain the locomotive.
It will launch an Invitation to Tender (ITT) online in the coming weeks.
The Scotsman covered over 10,000 miles of the network during its centenary year in 2023, visiting heritage railways and working tours on the mainline.
Judith McNicol, Director of the National Railway Museum said: "After an amazing centenary year which has seen Flying Scotsman delight and inspire thousands of people, I can announce our plans to bring the world-famous locomotive to the National Railway Museum in York while we begin the search for its next custodian.
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"Our intention is to keep Flying Scotsman main line operational and once the new custodian is appointed, we will create a calendar of activity that includes main line tours, visits to heritage railways and our museums."
It has been reported that it took five months between the last invitation to tender being issued and the contract being signed.
Network Rail also requires at least 12 weeks’ notice before steam locomotives can run on the main line.
During the Flying Scotsman’s centenary visits to the National Railway Museum in York and Locomotion in Shildon, large numbers of people travelled from across the UK and overseas to see the famous locomotive.
Network Rail also requires at least 12 weeks’ notice before steam locomotives can run on the main line
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In York 51,751 people visited during October half term and more than 37,500 came to see Flying Scotsman in light steam at Locomotion over Christmas.
The steam train was built in Doncaster in 1923 for the newly formed LNER.
It was saved from the scrapheap and toured the USA and Australia before becoming part of the National Railway Museum’s collection.