60103 Flying Scotsman, LNER A3 Class
A preserved LNER A3 Class streamlined 4-6-2 Pacific — the world's most famous steam locomotive — built at Doncaster Works in February 1923 to Sir Nigel Gresley's design as LNER No. 1472, one of the first production A1 Pacifics. Withdrawn from British Railways service in January 1963 after covering 2,076,000 miles. Purchased from BR by Alan Pegler for £3,000 — the locomotive's scrap value — in the same month as withdrawal, making it the first preserved main-line locomotive to be bought directly from British Railways.
60103 Flying Scotsman was named after the legendary London–Edinburgh express service. On 30 November 1934 it became the first locomotive officially authenticated at 100 mph. Converted from A1 to A3 class in 1947 with an improved boiler. On 1 May 1968 — the 40th anniversary of the first official non-stop London–Edinburgh run — Alan Pegler recreated the run with the preserved locomotive. In 1969 Pegler took the locomotive to the United States on a tour that ended in financial disaster, the locomotive stranded in San Francisco when Pegler went bankrupt. Rescued in 1973 by Sir William McAlpine, who paid off the creditors and returned it to Britain. Subsequently owned by Sir Peter Rankine and Tony Marchington before the National Railway Museum purchased it for the nation in 2004 for £2.31 million, following a public campaign. A £4.2 million restoration at Riley and Son Engineering, completed in January 2016, returned it to main-line working order as BR No. 60103.
Flying Scotsman is based at the National Railway Museum but tours the main line and heritage railways extensively, its appearances attracting crowds unmatched by any other preserved locomotive.
Last recorded as based at the National Railway Museum, York when not on tour, owned by the National Railway Museum. Operating status: Main-line certified. Current livery: BR Brunswick green.
Location varies — actively touring. Location, livery and operating status last confirmed pre-2024 and subject to change. Check with the National Railway Museum for current information.
Notable history
Built at Doncaster Works in February 1923 to Sir Nigel Gresley's design, Flying Scotsman entered traffic as London & North Eastern Railway No. 1472, an A1 Pacific. Renumbered 4472 and named Flying Scotsman after the long-distance London–Edinburgh express, it was chosen as the LNER's flagship locomotive at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, where its gleaming apple-green livery made it a national celebrity.
In 1928 it inaugurated the non-stop Flying Scotsman service between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley — 392 miles without a stop — made possible by a corridor tender that let a relief crew change places mid-run. On 30 November 1934 it became the first steam locomotive to be officially authenticated at 100 mph, on a test run down Stoke Bank.
Rebuilt as an A3 with a higher-pressure boiler, it served through the LNER years and into British Railways ownership as No. 60103, working East Coast Main Line expresses until withdrawal in January 1963. Rescued from the scrapyard by businessman Alan Pegler, it became one of the first main-line steam locomotives to run after BR's steam ban. Pegler took it on a celebrated but financially ruinous tour of the United States (1969–1973), after which it was bought and brought home by William McAlpine.
In 1988–89 it toured Australia, where it ran 442 miles non-stop between Parkes and Broken Hill — the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive, a record that still stands. After a period under Tony Marchington, the locomotive was purchased for the nation by the National Railway Museum in 2004 following a public appeal and Heritage Lottery support.
A ten-year, multi-million-pound overhaul returned Flying Scotsman to steam in 2016. Now finished in BR Brunswick green as 60103 and main-line certified, it continues to tour Britain's national network and heritage railways, drawing crowds wherever it runs — comfortably the most famous steam locomotive in the world.
Additional notes
Location varies — actively touring the main line and heritage railways. Based at the National Railway Museum, York, between tours.