Flying Scotsman hauling freight at Nene Valley Railway

The world’s most famous locomotive was captured looking somewhat out of character at Nene Valley Railway.

The Flying Scotsman is usually hitched to a series of smart passenger carriages but on Friday last week it hauled more than a dozen freight wagons along the line between Ferry Meadows in Peterborough and Wansford.

The spectacle attracted a large number of enthusiasts and photographers, who had bought tickets to capture the locomotive as it is rarely seen.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 tickets have been bought to see the locomotive at Nene Valley Railway over the six days it is operating on the line, with every seat taken on 30 passenger train rides, as well as on the three ‘fish and chip’ trains.

Among those who came along to enjoy the experience was Peter Westerman, 89, a cleaner and fireman on Flying Scotsman from 1950 to 1953, who joined his granddaughter for their trip.

In 1934 Flying Scotsman became the first steam locomotive to reach 100mph, on the Leeds to London line just outside Little Bytham. It was pulling six carriages at the time.

For those unable to secure tickets aboard a Flying Scotsman train, the loco can still be seen operating along the line on Saturday (March 8) and Sunday (March 9) from the Overton and Orton Mere stations. Wansford station and the Peterborough station on the Nene Valley line will be open only to people with tickets.

Ticket sales for The Flying Scotsman at Nene Valley Railway and Britannia, which visits on March 15 and 16, will support Nene Valley Railway’s ‘Back on Track’ appeal, which aims to restore a safety net of funding wiped out while the attraction was shut during covid.

This will ensure the heritage railway can keep running into the future, regardless of further unforeseen events.

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