Legendary steam train 'Flying Scotsman' returns in UK
FEB
26
2016
0
UK: The Flying Scotsman, a steam locomotive seen as a jewel of British industrial heritage, left King's Cross Station in London Thursday on its first official journey after a 10-year restoration project.
Pulling away in plume of white steam, the 97-tonne green engine pulled out at 0740 GMT with some 300 passengers on board to applause from a crowd of enthusiasts who had come to witness its rebirth.
The Flying Scotsman is set to arrive at 1230 GMT in York, a historic city some 280 kilometres (175 miles) north of London, before heading to the city's National Railway Museum where it will stay until the beginning of March.
The train will then spend the coming months on tourist trips and featuring in exhibitions.
Restoring the famous engine cost around £4.2 million (5.3 million euros, $5.8 million). Thursday sees the locomotive's first official outing since it returned to the rails last January in Bury, northwest England, for a series of tests. "It's a historic day," said Paul Kirkman, director of the National Railway Museum.
- AFP
