Latest news with #SirNigelGresley
BBC News
04-07-2025
- BBC News
Flying Scotsman: 'iconic' locomotive arrives in Somerset
An "iconic" locomotive has arrived on the West Somerset Railway for the Flying Scotsman pulled into Somerset on Saturday and will stay until 14 July, running services between Bishops Lydeard and was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and performed the first ever non-stop London to Edinburgh trip in 1928, cutting the journey time to eight hoursDriver, Stuart Nelhams, said: "It's always a special day to be driving steam locomotives but especially to get on one that is considered a national icon. It's become a bit of a pop star, people seem to know the name." Kerry Noble, general manager at the West Somerset Railway, added: "It's great to have it here. It's a very iconic locomotive so it comes with a lot of additional requirements. It's a massive amount of work for the railway."We are more than aware of the cost of living at the moment, so we have tried our best to create many opportunities for everyone to see the Flying Scotsman to suit all budget types." It is visiting the area on a tour of the UK's heritage railways to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the modern are being held all year as part of Railway 200 to mark the anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September Somerset Railway last hosted the Flying Scotsman in West Somerset Railway stations will be closed to the public for the duration of the operating days of the Flying Scotsman, with access to Minehead or Bishops Lydeard by ticket only.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Flying Scotsman to appear at Greatest Gathering event
Flying Scotsman will appear at the world's largest gathering of historic and modern railway vehicles in August. Train manufacturer Alstom announced that the locomotive will be part of the Greatest Gathering event at its factory in Derby. Up to 30,000 people are expected to attend the event, which runs from August 1-3. An additional 2,500 tickets for each day will be available from 9am on Friday. Flying Scotsman was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built in Doncaster. Its achievements include hauling the inaugural non-stop London to Edinburgh train service in 1928, and becoming the UK's first locomotive to reach 100mph six years later. Rob Whyte, managing director at Alstom UK and Ireland, said: 'Flying Scotsman's attendance is a powerful tribute to Britain's steam legacy and a moment of railway history not to be missed. 'While we proudly honour icons of the past, like Flying Scotsman, we also hope the Greatest Gathering will ignite the imagination of tomorrow's engineers, as we showcase the latest sustainable and digital rail innovations across our Derby site.' Craig Bentley, director of the National Railway Museum, which owns Flying Scotsman, said: 'Flying Scotsman has captured the public's imagination for over a century. 'We are proud to be able to share this icon of the track, along with other historically significant locomotives from the national collection, at this landmark event.' More than 50 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways will be on display, featuring a combination of those powered by steam, diesel and electricity. This includes the 200-year-old Locomotion No.1, which was the first locomotive to run on the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) line in north-east England. The Greatest Gathering forms part of Britain's wider Railway 200 festivities. The industry is engaging in a year-long celebration to mark the opening of the S&DR on September 27 1825, which is credited as being the birth of the modern railway.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Plaque unveiled at Doncaster Station for Flying Scotsman creator
A commemorative plaque has been unveiled to honour the engineer behind some of the world's most famous steam Nigel Gresley designed and built more than 2,000 locomotives, including Flying Scotsman and Godfrey, wo revealed the plaque at Doncaster Station on Thursday, said he was "delighted" to see his grandfather's work recognised."His most famous locomotives were built here, so there is a very special family connection to Doncaster," he said. Born in Edinburgh in 1876, Sir Nigel moved to Doncaster in 1905 to work as a carriage and wagon superintendent and then as a locomotive engineer for Great Northern Railway before moving to London in same year Flying Scotsman was built at the LNER works in Doncaster to Sir Nigel's design and used to pull an express service along the east coast main line between London and Edinburgh.15 years later another of Sir Nigel's most famous locomotives, Mallard, was built at the Doncaster Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works. It still holds the record for the world's fastest steam locomotive after it reached 126mph in 1938. Mayor Ros Jones said: "Doncaster has a proud connection to the railway industry, and this is another splendid acknowledgment to a man who gave so much to our city."It will be a lasting reminder and attraction, to those who live in and visit Doncaster, of his ongoing influence."Linda Wain, engineering director at LNER, said Mr Gresley's legacy was "deeply woven" into Doncaster and the railway plaque and information board at Doncaster Station is close to an existing display which features the names of locomotives built in the nearby Nigel died at home unexpectedly in 1941, aged 65, while still working for LNER. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK's largest gathering of historic railway vehicles planned
The UK's largest gathering of historic railway vehicles will take place in the summer to mark the 200th anniversary of the world's first passenger train service. Train manufacturer Alstom announced its factory in Derby will open to the public for the first time in more than half a century to host the Greatest Gathering event between August 1 and 3. More than 50 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways will be on display, featuring a combination of those powered by steam, diesel and electricity. The historic locomotives include: – LNER Class A4 Sir Nigel Gresley, built in 1937. – Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class British India Line, built in 1945. – Class 37 Cassiopeia, built in 1963. Up to 30,000 people are expected to attend the three-day event, which will form part of the wider Railway 200 festivities. The industry is embarking on a year-long celebration named Railway 200 to mark the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in north-east England on September 27 1825, which is credited as being the birth of the modern railway. Alstom's Europe region president Gian Luca Erbacci said: 'The Greatest Gathering, presented by Alstom for Railway 200, is a unique opportunity to celebrate not only the incredible progress of the past two centuries but also the bright future of rail. 'This event is about bringing people together to reflect on what we've achieved collectively and to inspire the next generation to push the boundaries of what's possible in sustainable transport.' Tickets go on sale from 9am on Friday at with all profits split between five charities. Meanwhile, operator Avanti West Coast announced it will make another attempt at the fastest train journey between London and Glasgow. The record of three hours, 52 minutes and 40 seconds was set by a British Rail prototype Advanced Passenger Train in December 1984, which was allowed to travel in excess of today's mainline speed limit of 125mph. A first attempt by Avanti West Coast to break the record in June 2021 failed by 21 seconds. The operator will make another bid in the spring, with a Pendolino train renumbered 390200 for Railway 200.
