The National Railway Museum is to host the launch of Flying Scotsman in America, written by Richard Hinchcliffe and Bill Wagner.
The event will start with a Yorkshire Afternoon Tea, followed by a presentation by Richard Hinchcliffe telling how Flying Scotsman’s tour of America came about, how Richard and his family were involved, and what happened to him, Flying Scotsman, his mother and father and other characters on the tour.
Flying Scotsman in America is the untold story of Flying Scotsman’s 1970 tour of America from Texas to Wisconsin and into Canada. It hauled a trade mission along the eastern seaboard in 1969 — good for British business, but bad for the finances of the owner Alan Pegler, who had saved the Flying Scotsman from being scrapped. In 1970 the train set off again, this time without the trade mission, calling at smaller venues, travelling on the cheapest tracks and meeting thousands of people along the way.
Museum curator Bob Gwynne will then lead a discussion with Richard about his memories from the tour.
At 15.45, visitors will be taken to The Flying Scotsman Story where you can get into the cab and look around the centenary exhibition 100 Years, 100 Voices.
Visitors may buy their tickets before Monday 17 April from the Museum’s website.
The event forms part of the Museum’s celebration of the centenary of the iconic train.
Responses
As important as Flying Scotsman maybe, a true enthusiast might be more interested in Sir Nigel Greeley’s place in railway locomotive history.The locomotive was only 1 of a type of several classes of locomotives Mr Gresley designed.
Frankly, there is too much dwelling on the hero worship of a single locomotive, which approach is not helpful, necessarily, in appraising British steam locomotive history.