Scotlands Railway saw a return visit from the world-famous, 60103 Flying Scotsman on Monday the 3rd of July, marking its second visit this year following a visit to Edinburgh Waverley on the 24th of February to celebrate her 100th birthday.

This latest visit saw the well-loved locomotive visit Aberdeen for the first time since 1964 with the journey starting at Edinburgh Waverley at 9.41am, before crossing the iconic Forth Bridge and heading north to the Granite City.

The Railway Touring Company hosted the rail tour, which saw a round trip enjoyed by hundreds of passengers as Flying Scotsman travelled from London Kings Cross to Aberdeen.

The much-celebrated locomotive also paid a visit to Ferryhill Railway Heritage Trust in Aberdeen in order to make use of its recently restored turntable in order for the turnaround for the return leg of the journey.

Those visiting the heritage centre got the amazing opportunity to see the locomotive, which is almost 100 tonnes in weight, being turned 180 degrees from a safe location.

Flying Scotsman has a full itinerary this year in order to celebrate her centenary, including excursions and exhibitions, to find out more, click here.

Due to the popularity of Flying Scotsman, Network Rail is also reminding those heading out to see the famous locomotive of the importance of staying safe, as regular train services will be operating as usual on the rail network at speed and therefore it is important to:

• Never trespass on the railway.
• Always watch from a safe location.
• Always stay behind the yellow line on the platforms.
• Follow instructions from railway staff and Police officers.
• Remain aware of your surroundings and keep back from the platform edge.

Alan Ross, Director of Engineering and Asset Management for Scotland’s Railway, said: “It’s been a pleasure to see Flying Scotsman on Scotland’s Railway doing what it’s done best for a century – hauling passenger trains at speed along the East Coast Main Line.”

“The world’s most famous locomotive always draws a crowd and we’re already looking forward to the next visit. A huge thanks and well done to all railway staff involved in the visit, who’ve worked hard to make it a success and keep trains running on time.”

Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, Flying Scotsman was built at Doncaster in 1923 and was officially the very first steam locomotive to achieve 100mph. The locomotive gained its well-known name because of her continued service on the ‘Flying Scotsman’ service. 1963 saw the icon of steam move into preservation and is now owned by the National Railway Museum and operated by Riley & Son (E) Ltd.

Flying Scotsman’s centenary programme has been made possible thanks to support from Hornby, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.