All aboard,
Mason!
Meet the Flying Scotsman — the most famous steam engine in the world. Spin her round, zoom in on her giant wheels, blow her whistle and take your own guided tour from the smokebox to the secret corridor.
The Flying Scotsman.
Press start, Mason!
Your tour has nine stops. At each one the camera will fly to a different part of the engine and tell you all about it. You can read along, or tap “Read aloud” to hear it.
A hundred years
of adventures.
The Flying Scotsman has been rebuilt, repainted, sold, saved and sent around the world. Here are the big moments, Mason.
- 1923Built at Doncaster to Sir Nigel Gresley's design.
- 1924Named “Flying Scotsman” and shown at the British Empire Exhibition.
- 1928Runs London to Edinburgh without stopping, using the corridor tender.
- 1934First steam engine in Britain officially recorded at 100 mph.
- 1947Rebuilt as an A3 — an even stronger version of the design.
- 1963Retired by British Railways and saved by Alan Pegler.
- 1969Sails to America for a tour of the USA and Canada.
- 1989In Australia, sets a record for the longest non-stop steam run: 422 miles.
- 2004Bought for the nation by the National Railway Museum in York.
- 2016Back in steam after a ten-year restoration.
Were you
listening?
Four questions from the tour. Score: 0 / 4
1. What makes the steam?
The fire heats the water in the boiler, just like a giant kettle.
2. How many wheels are in a “4-6-2”?
4 + 6 + 2 = 12 wheels on the engine (and more on the tender!).
3. What was hidden inside the tender?
A narrow corridor let a fresh crew swap over without stopping.
4. How fast did she go in 1934?
100 mph — the first official 100 mph for a British steam engine.
Mason's
driver's ticket.
Finish all nine stops of the tour to stamp your ticket. Then you can print it out and keep it.
COMPLETE
★
This is an original, simplified 3D model built in code for The Wreck Explorer. It follows the published proportions of the LNER A1/A3 locomotives — 4-6-2 wheel arrangement, 6 ft 8 in driving wheels and a corridor tender — and shows No. 4472 in its famous apple-green LNER look. Shapes, colours and details are artistic, not a measured drawing. The engine is cared for today by the National Railway Museum.