YP Letters: Why is Flying Scotsman hidden away by railway museum?

The Flying Scotsman crossed Ribblehead Viaduct last March.

I VISITED the National Railway Museum in York on New Year’s Eve. Always a pleasure. However, I was shocked to discover that one of the most loved and revered engines of our rail heritage, the Flying Scotsman, was hidden away in a corner of the Great Hall, sandwiched between two other locomotives which partially obscured it from view.

The Flying Scotsman is a wonderful steam locomotive, locally built in Doncaster in 1923, a testament to Yorkshire engineering skills, and the flagship of LNER.

The locomotive achieved world speed records in excess of 100mph and, following its retirement from service in 1963, it toured the world, becoming one of the most popular and best known steam engines.

It was bought by the National Rail Museum in 2004 with funds which included £70,000 raised by The Yorkshire Post, narrowly avoiding being broken up after a period of valiant but ultimately failed private ownership. In 2016 the Flying Scotsman emerged from a major overhaul spanning 10 years. The cost estimates for the necessary repairs were initially vastly under-estimated by the museum but, despite many problems, the refurbishment  was finally completed at a total cost of £4.5m raised from many sources, including public donations.

The restoration of the Flying Scotsman is a remarkable achievement and should be heralded by all. So why then is this magnificent engine hidden away in a corner? It is nothing short of an outrage and I hope this letter will instigate an immediate remedy, if not an investigation into why this situation arose in the first place.

My visit to the NRM was intended to be a little treat for my 88-year-old father, visiting from Scotland, and one of the restoration appeal’s donors.

He contributed a modest sum but gave nevertheless, making him a stakeholder. Imagine his disappointment not being able to clearly see the engine now rebuilt and restored to its former glory?

I did hear it mentioned that the Flying Scotsman had been shoved into the corner temporarily, rather than  being given pride of place on the Great Hall’s turntable, in deference to a visiting exhibition soon to arrive at the museum. Could this be correct? If so, shame on you all at the NRM.

I do hope the NRM management will take  immediate action and reposition the engine so that it can be  properly enjoyed and viewed without impediment by all  who visit.