Video: Flying Scotsman's return off until summer next year

PUTTING historic steam locomotive Flying Scotsman back on the rails has been delayed until next year, National Railway Museum bosses said yesterday.

It was hoped to get it back into use this year but the date has now been put back until summer 2011 because of problems uncovered during the restoration process.

Flying Scotsman is at the National Railway Museum workshop in York, where a team of engineers are working on it.

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Last year the museum launched the Steam Our Scotsman appeal with the aim of raising 250,000 to get the famous 4472 train, which was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built at Doncaster works in 1923, back on the tracks.

So far just over 140,000 has been raised and work is ongoing.

Helen Ashby, the museum's head of knowledge and communications, said problems had affected the timetable.

"There's been a series of issues," she said. "Some of the components that we've now had the opportunity to strip and check ready for replacement we've found to be more worn than we anticipated.

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"It's been a lot more replacement and refurbishment work than we thought there would be originally."

She said to get the train tested in spring 2011 and fully in use by the summer of that year was a more "realistic programme".

Engineering and rail operations manager Chris Beet said: "Essentially it's a very big job and very time consuming."