Flying Scotsman 2023: When will the famous steam locomotive visit Yorkshire for its 100th anniversary?

Yorkshire locals will get to see the Flying Scotsman up close at these events organised as part of the famous steam locomotive’s 100-year celebrations from February 10, 2023 to January 2, 2024. From a Virtual Reality experience at the National Railway Museum in York to an excursion tour of The Waverley taking the route from York to Carlisle and back.

The steam locomotive will also be on display at the updated Flying Scotsman Story exhibition in the National Railway Museum, with the engine and tender separated to allow access onto the footplate for everyone. Tickets to see the Flying Scotsman are free and people are advised to book in advance as there are only a limited number of tickets available.

The locomotive was built in Doncaster on February 24, 1923 and will be returning to Yorkshire as part of its 100th anniversary. Here are the events taking place for its centenary celebrations.

Flying Scotsman: 100 Years, 100 Voices

You can explore stories from people whose lives have been positively impacted by the Flying Scotsman, as well as objects from the National Railway Museum (NRM) archive.

To mark a century of its existence, the NRM has created a new exhibition that celebrates a myriad of voices in varying capacities to represent the far-reaching impact of the engine as a lasting testament to its life.

The exhibition will showcase documents, photographs and stories from the museum’s archives as well as from a recent public call-out. A specially commissioned exhibition film will cement the legacy of the locomotive through the lives it touched.

The exhibition has been running from February 10, 2023.

Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever illustration exhibition

This specially commissioned exhibition film will solidify the legacy of the locomotive through the lives it touched.

The original watercolours created for the new Flying Scotsman book were illustrated by Michael Foreman and written by Michael Morpurgo.

They created the children’s book Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever to mark 100 years of Flying Scotsman. It tells the story of Iris, who dreams of being a train driver when she grows up, like her dad, who drives Flying Scotsman.

The event is taking place at Danum Gallery, Library and Museum, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BZ from February 11 to June 17, 2023.

Centenary Celebration

This will be a rare chance to get a glimpse of the Flying Scotsman at the NRM in York, the perfect day out for all ages. The festival event starts on April 1 and ends on April 23, 2023.

It will take place at the museum and tickets are limited so advance booking is recommended. You can buy tickets on the museum’s website. Tickets are free.

Flying Scotsman VR

This virtual reality immersive experience will take you on a journey back in time and around the world following the greatest moments in the locomotive’s 100-year history.

It will celebrate its engineering brilliance and explore the science behind the steam power; the multisensory experience will use cutting-edge technology to bring Flying Scotsman’s stories to life in front of you.

Tickets cost £6 per person and the event will take place from April 1, 2023.

Flying Scotsman at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

This event is a unique five-mile branch line railway set in the heart of West Yorkshire, running heritage steam and diesel trains from the industrial landscape of Keighley to the stunning Bronte Country of Oxenhope.

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is well-known as ‘The Railway Children Line’ since being thrust into the limelight in the 1970s when Lionel Jeffries selected the railway as the backdrop for his adaptation of E. Nesbit’s The Railway Children.

The event will take place from May 1 to May 24, 2023.

Flying Scotsman excursion: Centenary Weekender

This weekend excursion on the Flying Scotsman route will travel from London up to the East Scottish coastline.

Route: London Kings Cross to York to Edinburgh to Aberdeen to Edinburgh and back to York.

Highlights of this excursion include the famous Stoke Bank gradient, traversing the Royal Border bridge in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, the Forth Bridge and a route that follows the East Scottish coastline.

It will take place from June 30 to July 4, 2023.

Flying Scotsman excursion: The Waverley

Route: York to Leeds to Keighley to Skipton to Carlisle and return.

This is part of a summer series from York, Leeds and the Aire Valley travelling over the stunning Settle and Carlisle Railway, one of the most famous railway routes in Britain.

The event will take place on July 9, August 6 and September 10, 2023.

Flying Scotsman excursion: The Hadrian

Route: Derby to York to Leeds to Carlisle to Darlington and return.

The journey begins at Derby, with Flying Scotsman joining at York to pull the train over the beautiful Settle to Carlisle Railway. Passengers will also experience the 183-year-old Tyne Valley Line and speed along the East Coast Main Line.

The event will take place on October 14, 2023.