Quiz, myth or fact, and the year dial
Test yourself. Every answer comes with its source.
How to play. Pick an answer and the fact behind it appears, with a link to where it comes from. Without JavaScript, open “Show the answer” under each question.
The Flying Scotsman quiz
1 Where was Flying Scotsman built?
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Doncaster. Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 at Doncaster Works, and it cost £7,944. NRM
2 What was its first number, in 1923?
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1472. The National Railway Museum’s history page says it went into service on 24 February 1923, numbered 1472. NRM
3 What was special about the tender it was given in 1928?
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It had a corridor through it. In 1928 it was given a new tender with a corridor, so a fresh crew could take over without the train stopping. NRM
4 When did it haul the first non-stop London to Edinburgh service?
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1 May 1928. On 1 May 1928 it hauled the first ever non-stop London to Edinburgh service, cutting the journey to eight hours. NRM
5 What speed did it reach on a test run in 1934?
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100mph. In 1934 it was clocked at 100mph on a special test run, officially the first locomotive in the UK to reach that speed. NRM
6 What number did British Railways give it?
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60103. British Railways was formed in 1948, and Scotsman, now number 60103, was painted blue for a time, then BR Green. NRM
7 Who bought it from British Railways in January 1963?
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Alan Pegler. In January 1963 Alan Pegler bought Flying Scotsman, with a complete overhaul as part of the deal. NRM
8 How far did it run non-stop in Australia in 1989?
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422 miles. In 1989, in Australia, it set the world record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive: 422 miles. NRM
9 Who designed it?
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Sir Nigel Gresley. It was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley as one of his A1 class, the most powerful locomotives the LNER had at the time. NRM
10 Which locomotive holds the world speed record for steam?
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Mallard. The A4 locomotive Mallard set the world speed record for steam, 126mph, on 3 July 1938, and that record still stands. NRM, Mallard
11 What did the Royal Mint make for its centenary?
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A £2 coin. For the centenary the Royal Mint made a £2 coin showing Flying Scotsman in colour. NRM, 2023
12 Who owns Flying Scotsman today?
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The National Railway Museum. Today it is owned by the National Railway Museum in York, and operated and maintained by Riley & Son (E) Ltd of Heywood, Greater Manchester. NRM, 2023
Myth or fact?
Eight statements. Some are true, some are myths.
1 Flying Scotsman was the first locomotive of the newly formed LNER.
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Fact. It was the first locomotive of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway, the LNER. NRM
2 Flying Scotsman was named after a train service.
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Fact. The name came from the daily 10.00 train from London to Edinburgh, a service that started in 1862. NRM
3 Flying Scotsman holds the world speed record for steam.
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Myth. The A4 locomotive Mallard set the world speed record for steam, 126mph, on 3 July 1938, and that record still stands. NRM, Mallard
4 Flying Scotsman once ran 422 miles without stopping.
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Fact. In 1989, in Australia, it set the world record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive: 422 miles. NRM
5 It cost more than £1 million to build in 1923.
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Myth. Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 at Doncaster Works, and it cost £7,944. NRM
6 It starred in a film in 1929.
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Fact. It starred in British cinema’s first ‘talkie’, in 1929. NRM blog, 2016
7 It has never left Britain.
8 Its 2006 to 2016 restoration cost more than £4 million.
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Fact. In September 2016 the National Railway Museum put the full and final cost of the restoration at £4,537,892. NRM, 2016
The year dial
Pick a year to see what Flying Scotsman was doing, with its number and colours where our sources give them. Without JavaScript, every period is listed below.
1928
1923: No. 1472, in Apple Green
The National Railway Museum’s history page says it went into service on 24 February 1923, numbered 1472. NRM
LNER passenger locomotives had always been painted Apple Green. NRM
1924 to 1938: No. 4472, Flying Scotsman
By 1924, picked to appear at the British Empire Exhibition in London, it had been renumbered 4472 and named Flying Scotsman. NRM
On 1 May 1928 it hauled the first ever non-stop London to Edinburgh service, cutting the journey to eight hours. NRM
In 1934 it was clocked at 100mph on a special test run, officially the first locomotive in the UK to reach that speed. NRM
The Second World War: wartime black
In the Second World War it was painted wartime black, like all railway stock. NRM
After the war: green again, and rebuilt
After the war it was green again and was rebuilt as an A3 Pacific. NRM
The National Railway Museum dates its conversion to the A3 class to 1947. NRM, 2023
1948 to 1962: No. 60103, British Railways
British Railways was formed in 1948, and Scotsman, now number 60103, was painted blue for a time, then BR Green. NRM
1963 to 1968: privately owned, back in LNER colours
In January 1963 Alan Pegler bought Flying Scotsman, with a complete overhaul as part of the deal. NRM
It was changed back to a single chimney and painted in LNER colours again, with a corridor tender and permission to run on the main line. NRM
In May 1968, 40 years after the first non-stop run, it ran non-stop from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh again. NRM
1969 to 1973: the North American tour
In 1969 it went to the United States on a tour meant to promote British exports. NRM
A 1971 colour photograph in the Science Museum Group Collection shows 4472 in the United States. Science Museum Group
In 1973 William McAlpine heard what had happened, paid off the creditors, bought the locomotive and brought it home. NRM
1974 to 1995: rescued, and round the world
McAlpine had it restored at Derby Works and kept it running for 23 years, overhauling it thoroughly twice. NRM
It toured Australia in 1988 and 1989. BBC, 2023
In 1989, in Australia, it set the world record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive: 422 miles. NRM
1996 to 2003: a new owner
In February 1996 businessman Tony Marchington bought it outright for £1.25 million. NRM
2004 to 2015: saved for the nation, and rebuilt
In 2004 another crisis over who owned it led to a campaign, spearheaded by the National Railway Museum, to save it for the nation. NRM
From 2006 it went through a long restoration in the workshop of Riley & Son (E) Ltd. NRM
The work was meant to finish in 2011 but was delayed when cracks were found in the chassis. BBC, 2016
2016 to 2022: back on the main line as 60103
Still in black paint, it made test runs in Lancashire and Cumbria in January and February 2016. BBC, 2016
The project was completed in 2016, with the locomotive in BR Green as 60103, at a cost given as £4.2m. NRM
2023 onwards: the centenary, and today
The National Railway Museum celebrated its 100th birthday on 24 February 2023. NRM, 2023
On 12 June 2023, in its centenary year, it hauled the Royal Train into Pickering, with King Charles III aboard, on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. NRM, 2023
Today it is owned by the National Railway Museum in York, and operated and maintained by Riley & Son (E) Ltd of Heywood, Greater Manchester. NRM, 2023
Our own grouping of the sourced facts into periods. The years of the Second World War are general knowledge, not from our sources.