2016

SD8010 : Flying Scotsman Test Running at Bolton Street Station January 2016

taken 8 years ago, near to Fishpool, Bury, England

Flying Scotsman Test Running at Bolton Street Station January 2016
Flying Scotsman Test Running at Bolton Street Station January 2016
Britain’s (and probably the World’s) most famous locomotive, the LNER Class A3 Pacific steam locomotive No 4472/60103 Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of HN Gresley. It was employed on long-distance express trains on the LNER and its successors, British Railways Eastern and North-Eastern Regions, notably on the London to Edinburgh Flying Scotsman train service after which it was named.

The locomotive become the first steam locomotive to be officially authenticated at reaching 100 miles per hour in November 1934 and set a record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive when it ran 422 miles in August 1989 while in Australia. It was retired from regular service in 1963.

During its working life, the Flying Scotsman carried five different numbers. Originally built in 1923, it initially carrying the Great Northern Railway number 1472 which it carried for a short period before being renumbered 4472 by LNER in time for its appearance at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924. It was renumbered twice during the war; it became No. 502 in January 1946 but in May the same year its number was changed again to become No. 103. Following nationalisation of the railways the Flying Scotsman became 60103 in December 1948. During the test running in January 2016 following its restoration, the locomotive was presented in its wartime black livery and carried three of these numbers. 103 on the left hand side, 502 on the right hand side and 60103 on the front.

See other images of 60103 The Flying Scotsman
Flying Scotsman Return to Steam 2016

January 2016 saw the famous steam locomotive Flying Scotsman returned to the tracks for its first public appearances in steam for more than a decade.

The locomotive made its first test runs on 8th January 2016 following a £4.2m restoration project. One of the world’s most iconic railway locomotives, the Scotsman has been restored for York’s National Railway Museum (NRM) in a shed in Bury by specialist Bury-based engineering firm Riley & Son Ltd (LinkExternal link Manchester Evening News photos of the restoration). The Scotsman made a number of runs under full steam between the East Lancashire Railway stations in Bury and Heywood ahead of two full weekend of events on the East Lancashire Railway LinkExternal link (Scotsman in Steam).

The locomotive was in its wartime livery of black, rather than its famous green. After the test runs and Scotsman in Steam weekends, Flying Scotsman is scheduled to return to the Bury workshop where it was restored to be transformed by Blackburn-based firm Heritage Painting into its famous British Rail green livery ahead of a full mainline run between Manchester and Carlisle later in January and a “welcome home event” at the National Railway Museum in York in late February. The locomotive’s return to the NRM will then kick off the ‘Scotsman season’ during its birthday month - the engine was built at Doncaster and completed in February 1923.

Postscript: The Flying Scotsman returned to the East Lancashire Railway (wearing its Brunswick green livery) in October when it operated the Bury to Rawtenstall service for four days between Thursday 13th and Sunday 16th October.

Flying Scotsman 2016 Programme LinkExternal link National Railway Museum

The East Lancashire Railway (ELR)

The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is a heritage railway based in Bury. It is currently (as at July 2022) operating between Rawtenstall and Heywood, with intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street, Burrs Country Park, Summerseat, Ramsbottom and Irwell Vale, respectively.

The original East Lancashire Railway LinkExternal link opened in 1844, beginning as a railway from Clifton via Bury to Rawtenstall. It was later amalgamated with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Parts of the network remain in use today, and the section of the original line between Bury and Rawtenstall is now operated by the heritage railway.

After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat was reopened on 25 July 1987 as a new heritage railway. In 1991 the service was extended northwards from Ramsbottom to reach Rawtenstall, via Irwell Vale and in 2003 an eastbound extension from Bury to Heywood was re-opened. To reach Heywood the extension had to cross over the Metrolink line to Bury, at the site of the former Bury Knowsley Street station. This necessitated the construction of a new intersection bridge, with steeply graded approaches of 1 in 36 and 1 in 41 nicknamed 'The Ski Jump'. The heritage line is now just over 12 miles long, and has a mainline connection with the national railway network at Castleton, just beyond Heywood. The ELR plans to extend the running line further into Castleton in the future, to where a new (and separate) platform named "Castleton Village" will be constructed adjacent to the main station itself (LinkExternal link Manchester Evening News).

The railway is run by volunteer members from the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society (ELRPS). The railway is well known for its collection of diesel locomotives which reside on the railway, along with over 140 carriages, wagons and utility vehicles. It is open every weekend of the year and holds a number of themed events and galas throughout the year which include steam and diesel events amongst others, and also offers driver experience courses.

LinkExternal link East Lancashire Railway Website


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SD8010, 1716 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
David Dixon   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Friday, 8 January, 2016   (more nearby)
Submitted
Friday, 8 January, 2016
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 801 106 [100m precision]
WGS84: 53:35.5120N 2:18.0908W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 801 106
View Direction
NORTH (about 0 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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