Previous Updates (in ascending order)
UPDATE (04/04/2026) – Flying Scotsman is to be joined by another famous steam locomotive on the Great Central Railway (GCR) in May; LNER A1 No. 60163 Tornado. Both locomotives will share the workload at GCR’s Ruddington station, taking turns on static display, footplate visits and hauling return trains to Loughborough on the northern section (9 miles) of GCR’s, soon to be reunified, railway. The setup is a little complex; all this takes place on the GCR heritage railway track, but all references to Flying Scotsman on the GCR website have disappeared. These events are promoted and ticketed as Fox & Edwards Events. The route is a little complex too. As I understand it, the trains will pull out of the station spur and join the track facing north. Then they’ll reverse down the track to the end before running back up the track, passing the spur, and ending on the outskirts of Loughborough. Then it’s a reverse back down and into the station.
On the 16/17 May, the station will be hosting a model railway exhibition, with Flying Scotsman on static display and Tornado hauling trains.
LATEST UPDATE – 06/03/2026: Flying Scotsman will be visiting Swanage Railway for ten days in October as part of their 50th Anniversary celebrations. During her stay she’ll be on static display and hauling trains on their 5½ miles of track between Norden and Swanage.
UPDATE – 06/02/2026: Astonishing! The National Railway Museum (Flying Scotsman’s owner) has finally got around to updating its Flying Scotsman pages on its website! They are announcing lots of activity in her schedule… nearly all of which we have known since mid-December 2025. It’s more of a ‘filling in the gaps’ update; the only thing we didn’t already know were the dates she’ll be on static display at the NRM York and her annual summer visit to Shildon, where she’ll no doubt be tootling up and down their 0.6 mile track.
There is one mystery. The footplate visits at Ruddington on 20th, 21st, 26th, 27th and 28th May, seems to have slipped off the Great Central Railway website. In fact all references to Flying Scotsman have disappeared. Investigation needed!
UPDATE – 20/01/2026: Just Go Holidays (JGH) are selling 2-day coach tours in June combining a ride behind Flying Scotsman on the East Lancashire heritage Railway on Day 1, and a visit to Liverpool on Day 2. Guests can experience the ELC’s 75-min round trip excursion on 6th, 12th & 14th June.
UPDATE – 13/01/2026: Vintage Trains have added a repeat of their booked out Valentine Day ‘Shakespeare Express’ mainline excursions (Birmingham – Stratford), a week later on 21 Feb.
UPDATE – 10/01/2026: Another heritage line visit. Flying Scotsman will be at the Watercress Line in Hampshire between 10-21 March for a mixture of static display days and excursions on their 10-mile track. Tickets are available, but as usual, you’ll need to be quick!
UPDATE – 23/12/2025: Flying Scotsman is headed for the East Lancashire Railway in June, where she will be on static display on seven days and hauling trains on their 8-mile track from Bury station to Rawtenstall station on five days. There are tickets for both events available right now, but you know the deal! They’ll be snapped up quick!
UPDATE – 19/12/2025: Good grief! Some mainline action!
Vintage Trains is taking her out for a spin in February, hauling a trainset of luxury Pullman coaches. Operating from Birmingham, there will be three Valentine’s Day (14 Feb) short trips to Stratford-upon-Avon.
Then at half-term (18, 19 & 20 Feb) they will run 1-hr Flying Scotsman mainline ‘experiences’ from Birmingham Moore Street… except FS will only haul the 30-min return journey. My guess is, that there is no loop or turntable available, so the diesel attached to the other end of the train (there’s always a diesel in case of breakdown) will haul the train outbound, then FS will haul it back to Moore St.
And there’s more…
Flying Scotsman will be visiting the Great Central Railway (GCR) in May.
The Great Central heritage railway runs steam and diesel trains on 7¾ miles of track between Loughborough Central Station and Leicester North Station. However their great Reunification project will connect that track to the rest of the Great Central line to the north, which will add a further 9 miles up to the Rushcliffe country park, outside Ruddington.
According to GCR, Flying Scotsman will haul services on the heritage line on the 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th and 31st May 2026. And then on the 20th, 21st, 26th, 27th and 28th May, she’ll be on static display at Ruddington for footplate visits.
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