Train Ride

Hello friends. 

Despite the continued rain in many parts of the UK this week, I hope you have all had a good week. If you live in other parts of the world and visit us here, I hope the weather has been better for you, too.

On Wednesday, hubby and I went on a very special train ride, which we had booked a few weeks beforehand.

I had seen an advertisement for tickets to ride on the Flying Scotsman and thought it would be a fun thing for us to do, creating some special memories to share. The locomotive was only in Birmingham for a few days, and so we booked tickets for a ride. 

As it was only a short trip, the outbound journey used a standard diesel locomotive, but the return was pulled by The Flying Scotsman. It was a very popular event, and lots of enthusiasts turned out to enjoy it with us. Ours was the first journey of the day, and to start everything off, we were treated to a piper playing his bagpipes for us.

We all had allocated seats, which made life easier, and everyone was seated in carriages very quickly. Each carriage had its own train steward to assist us and provide necessary information. As we travelled along the tracks, we saw people waving and taking photos as we passed by, an experience for them too. All too soon, we were back at Moor St station, taking our own photos and holding on to the memories of this fantastic day. Even better, it stayed dry for the whole trip!

The Flying Scotsman

The Flying Scotsman, built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in Doncaster, was designed by the British railway engineer Nigel Gresley.

It was built as a long-distance express passenger train. On 30th November 1934, it gained a world record for steam traction by becoming the first locomotive to reach the officially authenticated speed of 100 miles per hour.

It was retired from active regular service in 1963, but it continued to serve on tours and at other events.

When it toured Australia in 1989, it set another record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive at 422 miles.

In 2004, to preserve this wonderful piece of machinery, the locomotive was bought by the National Railway Museum in York so that many more people could enjoy it.

In its centenary year of 2023, a £2 coin featuring The Flying Scotsman was issued. Also, the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, composed a poem about the iconic train, and an all-female crew operated a journey for only the second time in its history.

The Flying Scotsman has also appeared in several television programmes about trains, including guest appearances in the Railway series by Rev. W. E. Awdry's Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. 

One of the specially produced £5 coins for the 2012 Summer Olympics featured The Flying Scotsman on the reverse.

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Both hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed our short journey on this famous locomotive and were glad we had the experience. Steam engines are wonderful pieces of engineering and bring back memories of a bygone age. 

If you have a fun event to look forward to this week, I hope the weather stays dry, and you have a great time. If it is another ordinary week, I hope there's something to make you smile, too.

Thinking of all the friends who visit D and me here. Thank you all.

B and D xx