When Flying Scotsman was purchased by the National Railway Museum in 2004, it was 81 years old, and had travelled well over 2,430,000 miles under her own steam. It had been overhauled and repaired many times in its long working life, and, by 2006, was once more in need of a heavy overhaul.
In the workshop
In our own workshop, Scotsman was carefully dismantled over several months, and each of her thousands of components were examined and checked for wear. Steam engines are subject to many stresses and strains in operation, and some parts need to be replaced regularly to ensure that the engine runs smoothly and safely.
As Flying Scotsman was taken to pieces, it became clear that many of its components had suffered wear or damage.
Our engineers realised that the overhaul would in fact be a full-scale restoration project.
The boiler
Early on, it became clear that the A4 boiler carried by Scotsman since the 1970s needed a great deal of repair work. But there was a spare A3 boiler – originally from 60041 sister locomotive Salmon Trout – which had been used from time to time. We decided that we'd repair and use this, and sell the A4 boiler.
So the spare A3 boiler went for repair at Ian Riley and Son's workshop in Bury, Lancashire, and a complete rebuild began there. The boiler was given a new firebox with a copper inner skin, and the rivets and steam tubes were replaced.
Back here, the engine was stripped down to the bare frames. Every single component was removed and cleaned. Many items needed replacing, such as the bearings on the wheels and much of the engine’s pipework. The loco was given a new dual braking system, with air brakes for the mainline and vacuum brakes for heritage railways.
Final stretch
The overhaul has been carried out to the very highest standards – meeting not just mainline running requirements, but also the highest quality expected of a museum restoration.
When the overhaul is complete this year, Flying Scotsman will be in the very best condition – as good as the day it left the Doncaster works in 1923.