As Flying Scotman's 100 year tour ends - what next?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2023/12/york-museum-carefully-considering-future-operation-of-flying-scotsman.html

York museum ‘carefully considering’ future operation of Flying Scotsman

[Electric train]

The next "big" rail anniversary in the planning stage is 'Rail 200' https://railway200.co.uk/

[grahame]

The next "big" rail anniversary in the planning stage is 'Rail 200' https://railway200.co.uk/

Thank you - I have extended the forum's calendar and added that to the diary.
http://www.passenger.chat/27921

[grahame]

And the results are in with most of our members suggesting that Flying Scotsman should be kept running as a live locomotive with at least some trips on the main line.

Should run lots of mainline tours   - 3 (13.6%)
Should run a few main line tours   - 6 (27.3%)
Should run on heritage line(s)   - 0 (0%)
Should run on heritage line(s) with a few main line trips   - 8 (36.4%)
Should be static in a museum   - 0 (0%)
Should be static with very occasional outings   - 0 (0%)
Should be preserved out of view   - 0 (0%)
Should be sold for private / commercial use   - 0 (0%)
Should be put on a plinth   - 0 (0%)
Should be scrapped with worthwhile bits auctioned off   - 1 (4.5%)
Something else   - 0 (0%)
Don't know   - 0 (0%)
What is "Flying Scotsman"?   - 0 (0%)
Don't care   - 4 (18.2%)

[ChrisB]

url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/flying-scotsman-future-at-risk-amid-concerns-over-its-contract/ar-AA1mhhG2?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=WSEDDB&cvid=c338ad3576b541e4a638bd7209b1a55e&ei=10]From GB^▸ (Great Britain) News via MSN[/url]

Flying Scotsman future at risk amid concerns over its contract

The Flying Scotsman faces an uncertain future as there is nobody currently contracted to look after it next year.

The famous steam train has been looked after by Riley & Son, a Bury-based engineering company, since its return in 2016.

However, concerns are growing over its future as Riley & Son’s contract expires tomorrow, Dec 31, and the National Railway Museum, which owns the Flying Scotsman, has not issued new invitations to tender.

We’ve heard nothing about the future. We’re as much in the dark as everyone else is," Ian Riley, a director of Riley & Son (E) Ltd, told the Sunday Telegraph.

"Our contract finishes on Sunday night and that’s it as far as we know until the new tender documents come out.
"But the NRM^» (National Railway Museum, at York and Shildon - about) haven’t even decided when that will be yet."

He added: "This isn’t an ideal place to be and I don’t know what [the NRM] is thinking."

A spokesman for the museum said: "After the success of Flying Scotsman’s centenary year, and the locomotive’s two popular visits to the NRM, the future operation of Flying Scotsman after this date is being carefully considered."

According to a spokeswoman, the museum would "safeguard the locomotive’s future" and will run into 2024.

But would not provide any kind of timescale of the process.

It has been reported that it took five months between the last invitation to tender being issued and the contract being signed.

Network Rail also requires at least 12 weeks’ notice before steam locomotives can run on the main line.

The future of the Flying Scotsman has already been questioned following a High Court victory for the Office for Rail and Road (ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)).

Despite Riley & Son maintaining the locomotive, West Coast Railways operates it and has refused to fit modern central door locking systems to its fleet of carriages, as required by the ORR.

This means the train is effectively stranded at the National Railway Museum’s Shildon site.