The Flying Scotsman at King's Cross

 I don't have any particular interest in trains or the history of railways, but when I read that the Flying Scotsman steam train was at London's King's Cross station for a weekend, I went to have a look. 

The locomotive or steam train was in London for the weekend of 15-16 October 2022. This weekend marks the 170th anniversary of King’s Cross station. The station first opened its doors to rail passengers on 14th October 1852. It is also coming up to the 100th anniversary of the Flying Scotsman that was built in 1923. It was the first locomotive for the newly formed LNER (London and North Eastern Railway). Its name was given in 1924 when it was selected to appear at the British Empire Exhibition in London and named after the daily 10 am London to Edinburgh rail service.

The locomotive was in service until 1963. It was then privately owned until it was bought by the National Railway Museum in 2004 for £2.3 million after a major fundraising campaign to save it for the nation. I visited this museum in York in 1967, before the Flying Scotsman was owned by them. After about 10 years of renovation, the Flying Scotsman now does heritage train trips.

At King's Cross I was only able to see it from a distance, as you had to buy a ticket to get up close (in any case the tickets were all sold out). I could smell the steam as soon as I entered the station, and whilst I was there, there were occasional blasts from the engine letting off steam.

Nearby in the station there were stalls selling souvenirs of the Flying Scotsman. 

This weekend is just the start of the Centenary Programme which last until Nov 2023.