The original Flying Scotsman was built in 1923

The 80-year-old steam-driven machine is up for sale after delays in building an Edinburgh visitor centre for it.

A group of enthusiasts from Berwick, in Northumberland, say they want to bring it to a museum in the town.

The National Railway Museum in York is also to prepare a bid, and two bidders from the US have already expressed an interest in the locomotive.

One of those behind the ambitious plans to bring it to Berwick is architect Philip Miller who admits they are facing stiff competition.

He said they are not looking to own it themselves but are looking for a partnership with a buyer to bring it to Berwick.

They have also been talking to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Pull trains

He said if they could bring the locomotive to Berwick it would mean the same kind of tourist boost as the opening of Alnwick Gardens.

He said: "Berwick needs a major tourist attraction and we think that the Flying Scotsman would be the ideal thing to build it around."

Berwick stands on one of the most scenic stretches of the East Coast Mainline route.

Mr Miller said the idea would be to build a museum for the Flying Scotsman but that it would also still be operational.

He said: "We don't want to see it put in a museum and fossilised, we want to see it out working. Its home would be in Berwick but it would be out some of the year pulling trains."