Legendary Flying Scotsman returns to heritage line

The world's most famous steam locomotive is set to begin a visit hauling trains on a preserved railway line in Hampshire.

The Flying Scotsman, which recently celebrated its 103rd birthday, is operating along the Watercress Line which runs between Alton and Alresford.

The heritage railway is staging a number of excursions through the Hampshire countryside on trains pulled by the legendary engine until 21 March.

Rebecca Dalley, chief executive of the heritage railway, said she was "absolutely delighted" about the visit.

The loco last visited the Watercress Line in 2020 just before the Covid lockdown.

The interest and money generated then proved invaluable when the railway had to shut down operations temporarily.

The loco was built in 1923 in Doncaster by the London and North Eastern Railway to pull express trains between London and Scotland.

It was the first steam engine to run non-stop between the two cities in 1928 and was the first steam engine to officially reach 100mph.

Flying Scotsman was withdrawn from service in 1963.

It later became the first steam engine to circumnavigate the globe and made the longest non-stop run in 1989.

It was finally bought by the National Railway Museum in York in 2004 and after a £4.2m restoration project returned to the rails in 2016.

Dalley said: "We are absolutely delighted to welcome the legendary Flying Scotsman to The Watercress Line.

"It's a true icon of British and global railway history, and we're thrilled to offer visitors the chance to get up close to this magnificent locomotive."

The line between Alton and Alresford was known as the Watercress Line as it was used to transport watercress from Hampshire farms to sell in London in Victorian times.

It closed in 1973 but was fully reinstated under the Mid-Hants Railway in 1985 and attracts more than 125,000 visitors a year.