There were tense times for railway enthusiasts in early 2004. Flying Scotsman was up for sale and there was a real possibility the locomotive would go to an overseas buyer. But fantastic public support, a donation from Richard Branson and cash from the Heritage Lottery Fund meant the National Railway Museum in York was able to buy the steam locomotive. In the end more than £2m was paid, marking the first time the museum has actually had to bid for and buy a locomotive. What's more Flying Scotsman was in need of major work. The museum did run the locomotive during summer 2004 but the service was plagued with breakdowns. Since then Flying Scotsman has been in the workshops at the NRM being prepared to run between York and Scarborough this summer. So why was so much paid for a locomotive in need of major work? What makes it so special? There's no denying Flying Scotsman is an icon, but why? Get the answersOn Friday 3rd June 2005 the National Railway Museum held a Flying Scotsman Question Time. The event was chaired by BBC Yorkshire's transport correspondent Alan Whitehouse. The event was streamed live on this website, you can listen again to the session in full. | 
