Flying Scotsman centenary: When you can see famous locomotive in Portsmouth on 2023 birthday tour

Marking 100 years since it was built, The Flying Scotsman will be visiting stations and heritage railways across the UK as part of the celebrations this summer. The Pacific class engine, owned by the National Railway Museum in York, is set to pull a special charter train, The Portsmouth Flyer.

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Railway enthusiasts will get to see The Flying Scotsman along several stops on June 17. It will set off from London Victoria and will head to Portsmouth Harbour while passing Staines, Woking, Guildford, Haslemere Water, Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea stations.

The return journey will see the engine visit Fareham, Southampton, Romsey, Laverstock, Andover and Basingstoke, before retracing its steps through Woking and Staines to reach London Victoria. It has been organised by the Railway Touring Company.

The Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works. She was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley as part of the A1 class – considered the most powerful locomotives used on the railway.

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The steam engine was used by LNER for long distance express routes. She is best known for her long-running daily commutes on the 10am service from London to Edinburgh. This was known as the Flying Scotsman service, after her name.

She ran on the route for 62 years. The Flying Scotsman was the first steam locomotive to record speeds of 100mph in the UK on November 30, 1934, and holds another record for the longest non-stop run – 441 miles August 8, 1989, in Australia.

The Royal Mint has launched collectable £2 coins to celebrate the centenary. Some types of the currency will have coloured graphics of the locomotive.

The inscription of the coins will read: ‘Live for the journey’. They are available to buy from the Royal Mint’s website and have been created in collaboration with the National Railway Museum.

Colours on the coin are inspired by the Flying Scotsman’s LNER Locomotive Green livery, also known as Apple Green. Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at the Royal Mint said: ‘Flying Scotsman is a wonderful example of British craftsmanship, design and engineering, which led to the creation of one of the world’s most famous locomotives.

‘While The Royal Mint’s expertise and craftsmanship is closely linked with precious metals, it was important for us to highlight the skill and engineering behind the locomotive as part of the coin’s design to mark its milestone centenary.’