0:00:02 > 0:00:04Flying Scotsman.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06For ten years it's been away,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10undergoing a painstaking £4 million rebuild.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Massive relief. There have been times when you think we'll never finish it.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16For us to work on it, it's quite a privilege.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Dirty, but a privilege.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21The National Railway Museum celebrates with an emotional return
0:00:21 > 0:00:25to the main line and Scotsman speeding home to York.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28She's running like a sewing machine. She's perfect.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30The engine's over 90 now.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Since Scotsman came to life in 1923
0:00:32 > 0:00:35in a South Yorkshire engineering shed,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37this machine has become the stuff of legends.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40It's been a celebrity locomotive more than any other locomotive
0:00:40 > 0:00:43that's ever been constructed in this country.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46The first engine to officially clock 100mph.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Speed. Power. Beauty.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50The first locomotive to run
0:00:50 > 0:00:54a regular nonstop passenger service from London to Edinburgh.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55That's history.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59From 1963, a string of private owners kept Scotsman alive.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I'm not buying it for me, I'm buying it for Britain.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04And its fame took it round the world.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07- TV:- The locomotive has arrived in Australia,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09lashed to the deck of cargo ship.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13In 2004, with the help of countless generous donations,
0:01:13 > 0:01:18the National Railway Museum acquired the weary locomotive for the nation
0:01:18 > 0:01:21and they vowed to return the engine to its former glory.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24We had to finish it, we had to put it back out,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27and it had to be as good as it possibly could be.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Now Scotsman's back on track.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32The legend lives on.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44- TANNOY:- Flying Scotsman is due into the station shortly.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Early January, and the press are gathering at Bury Station
0:01:47 > 0:01:49on the East Lancashire Railway.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Like everyone else, they're clamouring to catch a first glimpse
0:01:52 > 0:01:55of the world's favourite engine after a ten-year absence.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02It'll undertake trial runs on this heritage line
0:02:02 > 0:02:06before, if all goes well, returning to main-line service.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09The engine's custodians, the National Railway Museum,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13are planning a celebratory run from King's Cross to York.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17But before that, it has to prove itself fit enough to make the distance.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20It's been a long time away.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24The Flying Scotsman has travelled many millions of miles
0:02:24 > 0:02:26since it was built in 1923.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28It was very, very worn out.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32And whilst you can patch and mend a steam locomotive,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35there comes a point when you have to literally strip it down
0:02:35 > 0:02:37to every nut, bolt and rivet.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The boiler has been completely refurbished,
0:02:40 > 0:02:45it's the 18th boiler that Flying Scotsman's had in its history.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47The frames have been stripped down and it was discovered
0:02:47 > 0:02:49that part of the frames were damaged,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53so they had to replace the front third of the frames.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56So this all had to be manufactured and assembled
0:02:56 > 0:03:00and lots of testing to make sure that everything is as it should be.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03The engineers step forward to take a bow.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06It's been a long haul to bring Flying Scotsman back to life.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08They've lavished care and attention
0:03:08 > 0:03:12on every single part of this grand old lady of steam.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15It's probably the most extensive restoration of any steam locomotive
0:03:15 > 0:03:17that's been carried out to date.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20The engine was very worn
0:03:20 > 0:03:23when the National Railway Museum took ownership of it
0:03:23 > 0:03:27and basically all the working parts have been renewed.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32For steam enthusiasts,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35these are sights and sounds that stir the blood.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39I'm a grown man and I didn't sleep very well last night,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41such was my excitement.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45And I think it creates that kind of excitement.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48I was very tearful when it pulled into the station this morning,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50to see such a great locomotive back.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54We've not seen her for ten years,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57so we've been starved of this great locomotive
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and I think there's just so much anticipation
0:04:00 > 0:04:02to see it back on our UK rails again.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Speed, power, beauty.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12The press have had their sneak preview.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Tomorrow, the public will get their chance
0:04:14 > 0:04:17to ride behind this national treasure.
0:04:28 > 0:04:324.15 on a bitterly cold Lancashire morning.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35In the yard of Locomotive Engineers Riley and Son,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39they're firing up the engines for the first of two busy weekends
0:04:39 > 0:04:41on the East Lancashire Railway.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Wheels and bearings drink oil straight from the can.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49You can tell it's cold, the oil's crawling out of the bottle.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02It's Jack Johnson's job to put fire in Scotsman's belly.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05At just 18, he's one of the country's youngest main-line firemen,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and there's nowhere else he'd rather be.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Once you've got that steam bug, you've got it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15And this is the icing on the cake, firing the Flying Scotsman.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19To fire it on the main line and to fire it here,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23it's like a childhood dream - that's what I've always wanted to do.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29It's actually back after ten years and it's living again.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31It doesn't deserve to be in a museum,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34it deserves to be out there where everyone can see it.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37I can't wait to get this thing out on the main line.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39It's a beast.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43It's sometimes felt like Scotsman's been dragged
0:05:43 > 0:05:46kicking and screaming back onto the line.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49It's been very stubborn, this engine.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54When I first started back here about a year and a half ago, it was just
0:05:54 > 0:05:58a scattered piece of parts all over the floor like a big jigsaw puzzle.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00We've had to cut the whole entire front end off
0:06:00 > 0:06:03and replace the cylinders and set the frames up
0:06:03 > 0:06:07literally down to thousandths of an inch to keep everything straight and in line,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11it's been very complicated and had to go through a lot of procedures
0:06:11 > 0:06:16and engineering certification to get it to that point.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19With such a radical overhaul, some wonder whether
0:06:19 > 0:06:23much of the original 1923 Scotsman has actually survived.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26The last three-quarters of the frames are definitely original
0:06:26 > 0:06:28and the wheels are all original and the side rods
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and a lot of the parts we've been working on and cleaning up
0:06:31 > 0:06:34have still had the original stamp numbers on it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35The majority of it's original
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and the most important thing is its soul is original.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41No matter how many pieces of material you change in a locomotive
0:06:41 > 0:06:42it'll always be that engine.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49The steam locomotive, in particular, is a piece of metal,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51various different forms, ferrous and non-ferrous,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54but when you put a fire in it, it comes to life
0:06:54 > 0:06:56and it just takes on a whole different nature.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24There's a nagging problem with the brakes, so to be safe,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27they run a second engine on every train, just to assist.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And with every mile that Scotsman chalks up,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32there's a growing confidence.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44- TANNOY:- The 11.30 Flying Scotsman service to Rawtenstall...
0:07:44 > 0:07:46As the passenger trials begin,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50every platform on the East Lancashire Railway is packed.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Fantastic. Tremendous.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Earth-shattering for us.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59But to see it actually appear, there have been tears in the eye.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04We expected a lot of people to come,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07but we didn't expect the numbers that have actually appeared.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08Look over there.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12We expect over 20,000, 25,000 passengers
0:08:12 > 0:08:15to have been on the railway over these two weekends.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19To put that into context, we carried about 160,000 passengers last year.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24This engine seems to cast a spell on people.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27One of the most treasured Scotsman souvenirs
0:08:27 > 0:08:29is a piece of coal from the tender.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33- It's a bit dirty.- No problem, sir, thank you.- 50 pence.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34Give him that big bit.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39BLOWS WHISTLE
0:08:43 > 0:08:44Stay back!
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- Stand back from the train! - Stand back, sir!
0:08:52 > 0:08:54The restoration has called on old skills
0:08:54 > 0:08:56to breathe new life into the engine.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00The loco was not in great condition when we got it,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03so it's taken a lot of engineering challenges
0:09:03 > 0:09:06to get it back up to the standards it needs to be.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Some of the problems are, nowadays, you know, the engineering techniques
0:09:10 > 0:09:14used back in the olden days aren't available any more,
0:09:14 > 0:09:16so it's difficult to find places
0:09:16 > 0:09:18that make the components that you need.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25We have got engineering centres like Ian Riley and Son Engineering,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28who've done the work on this that are training up apprentices
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and, you know, keeping those skills alive.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36And this small Lancashire engineering company is now building
0:09:36 > 0:09:40an international reputation in steam expertise.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42We overhaul steam locomotives for people
0:09:42 > 0:09:45all over the world, really, from the smallest component
0:09:45 > 0:09:48to complete locomotives like Flying Scotsman.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52I think this is the biggest contract we've ever done,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54and if everything goes all right,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56I think it'll be the best one we've ever done.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01There's only two or three companies left in the United Kingdom
0:10:01 > 0:10:04that can carry out this kind of work...
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Riley's being the best, of course!
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Every seat on every train was sold out weeks in advance.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19And whatever their age,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23everyone seems to feel the same about this glorious engine.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28It's brilliant, it's a legend is the Flying Scotsman. Everybody loves it.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Those other great icons of British technology and transport,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35like Concorde and the Queen Mary, they no longer operate
0:10:35 > 0:10:37and you can no longer travel on them.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39You can travel behind the Flying Scotsman
0:10:39 > 0:10:41and that is so important to us.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44There was a train line always went past the park I used to play in,
0:10:44 > 0:10:45football, there was always steam trains.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Used to stop playing football to go and watch the train go past.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Hang on, where are we going now?
0:10:52 > 0:10:57Oh, flippin' Nora, we're in another tunnel!
0:11:00 > 0:11:03When I was in my teens, all my friends had
0:11:03 > 0:11:05pictures of Elvis Presley on their bedroom wall.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08I had a huge poster of the Flying Scotsman,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11and so to be on it today is incredible.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14It was the spaceship of its day.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16It broke the 100-mile record.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20And that's, you know, that's history.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23The passenger trials are a runaway success.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24But in the excitement,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27none of the crew forget exactly why they're doing this.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31In the age of computers and iPads and tablets,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35you need to have some sort of tangible machine
0:11:35 > 0:11:38so that people can see, and the young kids can see.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42This engine will still be running, I hope, well after I'm gone.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45And it was running, you know, well before I was even thought about.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49So, it's important to keep history and the nation's heritage alive,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51for everyone, really.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Over the years, the engine has appeared
0:11:57 > 0:11:59in several different liveries,
0:11:59 > 0:12:05perhaps most familiar in apple green, sporting the number 4472.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Soon, Scotsman will be painted green again, but before that,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13the engine will have to prove itself fit to run on the main line.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24Early February, and Scotsman is finally starting those main-line trials.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28It's pulling some lucky excursion passengers up the steep inclines
0:12:28 > 0:12:30from Lancashire to Cumbria...
0:12:31 > 0:12:34..and then returning on the scenic Settle-Carlisle line.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37It's crucial the engine performs well today,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41with less than three weeks to go before the planned inaugural run.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Veteran driver Ron Smith can finally let the thoroughbred stretch its legs,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52aiming to clock up the maximum allowed - 75mph.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55It's starting to feel a lot like the old days.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13In its heyday, the Flying Scotsman was the very height of glamour.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Passengers enjoyed first-class service and all the mod cons -
0:13:17 > 0:13:21a dining car, a cocktail lounge, even a hairdressing salon.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32Today's Cumbrian Mountain Express offers a glimpse of what rail travel
0:13:32 > 0:13:34must have been like three generations ago.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40It's less of a picnic by the trackside.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Hundreds of steam enthusiasts line the route,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46frozen to the bone, but glued to the view.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48You can't believe the amount of people that are standing
0:13:48 > 0:13:50watching the train come along.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53They must have been standing there for hours, some of them.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Every field seems to have about ten people in it,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58even though it's a cold, wet day in February.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Why would you stand in a field for half an hour
0:14:01 > 0:14:04with a four-year-old child under your umbrella?
0:14:04 > 0:14:05You're trying to get a glimpse
0:14:05 > 0:14:09of this past that created the world we live in now.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14At Carlisle, some have been waiting for hours
0:14:14 > 0:14:17to see Scotsman glide into platform 3.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20It's a reminder of what a draw this black beast can still be.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22You've only got to see all the people
0:14:22 > 0:14:24that were at Carlisle when we ran in.
0:14:24 > 0:14:25I've never seen Carlisle like that, ever,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and we've been into Carlisle with some good engines over the years.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31But I got the shock of my life when I approached Carlisle.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34So that tells you the interest that is there.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38So what it's going to be like on its inaugural run, I do not know.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43Ron's spent his life around steam engines, it's in his family's blood.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45WHISTLE BLOWS
0:14:45 > 0:14:48He started his career while Scotsman was still in service
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and it's not the first time their paths have crossed.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54I've been on the footplate since 1961, July.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58And, actually, I did work on this engine in '62,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01before she went out of traffic in '63.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04And my father and my grandfather were both drivers,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06all on the same engine, worked on it,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08so three of us have now worked on this engine.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12My father always thought A3s were better than anything, really.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14In fact, it's a shame he still isn't here
0:15:14 > 0:15:16because he'd be quite impressed, you know.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Yeah, very proud.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Bit choked, actually.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31The engine's heading south now, towards the Yorkshire Dales,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34on the beautiful Settle-Carlisle line.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Before heading over the Ribblehead Viaduct,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41there's a stop for water at Appleby.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47It's a chance for the engine to take a breather
0:15:47 > 0:15:49and the crew to take stock.
0:15:49 > 0:15:50Today, it's been exceptional.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54In fact, the engine... Well, it is new, it's virtually new,
0:15:54 > 0:15:55and she's rode just like a Rolls-Royce
0:15:55 > 0:15:58coming down the bank at 75mph.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Everything we could have hoped for, you know,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03the engine's performed faultlessly, really.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06You know, we got up to 75mph on the West Coast Main Line,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10which is brilliant, you know, it's kind of the culmination
0:16:10 > 0:16:12of ten years of hard work by a lot of people.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19I've not heard a Pacific sound like this does at the front end
0:16:19 > 0:16:22because she were absolutely just sharp and clear, you know,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25so the valves are absolutely... They're set perfectly.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32There's lots of really lovely engines out there
0:16:32 > 0:16:35that run on this line, you know, at speed.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39But Scotsman evokes memories in a way those don't.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41That means that what we've got on the front of us,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44blowing all this smoke past the window, is a memory machine.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10If you could have a penny for everybody who watched her,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and everybody who took a photograph,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17you could afford to overhaul her, you know, once every two years.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Sir William McAlpine knows all about overhauls.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23He footed the bill for two of them
0:17:23 > 0:17:26during the 23 years he owned Scotsman.
0:17:26 > 0:17:27Sir William bought the engine
0:17:27 > 0:17:31from the previous owner, Alan Pegler, in 1973,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35rescuing it from San Francisco, where it had ground to a halt
0:17:35 > 0:17:38at the end of an ill-fated tour of the States.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40It was an unexpected chance to save Scotsman,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42having to make his mind up straightaway
0:17:42 > 0:17:45or risk the engine never returning.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47It was wham-bang, you know.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50If you want this locomotive, say yes tomorrow.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52I had the money, I had the opportunity
0:17:52 > 0:17:54and there wasn't any time.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57It had to be... It was an instant decision.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00But I thought, "Well, you know, here's a true British icon
0:18:00 > 0:18:04"and I'm not buying it for me, I'm buying it for Britain,"
0:18:04 > 0:18:06and so I said yes.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13I never really felt I owned the engine.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I'll be going along and I'm sitting in the fireman's seat
0:18:16 > 0:18:18and I'm wondering what on earth am I doing here?
0:18:18 > 0:18:21You know, I own this engine, I actually own it,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23but I don't feel I own it.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27I feel I've just got it in trust for the nation.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38She gave so much pleasure to so many people,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40and that was a wonderful feeling.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Not everyone has a full-sized railway in their back garden,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48but Sir William does.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51It's a love of railways that's coloured his life,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54something he believes he shares with the great British public.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Of course, we did invent them and if we hadn't had railways,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01we couldn't have an Industrial Revolution.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Didn't have an Industrial Revolution we'd have never had an empire.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06So, I mean, we owe a lot to railways
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and if you can rescue some of these things,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10it's a wonderful thing to do.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12PEACOCK CALLS
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Definitely look back with fondness, I mean, I love her.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19And it's wonderful to be able to enjoy her
0:19:19 > 0:19:22without having the responsibility of paying the bills!
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Even with the constraints of the modern world,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30I hope she can continue running for a long, long time.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35TOOLS WHIR
0:19:35 > 0:19:38A week to go to the inaugural run.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Scotsman's mechanically sound and she's being pampered and preened
0:19:42 > 0:19:47before tackling the busy main line between King's Cross and York.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50We're in good shape. I mean, we've proved the engine now,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52you know, it's done 1,000 miles,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54got 1,000 miles under its belt
0:19:54 > 0:19:55both on preserved railways
0:19:55 > 0:19:57and now on the main line, too.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59So we know that the engine does perform,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03it can, you know, haul large trains over steep gradients
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and now we're just looking forward to the run up from London.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08They've brought in a team of craftsmen
0:20:08 > 0:20:10to make the engine look its very best.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Scotsman will be painted in the livery she was in
0:20:13 > 0:20:17when she left British Rail service in 1963.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21It's a challenging job done in a very traditional way.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Everything is brush-painted that we do, no spray-painting involved.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27It's all done by hand, it's all done just through hard graft.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31It is a huge amount of materials we use - 20 litres of undercoat,
0:20:31 > 0:20:3330 litres of gloss, 20 litres of varnish,
0:20:33 > 0:20:3685 litres of white spirit, thinners.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Quite lot of work in that,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40quite a lot of man-hours and a lot of labour.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Proud, very much. I think, you know,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50we've done a lot of high-profile jobs in our time,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52but this is the absolute icing on the cake.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54This is the pinnacle of a career.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56From this point, you can stand back
0:20:56 > 0:20:59and, as a family, I can say to my kids, "We painted that."
0:20:59 > 0:21:02We have painted the world's most famous locomotive.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Great engines like this should always be done the traditional way.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19You get a greater sense of pride...
0:21:21 > 0:21:24..doing it by hand.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28To get it right and to get it looking...pristine
0:21:28 > 0:21:32for when it goes on its inaugural journey, yeah,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35this is special, this is...
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Highlight of somebody's career, I would think.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Painting the Flying Scotsman?
0:21:41 > 0:21:43There's not many people that have done that.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53It gives a great sense of job satisfaction,
0:21:53 > 0:21:58it's one of those things where not many people
0:21:58 > 0:22:00can see the fruits of their labour.
0:22:05 > 0:22:06There's still only
0:22:06 > 0:22:09a handful of sign-writers that have ever done it...
0:22:10 > 0:22:12..and I'm one.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Massive relief. Massive relief, yeah.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59There have been times when you think we'll never finish it,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02we'll never ever finish it, there has just been so many setbacks.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06But now we are where we are and it's ready to go.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Battersea in London, on the eve of the inaugural run.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Belmond British Pullman is one of the few main-line depots
0:23:16 > 0:23:19where Scotsman can be fed and watered.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21It'll take on board five tonnes of coal
0:23:21 > 0:23:25and almost 5,000 gallons of water.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27The crew and engineers are exhausted
0:23:27 > 0:23:30after working all hours to fix a broken spring
0:23:30 > 0:23:33which nearly scuppered the celebration.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35But they're here, ready...
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and just a little nervous.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Some of the lads at the works have spent years on this engine
0:23:39 > 0:23:42and it's really fought them all the way.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45And then tomorrow, to see it out there, for them seeing that,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48you know, it'll be a good feeling. It's good for us, good for everyone
0:23:48 > 0:23:50to see it out there, doing what it's meant to do.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01King's Cross.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05The inaugural run has become a global media event...
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Lovely to see you! How are you?
0:24:07 > 0:24:11..with reporters and cameramen rubbing shoulders with passengers
0:24:11 > 0:24:13and the great and the good.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16It's been a long time since Scotsman graced the platforms here,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20but slowly, she rolls in like she's never been away
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and now the old girl's ready for her close-up.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32It's the start of an epic 200-mile journey
0:24:32 > 0:24:35which will need five hours and two footplate crews
0:24:35 > 0:24:36to get the train to York.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38HE BLOWS THE WHISTLE
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Right, here we go.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
0:24:48 > 0:24:52There's hundreds here to see Flying Scotsman head home,
0:24:52 > 0:24:54and there will be thousands more lining the route.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18In the passenger carriages, men with sore hands and old skills
0:25:18 > 0:25:23put their feet up and enjoy some well-earned first-class service.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26It's the end of a ten-year struggle.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27Cinderella didn't want to go to the ball,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30but we were determined Cinderella was going, you know,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32whether she were kicking her legs or not.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33And here she is today.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36She's running like a sewing machine.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38That is it, you know - she's sweet, she sounds sweet,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42everything's running at the right temperatures, she's perfect.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52It's been an uphill challenge, but we're finally there.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53The blood, the sweat, the tears,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55it is physical blood, sweat and tears.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58You know, you hurt yourself, you cut yourself, you bleed.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01You have your head in your hands at some point, where you think,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04"Oh, my God, we've got all this to do."
0:26:04 > 0:26:07And it's given the engine a new lease of life, doing all that work.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Alan Pegler saved Scotsman from the breaker's yard in 1963.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Today's run is a poignant journey for his daughter.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25It is absolutely wonderful, I just hope that my dad is looking down.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30This is what he wanted, for people to go on enjoying the engine,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34and the fact that it's going afterwards to the museum
0:26:34 > 0:26:38is fantastic, because it'll be enjoyed now for generations to come
0:26:38 > 0:26:40which is really what he wanted.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42He would be very, very happy.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Through Doncaster now,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49where Scotsman began life all those years ago,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51a survivor against all the odds.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55It was originally built in this country
0:26:55 > 0:26:57and it was rebuilt in this country,
0:26:57 > 0:27:02to retain the Flying Scotsman for ever and ever and ever.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23York - journey's end and the warmest of Yorkshire welcomes.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
0:27:38 > 0:27:40OK. He's happy right where you are.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50- TANNOY:- Welcome to the Flying Scotsman. Welcome to York!
0:27:50 > 0:27:52- Thank you very much.- Cheers.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Thank you!
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Well done, Jim.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Now it's just a short hop to the National Railway Museum.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10APPLAUSE
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Flying Scotsman is finally home.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31Tiring, but we've made it, so we're very, very happy.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35We've overcome the odds this week and got the engine ready
0:28:35 > 0:28:38and got it up here on the front of the train,
0:28:38 > 0:28:40so very relieved
0:28:40 > 0:28:41but content and happy as well.