Passengers can enjoy an 80-minute return journey through scenic countryside
12:00, 18 May 2026Updated 12:02, 18 May 2026
The Flying Scotsman (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire )
Fans of the legendary Flying Scotsman have a rare chance to ride behind the world-famous steam locomotive over the upcoming bank holiday weekend.
For the first time in 25 years, the steam locomotive has made an historic Midlands homecoming, ready for this month’s special passenger services, which began at the weekend.
The locomotive’s permanent home is at the National Railway Museum in York, but it travelled down to Great Central Railway Nottingham, in Ruddington, on Friday (May 15).
Enthusiasts have the opportunity to be part of railway folklore, as they experience the raw power of 100 tons of British engineering excellence as steam billows, wheels thunder, and history unfolds before their eyes.
The unforgettable 20-mile return journey, lasting 80 minutes, starts from Ruddington Fields Station, travelling to Loughborough along the scenic Great Central Railway.
Services will run from May 23 to 25 and from May 30 to 31, with many journeys already sold out.
The luckiest of travellers, paying £99, will enjoy the ultimate luxury, directly behind Flying Scotsman in the prestigious GWR Hawksworth first class saloon, where they will sink into plush sofas and armchairs while sipping complimentary fizz.
The Flying Scotsman pictured at Nottingham Victoria Station in 1963
Seats, priced £60, are still available in the open saloon, where passengers can share the magic with others around tables of four.
For those simply hoping to catch a glimpse of the icon, it will pass through Gotham and to the side of the Gotham Sidings, before passing by the gypsum and plasterboard works at East Leake.
The line then runs through the site of East Leake station and eventually over the River Soar on the Stanford Viaduct. The route ends just outside the historic Brush Works at Loughborough.
The locomotive was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works. In 1934, it set a world record for steam traction, becoming the first locomotive to officially clock 100 miles per hour.
The Flying Scotsman was retired from running British Rail services in 1963.