The legendary Flying Scotsman will be making a trip along the Settle Carlisle Railway early in 2016 as part of its testing following a £4.2 million pound restoration led by by the National Railway Museum.
The locomotive will be hauling the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express on January 23rd. For this preview run the Flying Scotsman will still be in its black undercoat and will not yet carry its number 60103. But once this initial trip is completed it will return to the workshop to be transformed into its new green guise. The restoration will be officially completed by February.
The trip will start at Manchester Victoria and travel via Bolton and Preston to Shap and Carlisle on the West Coast Mainline. The return journey will be along the S&C to Hellifield before returning to Manchester via Clitheroe an Blackburn.
The excursion is being operated by the Railway Touring Company http://www.railwaytouring.net/uk-day-trips/winter-cumbrian-mountain-express-23-01-16
In the event that Flying Scotsman is unavailable the excursion will be hauled by Black V's 44871 and 45407 double headed.