The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance (2013)

The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance is a documentary film about the most famous steam locomotive in the world: the LNER 4472. It was shown on British television (BBC) and released on DVD in 2013 in order to mark the 90-year anniversary of this unique engine. Here is some basic information about it:

*** Producer and director: David Parker

*** Narrator: Barbara Flynn

*** Run time: 59 minutes

Several people were interviewed for the film. Here are their names in the order of appearance:

** Jonathan Glancey – author of the book “Giants of Steam” (2012, 2013)

** Andrew Roden – author of the book “Flying Scotsman” (2007, 2015)

** Peter Tuffrey – historian

** Peter Townend – former Shed Master, King’s Cross

** Bob Gwynne – National Railway Museum

** Fiona MacCarthy – biographer of Eric Gill (1989)

** Simon Kohler – Hornby Hobbies

** Penny Vaudoyer – daughter of Alan Pegler

** Anna Turner – dancer on the US tour in 1969

In addition, there are some old interviews (archive footage from 1999). Here are their names:

** Ron Kennedy – former driver of the Flying Scotsman

** Alan Pegler (1920-2012) – businessman, railway enthusiast, saved the Flying Scotsman in 1963

** William McAlpine – businessman, railway enthusiast, saved the Flying Scotsman in 1973

** Tony Marchington (1955-2011) – businessman, railway enthusiast, saved the Flying Scotsman in 1996

This film tells the story of the famous locomotive from the construction in 1923 until its 90-year anniversary in 2013. It is an interesting story and it is told very well.

The locomotive was on display at the Empire Exhibition that was held at Wembley 1924-1925. In 1934, it set a world record when it reached a speed of 100 miles per hour (160 km per hour).

In the film the history of the locomotive is placed in a historical context, so we can understand why most railway companies wanted to end the era of steam engines in the 1960s. The Flying Scotsman was close to being scrapped. Fortunately, three millionaires stepped in to save it. One after other. Each of them was successful for a while, but each of them also had to learn that running a huge steam locomotive is an expensive affair.

Since World War Two, the LNER 4472 has travelled the world. It has visited the US, Canada, and Australia. In 2013, when it was time to celebrate its 90-year anniversary, it was not quite ready to travel, because it was in a work shop, getting ready for a new life.

But in 2016 the famous steam locomotive was finally back on track. It was welcomed by huge crowds of railway enthusiasts. Obviously, this recent event is not covered in this film from 2013.

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 70 per cent, which corresponds to 3.5 stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low.

On Amazon UK there are four reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.8 stars. If you ask me, this average rating is much more appropriate. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance is a fascinating film with a lot of interesting footage. Some clips are old so they are in black-and-white; other clips are more recent and they are in colour.

The people who are interviewed in the film are well chosen. They are experts on railway history or they have a close connection with the famous locomotive.

If you are interested in the history of the modern world – in particular the history of technology and transport – this film is definitely something for you.

PS # 1. The Flying Scotsman from the Footplate is a documentary film that was shown on British television (BBC) in December 2016 and released on DVD in March 2017.

PS # 2. Flying Scotsman with Robson Green is a documentary film that was shown on British television (ITV) in 2016. As far as I know, it is not available from Amazon.

PS # 3. Rocky Mountain Express is a documentary film about Canada’s first transcontinental railway and a steam locomotive which serves this route. In 2011, the film premiered in the US and Canada; and in 2016 it was released on Blu-Ray (UHD) in 2016.

PS # 4. The four letters “LNER” stand for London & North Eastern Railway. The 4472 usually ran between London and Edinburgh. The journey lasted about eight hours.

PS # 5. Eric Gill (1882-1940) was a British artist and typeface designer, whose typeface was used for writing the name of the train and the names of the stations that it served. For more information about this highly controversial character, see Fiona MacCarthy’s biography from 1989 and her article “Written in Stone” that was published in the Guardian on 22 July 2006.

PS # 6. The following article about the Flying Scotsman is available online: Robert Hardman, “Back on track!” Daily Mail, 25 February 2016.

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The Flying Scotsman

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