London & North Eastern Railway A3 Class "Flying Scotsman"

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) A3 Class locomotives were designed by its legendary chief mechanical engineer Sir Nigel Gresley. The Flying Scotsman is a member of that class and was built in 1923. It was utilized on the long-distance express East Coast Main Line trains; notably on the London to Edinburgh Flying Scotsman train service for which it was named. The locomotive set two records. It holds the record for being the first steam locomotive authenticated to attain the speed of 100 MPH on November 30, 1934. The second record was set in Australia on August 8, 1989 for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive. The Flying Scotsman was retired from regular service in 1963. It had covered 2.08 million miles during its service life. Since then it has been preserved and maintained in running condition.  The locomotive regularly hauls fan specials in the United Kingdom. It has also extensively toured the United States and Canada from 1969 until 1973. A second overseas tour took place in Australia during 1988/89. The Flying Scotsman is widely known as the world's most famous steam locomotive. This magnificent machine continues to operate today.