Flying Scotsman tickets sell out in three minutes

The Flying Scotsman is due to visit the railway on 25, 26 and 27 July

Tickets for a visit by the Flying Scotsman to the Severn Valley Railway sold out in just three minutes.

The famous locomotive is due to visit the line, which runs between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster, next month to celebrate its full reopening.

The northern part of the track in Shropshire had to close in January due to a landslip and work has been carried out to make it safe again.

The railway said the sale of tickets on Wednesday had been a "real vote of confidence" and it was looking at the possibility of selling extra tickets, including options for on-train dining.

The landslip at Mor Brook Bridge meant trains could go no further than Hampton Loade while the repairs were carried out.

After a fundraising appeal, contractors were employed to strengthen the embankment with concrete blocks.

Once that is complete, the railway said it would re-lay the track and planned to carry out load testing before opening the line to passengers.

The Flying Scotsman would then be the first train to travel along the re-laid track on 25 July and would make more trips up and down the line on 26 and 27 July.

Speaking about the ticket sales, Jonathan 'Gus' Dunster, the railway's managing director, said: 'We simply couldn't have wished for a better result than this."

The railway is due to hold a Swinging Sixties weekend on 26 and 27 July and he encouraged people who had missed out on Flying Scotsman tickets to attend the event to see the train from the platform.