'Iconic' Flying Scotsman arrives in Somerset

The Flying Scotsman will be in Somerset until 14 July

An "iconic" locomotive has arrived on the West Somerset Railway for the summer.

The Flying Scotsman pulled into Somerset on Saturday and will stay until 14 July, running services between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead.

It was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and performed the first ever non-stop London to Edinburgh trip in 1928, cutting the journey time to eight hours

Driver, Stuart Nelhams, said: "It's always a special day to be driving steam locomotives but especially to get on one that is considered a national icon. It's become a bit of a pop star, people seem to know the name."

Kerry Noble said it was "great" to have the Flying Scotsman in Somerset

Kerry Noble, general manager at the West Somerset Railway, added: "It's great to have it here. It's a very iconic locomotive so it comes with a lot of additional requirements. It's a massive amount of work for the railway.

"We are more than aware of the cost of living at the moment, so we have tried our best to create many opportunities for everyone to see the Flying Scotsman to suit all budget types."

The locomotive was built in 1923 in Doncaster

It is visiting the area on a tour of the UK's heritage railways to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.

Events are being held all year as part of Railway 200 to mark the anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825.

West Somerset Railway last hosted the Flying Scotsman in 2017.

All West Somerset Railway stations will be closed to the public for the duration of the operating days of the Flying Scotsman, with access to Minehead or Bishops Lydeard by ticket only.