Alstom has announced the latest addition to the line-up of world-famous rail vehicles at its upcoming event, The Greatest Gathering, as the Flying Scotsman is confirmed to be in attendance at the show in August.
The world-famous steam engine, which is owned by the National Railway Museum, will appear at the event amongst other historically significant rail vehicles from the UK National Collection.
Beginning operations in 1934; Flying Scotsman was the first locomotive to ever officially reach 100 mph (160 km/h), and remained in service until 1963 before being preserved and sent on tours across the US, Canada and Australia. It was also the first locomotive to be part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), and was initially built as a Class A1 locomotive in 1923 before conversion to a Class A3 in 1947.
To celebrate its appearance at the Greatest Gathering, Alstom has released a further 2,500 tickets for each day of the festival, which, at time of writing, is sold-out. The additional tickets are set to go on sale at 09:00 BST on Friday 27 June via the event’s website, as well as See Tickets.
Rob Whyte, Managing Director at Alstom UK and Ireland, said:Flying Scotsman’s attendance is a powerful tribute to Britain’s steam legacy and a moment of railway history not to be missed.
While we proudly honour icons of the past, like Flying Scotsman, we also hope The Greatest Gathering will ignite the imagination of tomorrow’s engineers, as we showcase the latest sustainable and digital rail innovations across our Derby site.
The Scotsman is set to be joined in a steam cavalcade by LNER Pacific Locomotives A1 No. 60163 Tornado* and A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley.
Built in 2008, Tornado is the first new build British mainline steam train since 1960, with Sir Nigel Gresley having been built in 1937 and previously being utilised to launch the Greatest Gathering at Litchurch Lane in January this year.
Elsewhere, the line-up for the festival includes Locomotion No. 1, the first locomotive to run on the S&DR and built by the Newcastle-based Robert Stephenson and Company – the first in the world created specifically to build railway engines, as well as the Midland Railway 1000 Class No. 1000 and D6700 units.
Craig Bentley, Director of the National Railway Museum, said:Flying Scotsman has captured the public’s imagination for over a century. We are proud to be able to share this icon of the track, along with other historically significant locomotives from the National Collection, at this landmark event that celebrates the past, present and future of the railways.
Alstom’s three-day festival in Derby is set to take place at the company’s Litchurch Lane Site on Friday 1, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August 2025 and forms part of wider festivities for Railway 200, a year-long celebration of the birth of the modern railway.
*Due to operational availability, Tornado will be appearing at The Greatest Gathering on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 August only.
