Leaving Doncaster Works in South Yorkshire in February 1923 and entering service exactly 100 years ago today (February 24), Flying Scotsman is synonymous with the golden age of rail travel and renowned as a feat of design and engineering.
Its achievements include hauling the inaugural non-stop London to Edinburgh train service in 1928, and becoming the UK’s first locomotive to reach 100mph six years later.
A century later, it's hard to imagine Sir Nigel Gresley, the designer of the iconic steam locomotive, being impressed with the unreliable train services passengers are forced to endure on a daily basis in Manchester and across the North.
