It was August 11, 1932, and the Flying Scotsman express service was racing towards Newcastle Central Station on its non-stop run from Edinburgh to London.
In the background of our fabulous photograph from 90 years ago, there is both ancient and modern. The Tyne Bridge, whose arch we see, had opened just four years earlier, while the Castle Keep was rather older, dating from around 1177.
The Flying Scotsman service - as opposed to the famous steam engine of the same name - dated back to 1862, only a decade or so after the construction of the High Level Bridge allowed trains to travel back and forth unhindered between the capital cities of England and Scotland. The Flying Scotsman name was used unofficially at first, becoming official in 1924.
