I received as a Christmas gift a set of DVDs and reproduced memorabilia about the Flying Scotsman. Some fascinating stuff including a lot of footage of its trip to the U.S. in 1969. There’s views of it being pulled into Penn Station by a freshly painted Penn-Central GG1 and you see another G in Sunnyside yard still painted in Pennsylvania green with the wide yellow stripe. I went to Penn Station to see it when I was 14 years old, toured the train and even went in the cab. Was anyone else there?
I viewed LNER 4472 when it visited Chicago in 1970 at Dearborn Station.
I saw the train when it passed through Tuscaloosa in the fall of 1969, and my bride and I toured it in San Francisco in July of 1972.
This is a chapter in Railfan History that many younger raifans know little, or nothing about.
In 1968 Mr. Alan Pegler and Co(?) brought the “Flying Scotsman”, an A-3 Pacific type to America with a train of three British Passenger Cars. She went from Coast to Coast.
In America she suffere the"injustice’ of having to wear a big, honking Pyle Headlamp on top of the smoke box, a Janey coupler, and aA bell, ( I believe was loaned by the Southern Railway’s Steam progeam). When out in California, the owner (Mr. Pegler)went broke. British railfans went into a ‘panic’ at the idea the 4472 might be ‘stranded’ in America. In 1972 the Flying Scotsman was repatriated back to England. See @ https://www.google.com/search?q=LNER%22+Flying+Scotsman%22+tours+America?&biw=1152&bih=602&tbm=isch&imgil=2hJW7oF-VwJbgM%253A%253BMGmLjSxvJWiz4M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Ftank780.tripod.com%25252F4472theflyingscotsman%25252Fid4.
Actually there were more than 3 coaches, it was supposed to be a travelling British trade exhibit and had the backing of the Harold Wilson government but the funding was later cut off as Wilson didn’t think a steam locomotive was good example of modern British technology. This was all written up in British railway magazines when Alan Pegler died last year.
The headlight, the bell, the Janney coupler, and possibly the pilot (cowcatcher) as well had to be applied to make the locomotive “street legal” for lack of a better term, on the US rail system.
Of all British steam I thought it was the most attractive. It would need “ditch lights” to pass muster now, I always thought that pilot made the “Flying Scotsman” look ludicrious - seems they could have come up with something a little more attractive!
Dr. D.
She wouldn’t need ditch lights since she was built in 1923.
See linked site for FRA Regulations regarding “Ditch lights”. linked @ http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2006-title49-vol4/html/CFR-2006-title49-vol4-sec229-125.htm
“…[Title 49 CFR 229.125]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - October 1, 2006 Edition]
[Title 49 - TRANSPORTATION]…”
"…h) Any locomotive subject to Part 229, that was built before
December 31, 1948, and that is not used regularly in
[[Page 407]]
commuter or intercity passenger service, shall be considered historic
equipment and excepted from the requirements of paragraphs (d) through
(h) of this section.
Thus the Flying Scotsman did not need ‘Ditch Lights’ But it was required to mount, and carry that steel ‘Cow Catcher’; a great, honking, big Janey knuckle coupler… A Big Pyle Headlamp, and that Bell. See linked photo @ http://tank780.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/4472.jpg
I know, that’s why I said that she wouldn’t need ditch lights. 
December 31, 1948. When was N&W 611 built?
December 31, 1948. Hmm, wonder how N&W 611 gets around that.
December 31, 1948 is the exemption date. Wasn’t N&W 611 constructed in 1950?
Hopefully she’ll be granted a variance.
There have been three other modern British locomotives brought to the USA. The Great Western Railway’s “King George V” in 1927 for The “Fair of the Iron Horse” in Baltimore, The London Midland and Scottish “Royal Scot” in 1933 for the Century of Progress Exhibition and the same railway’s “Coronation” for the New York World’s Fair in 1939.
The “KGV” came alone without a train and did not run extensively, but it collected a bell as a souvenir but it did not ever carry a headlight.
The two LMS locomotives both carried headlights and bells and “Coronation” definitely carried a knuckle coupler, neatly placed just under the existing coupling hook. But none of these three carried a pilot/cowcatcher.
I know that LMS 6100 was really 6152 and 6220 was really 6229…
M636C
“KGV” to my knowledge never left the exhibition grounds where the “Fair Of The Iron Horse” was held, so it wouldn’t have needed a headlight. It wouldn’t have needed a pilot either. Per US regs it would have needed a bell to announce its movements through the yards and exhibition areas.
If the two LMS locomotives never had pilots installed that’s fine with me, Brit locomotives look better without 'em. The one installed on the “Flying Scotsman” looked weird, to say the least!
Weird, indeed. I remember how odd it looked when I saw it in 1969. There was also a large stand-up whistle mounted next to the smokebox. I was at the museum in York in 2004 and they were overhauling the FS. It did have a knuckle coupler on the tender, hinged downward and the European turnbuckle type mounted on the cross-beam or whatever you call the back bumper of a tender.