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.
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Each morning, at 10am, two express trains, one from Edinburgh and one from London, would leave on their 390-mile journeys. They were known, respectively, as the ‘Down Scotsman’ and the ‘Up Scotsman’ - each service passing through and sometimes stopping at Newcastle Central Station en route.
The first non-stop service ran in May 1928. Passengers could enjoy a meal in the restaurant carriage, get a haircut at the on-board barber shop, and order a drink from the cocktail waiter.
The Flying Scotsman service allowed the movers and shakers of the times to get between London and Edinburgh quickly - and in comfort. Indeed, in the newspapers back in August 1932, it was reported how the Prime Minister, Ramsay Macdonald, used the service to travel from London to Scotland, continuing to Balmoral for an important meeting with King George V.
Inspired by this much-vaunted Anglo-Scottish express rail route, the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive was built in Doncaster for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).
It was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, and first rolled on to the tracks in February 1923. A year later, the engine was exhibited at the Empire Exhibition at Wembley. Given the number 4472, the Flying Scotsman in 1934 became the first steam train to reach speeds of 100mph.
The illustrious engine was eventually withdrawn from service in 1963. It toured the United States and Canada between 1969 and 1973, taking in Boston, New York, Washington DC, Montreal, Toronto and San Francisco, covering a total of 15,400 miles.
The Flying Scotsman became publicly owned in 2004 and a £4.2m restoration began. It has returned to its old stomping ground in the North East on several occasions. Last year, we reported on one of its returns to the region
An express service called the Flying Scotsman operated by LNER runs on the East Coast Mainline between London and Edinburgh to this day.
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