Railway history made a visit to Brampton and other places across North Cumbria as the Flying Scotsman, a steam locomotive that was known for breaking the speed record, toured through on the Tyne Valey Line across heritage railways.

Since returning to the tracks in 2016, the LNER Class A3 4472, best known to the public by its given name as The Flying Scotsman, has been hauling special passenger tours across the UK and making appearances at the National Railway Museum in York and Locomotion in Shildon.

The Flying Scotsman was meant to go on display in the National Railway Museum's North Shed for three weeks from April 1 2020, but this was cancelled after the museum closed in response to coronavirus.

The locomotive set two world records for steam traction, becoming the first steam locomotive to be officially authenticated at reaching 100 miles per hour on November 30, 1934, and then setting a record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive when it ran 422 miles on 8 August 1989.

However, its appearance last weekend was not met with as much awe as anticipated.

Paul Grindley, a railway enthusaist and spectator of the historic train's apearance said: "It was a disappointing day today for steam train enthusiasts when the much anticipated visit along the Tyne Valley line of the most popular steam locomotive, The Flying Scotsman, turned out to be a major disappointment as due to mechanical difficulties, reported to be a hot axle, the 98 year old world famous loco had to be towed along the line by a Class 47 diesel loco.

"Crowds gathered at stations, bridges and other vantage points along the line to try and catch site of the famous train as it hauled the return leg of the Hadrian railtour from Carlisle to Derby.

"Unfortunately there were also reports of Northern rail trains being delayed due to a small number of spectators who trespassed onto the line to get a better look.

"The train being towed as it passed Brampton station in Cumbria and the crowd gathered safely and legally at Brampton railway station."