With Flying Scotsman due to visit Suffolk on Saturday at the front of a railtour from Norwich, tour organisers and the police are urging people not put themselves at risk to see the world-famous locomotive.
It will be pulling a breakfast-time train that will reach East Suffolk Junction, not quite reaching Ipswich Station, and Westerfield station before it is “turned around” on the new Ipswich Bacon Curve and returning to Norwich.
It is unlikely to be visible from Ipswich station – but it should be seen from Gippeswyck Park and Ipswich council’s park rangers are expecting many people to come to the park for a good, and safe, view of what is the world’s most famous locomotive.
The best place to see the train at speed – and on this run it’s maximum speed is 60mph – a good vantage point would be the Needham Lakes country park on the edge of Needham Market.
The track passes beside the park on an embankment and there are good views of trains on the main line from there.
British Transport Police has warned steam enthusiasts from trespassing on to the track – that is a criminal offence and extra patrols will be in place to ensure the tracks are kept clear.
Anyone who is caught trespassing is likely to end up with a court summons.
Saturday’s tour was originally scheduled on October 21 but had to be postponed after Flying Scotsman developed a fault in an axle at Peterborough.
A spokesman for the National Railway Museum, which owns the locomotive, thanked the Peterborough-based Nene Valley Railway for providing workshop facilities which allowed Flying Scotsman’s maintenance team to repair the fault in time to fulfil its trip to East Anglia this weekend.
On Saturday morning the train is due to leave Norwich shortly after 8am and return just after 10.30. Exact times have not been published but it is expected to be in the Ipswich area between 9am and 9.30am.
After the trip to Ipswich, Flying Scotsman is due to leave Norwich at 2pm for a special trip to London via Ely and Cambridge and will then stay in London to travel to its maintenance base in the capital while the train returns to Norfolk behind a diesel locomotive.
This is the last weekend of railtour action by Flying Scotsman this year before it undergoes winter maintenance.
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