The Flying Scotsman’s American Adventure: LNER 4472’s 1969–1973 U.S. Tour

Published: July 13, 2026

In the fall of 1969, a gleaming British steam locomotive unlike anything most Americans had ever seen rolled into Boston. LNER Class A3 Pacific No. 4472 Flying Scotsman—the world-famous Gresley-designed 4-6-2 that had once hauled the prestigious non-stop Flying Scotsman express between London and Edinburgh—had crossed the Atlantic for an ambitious promotional tour of the United States and Canada. Owned by preservation pioneer Alan Pegler, the locomotive and its accompanying exhibition train would cover more than 15,400 miles (24,800 km) over the next three-plus years, running on the rails of Penn Central, Southern Railway, Missouri Pacific, Burlington Northern, Canadian National, and others.

Photographs from that tour, including a notable selection taken by railfan Roger Puta and preserved in Marty Bernard’s renowned collection, capture the locomotive in its striking American-modified form during its passage through the Mid-Atlantic states.

Roger Puta photographed London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) Class A3 Pacific No. 4472, the Flying Scotsman, at Monroe, Virginia along the Southern Railway between excursions on October 28, 1969.

Background: From British Icon to Transatlantic Traveler

Built in 1923 at Doncaster Works as Great Northern Railway (GNR) No. 1472 (later LNER 4472), the locomotive was named after the famous train service and became a flagship for the LNER. It famously reached 100 mph in 1934 and hauled the inaugural non-stop Flying Scotsman service in 1928. Withdrawn by British Railways in January 1963, it was saved from the scrapyard by businessman and steam enthusiast Alan Pegler for £3,500. Pegler restored it to 1930s LNER condition (apple green livery, single chimney, corridor tender) and secured permission to operate it on the British main line—the only steam locomotive so authorized after the end of regular steam in 1968.

By the late 1960s, Pegler looked overseas. With support from the UK government (including Prime Minister Harold Wilson), he organized a North American tour to promote British exports. The locomotive would haul a nine-coach exhibition train showcasing British goods and engineering. To comply with U.S. operating rules, 4472 received several modifications: a cowcatcher (pilot), bell, American-style whistle, high-intensity headlamp, air brakes, and buckeye couplers. It retained its classic British outline but now looked ready for American rails.

Arrival and the 1969 Eastern & Southern Tour

The locomotive and train were shipped from Liverpool aboard the Saxonia, arriving in Boston Harbor on September 28, 1969. After a shakedown run over Penn Central (ex-New Haven) trackage to New London, Connecticut, on October 3, the tour went public. Flying Scotsman was displayed at Boston’s South Station in early October before beginning its revenue-earning travels.

The 1969 itinerary took the train south and west along the eastern seaboard and into the South:

October 12–13: Boston to Hartford, Connecticut.
Mid-October: Onward to New York City (Penn Station), with movements involving Penn Central electric power (including GG1s) for parts of the journey.
Late October: Philadelphia area, then Baltimore.
October 25–27: Washington, D.C. (Union Station). Roger Puta photographed the locomotive near Glenndale, Maryland, during this leg—images that remain valuable historical documents of the visit.
Late October–early November: South on Southern Railway through Salisbury, North Carolina; Gainesville and Atlanta, Georgia (display); Birmingham, Alabama (where it met Southern Railway steam excursions including S&A 750 and SR 4501); then Meridian, Mississippi, and into Texas via Illinois Central and Missouri Pacific routes.
November 4: Dallas area.
November 10: Houston display.
Mid-to-late November: Storage at Slaton, Texas (AT&SF roundhouse) for the winter.

The tour broke even financially in its first year. The locomotive operated under its own steam on many segments where local rules permitted, though some states’ strict anti-steam/fire-hazard regulations required diesel or electric towing for portions of the journey. No paying passengers were carried on the main exhibition train due to foreign-equipment restrictions; the focus remained on static displays and promotional events.

1970: Midwest, Chicago, and Canada

After winter storage, the tour resumed in 1970 with a northward push from Texas. The locomotive and train worked through Fort Worth/Dallas, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Chicago (Dearborn Station), then north to Green Bay, Wisconsin (National Railroad Museum). From there it crossed into Canada on Canadian National rails, visiting Toronto (Canadian National Exhibition), Ottawa, Montreal, and Niagara Falls before returning to Toronto-area storage for the winter of 1970–71.

Financial pressures began to mount. Pegler had to pay host railroads for trackage rights, and restrictions limited revenue opportunities.

1971: The Transcontinental Push to San Francisco

Hoping to generate more income, Pegler authorized a bold westbound journey in 1971. Starting from the Toronto/Buffalo area, Flying Scotsman headed across the northern United States and into the West on Burlington Northern routes. Highlights included:

Montana (including areas near Essex and the Flathead Tunnel).
The Columbia River Gorge (Wishram, Washington).
Oregon’s Deschutes River Canyon.
Klamath Falls and points south.

The locomotive and train reached San Francisco on September 27, 1971. This leg took the famous British Pacific through scenery few could have imagined seeing it traverse—remote mountain passes, river canyons, and Pacific Northwest main lines.

1972: San Francisco Operations and Mounting Troubles

In San Francisco, Flying Scotsman found temporary success. It ran short passenger trips on the San Francisco Belt Railroad and was displayed at the popular Fisherman’s Wharf. However, complaints from local businesses along the route ended the passenger operations, slashing income dramatically. The train was relocated to a less accessible yard. By August 1972, with Pegler facing mounting debts (reportedly around £132,000), the locomotive was stored at the U.S. Army’s Sharpe Depot in Lathrop, California, to shield it from creditors. Pegler himself returned to Britain, eventually working passage on a P&O cruise ship and later lecturing about trains to discharge his bankruptcy.

Rescue and Return to Britain (1973)

The locomotive remained stranded in California storage until early 1973. British businessman and steam enthusiast Sir William McAlpine stepped in after being alerted to the situation. He paid off outstanding debts to American and Canadian railroads, purchased the locomotive for approximately $72,000 (around £25,000 at the time), and arranged shipment back to the UK via the Panama Canal at an additional cost of about $35,000.

Flying Scotsman arrived at Liverpool aboard the California Star in mid-February 1973 (around February 13). It then steamed under its own power to Derby Works, with crowds lining the route to welcome it home. McAlpine funded its restoration and would own and operate the locomotive for the next 23 years.

Legacy of the American Tour

The 1969–1973 North American tour was both a triumph of preservation ambition and a cautionary tale of the financial realities of mainline steam operations abroad. It introduced thousands of Americans to a classic British Pacific in full cry, ran on an impressive variety of U.S. and Canadian railroads, and produced a rich photographic record.

For railfans and historians today, those photographs—along with the detailed itineraries preserved in enthusiast forums, Trains magazine archives, and institutional collections—offer a vivid window into a unique chapter of steam-era history. Flying Scotsman may have been far from home, but on American rails it proved that a 1923 British Pacific could still captivate crowds and command attention more than four decades after its construction.

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