The Flying Scotsman in Portobello!

When a mega star of stage and/or screen reaches their twilight years they sometimes play minor venues because they need the money. Their greasepaint is daubed liberally. They linger in the gaps in the limelight to conceal the ravages of times. They are shadows of their former selves still trading on their glory days.

In a rusty siding at Portobello this morning one of the world’s most famous steam locomotives, The Flying Scotsman, was being fed and watered before taking some Steam Dreams tours across the Forth Bridge and round Fife. In the hey day of steam on this route this loco would have been feted at St Margaret’s loco depot at Meadowbank before running tender first into Waverley to head one of the so called crack expresses to London.

It was super to have this close encounter with a steam legend but sad to see how run down looking the accompanying carriages were. Water was being taken on by a lengthy hose. The tender had no coal in it. Not sure where that was coming from. The accompanying crew looked tired, and rather grubby in their overalls. I think they had all slept in the accompanying coach.

However, when this loco, carriages and backup vintage diesel loco are hurtling through Lowland Scotland home to York the glory days live on!