Time Out - The Four Steamers

This beautifully filmed item follows the journeys of four privately owned steam trains and speaks to their proud owners about how and why they acquired these prized possessions. The camera follows the 4555 Great Western tank engine and the Great Marquess 3442 as they travel through some of the most spectacular scenery in England and Wales. We also see the Flying Scotsman, bought for £3,000 by Alan Pegler, steam into Marylebone station, and the oldest locomotive in private hands, the J52, a Great Northern tank engine.

In 1969, with the backing of the Board of Trade, Alan Pegler took the Flying Scotsman on a tour of the USA. However, a change of government while he was there resulted in the board withdrawing its support and Pegler's money began to run out. With American creditors closing in, he resorted to storing the engine at an army base until a British buyer was found. William McAlpine bought the Flying Scotsman and shipped the engine home via the Panama Canal in 1973.