Railway veteran of 64 years returns to Flying Scotsman footplate
A railway veteran of 64 years who drove Flying Scotsman in the 1980s is back on the footplate, showing the public the historic locomotive in Birmingham.
Alan Newman, 79, who works as a Duty Control Manager at Chiltern Railways, supported customers at Birmingham Moor Street on Friday 20 February, as the station exhibited the train to the public who flocked to Platform 4 in their droves.
Alan was given the opportunity to ride the locomotive to Birmingham Moor Street, before he spent Friday afternoon assisting the public on platforms as families gathered to visit and board the train.
Turning 80 in November, Alan has been in the rail industry since he was 15-years-old - starting in 1962 – and he has since worked in a variety of roles. These include as a railroad fireman, train driver, driver instructor, train traction inspector, a manager at London Victoria Station and operational roles both nationally and at Chiltern Railways.
In addition, Alan drove Flying Scotsman on the Sunday Luncheon specials from London Marylebone to Stratford-upon-Avon between 1986 and 1987.
Alan Newman, from King's Sutton, Northamptonshire, said:
“I was proud to return to Flying Scotsman 40 years after driving it in the eighties. Seeing so many families excited to see the train brought it all back and really shines the railway in a positive light.
“The enthusiasm from the general public to see historic locomotives such as Flying Scotsman makes me proud to have worked in this industry since 1962.”
Tony Baxter, Operations Director at Chiltern Railways, said:
“Alan has had a long and distinguished career in rail and he is a credit to Chiltern Railways.
“It was wonderful to see Alan supporting the public visiting Flying Scotsman at nearly 80 years of age. The popularity of Flying Scotsman was evident last week as so many families were out to visit the locomotive at Birmingham Moor Street.”
Flying Scotsman visited Birmingham Moor Street for three days between Wednesday 18 and Friday 20 February. The experience was managed by charitably-controlled train operating company Vintage Trains, which run steam trips from Birmingham throughout the year.
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Notes to editors
- Chiltern Railways is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing around 36,200 people and delivering around 1.5 billion passenger journeys across 11 European countries.
- Chiltern operates commuter/regional rail passenger services from its Central London terminus at London Marylebone along the M40 corridor to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. Services on the Chiltern Main Line run from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services to Stourbridge Junction.
- Chiltern also runs trains on the London to Aylesbury Line to Aylesbury (with some trains terminating at Aylesbury Vale Parkway instead), on the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury and Oxford to Bicester branch lines.