Flying Scotsman - It's all your fault!

Our gears are grinded here at The Bash Mash. Although it seems all 'A3 talk' is a little old hat now it has returned and settled into a monotonous routine of causing chaos wherever it goes, something isn't sitting well. 

Here's the setting of the scene; the BTP, Network Rail and every news rag from around the country looking for an easy story are on the back of those pesky trespassers causing Southerners to be delayed getting back to Kings Cross after visiting the Northern Powerhouse for too long. 

Hang them

There were cries for the death penalty and if they get run over so be it; should children being dragged onto Network Rails land watch their Dad be dragged under a southbound HST is a little harsh we guess. 

Then the quote, written by one of the BM faithful.

"This is all the National Railway Museum's fault for whipping people into a frenzy."

Other comments were even fruitier but this one really does have us baffled. Are people seriously considering the publicity surrounding the return of the worlds most famous steam locomotive as the cause and blame for trespassers and photographers losing their minds in St Neots?

The myth here is that this A3 is not the worlds most famous steam locomotive. It is. Everyone at Crewe, we hate to break it to you but it really is.

Every collection needs a figurehead, a leader, the symbol for its class.

Think of an aeroplane..

Concorde?

Ship..

Titanic?

Locomotive..

Now be honest all readers from Swindon and Crewe, you thought of 'Flying Scotsman' didn't you?

We struggle to find the reason why all those who have profile photos of themselves hanging out of a Hall, Castle or Black 5 have an issue with Scotsman having this title. Yes, a colossal amount of money was spent (and a shit load wasted) on Scotsman. 

It was a disaster that we've watched with grimaces for years. But lessons have been learnt, unfortunately the NRM workshops will no doubt be a lot quieter in the future as a result.

We now need to face facts, Scotsman is back. Back with a very big bang. The big bang theory is that the NRM threw the kitchen sink at publicising its return. They simply had to. If it had come back with a whimper then that £4.2M starts to be ever more noticeable.

Were they irresponsible in their publicity of Scotsman? Of course bloody not.

Now the BM has taken a few shots at Scotsman, there is a simple reason for this. 

The downside of being everywhere on everything is that you have opened the gates to criticism. The gamble was if that broken spring had cancelled the inaugural run, the gamble was it failing heading out of Kings Cross. If you take the tact the NRM did by going all in, then you have to be ready for any downward spin that may come your way.

How does that gamble pay off? When the spring is fixed, when Scotsman gets to York, then gets to Grosmont. Even we can sit back and say 'well done' to all that made it possible.

Now comes the very interesting part. The star is reborn so what really is next? Will the NRM misstep again and charge £450 for a ticket aboard its train? Will they let the British Public see the star at no cost, the peoples engine? Let us hope so.

In the meantime, Swindon and Crewe stand down. Time to tip your hats to a locomotive that will fire up the enthusiasm of all enthusiasts, will regenerate the interest in young people that could only be done previously by a shitty plastic face stuck on the front of a locomotive.

The fun is by no means over. The trespassers will continue for some time. What we know for sure is the blame can not be laid at what has been the most incredible turnaround of fortune to the nations locomotive.