Flying Scotsman is world’s best known train

Flying Scotsman has topped a poll of the world’s best known trains and locomotives.

The infamous Flying Scotsman. Image by jimd2007 / CC BY 2.0

People across four continents were asked to name five trains or engines they had heard of, and the famous green-and-black loco topped a league table that also included the Japanese bullet train, the fastest-ever steam locomotive, Mallard – and Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express.

The National Railway Museum commissioned the worldwide survey, by YouGov, and released the result to coincide with the 81st anniversary of Flying Scotsman being the first locomotive to break the 100mph barrier.

(Press Association)