Railway Forum - Flying Scotsman in collision at Aviemore

Thanks for the info Tony. I hope no one was injured.

Since this is a railway forum I'm going to take the opportunity to be a bit pedantic.

Whilst the media have reported this as an incident, in railway terms it's more than that (not that most people care). On the Iron Road of Blighty an incident is an event which has the potential to cause injury or damage. An accident is an event where it does.

Also - what is the difference between a shunt and a collision? Well according to the Good Book when you're approaching another vehicle for the purpose of coupling you should stop 6ft away, draw up to 2ft, then push on gently (although heritage lines seem not to bother with the 2ft bit).

So if you roll straight onto another train without stopping, even if you give it the gentlest kiss possible you can be judged as having had a collision (except where Local Instructions apply). An old boss of mine was a stickler for this. It may sound petty but there's a chance that you may either misjudge your speed or mishandle the brake and give the other vehicle a real whack - though I'm absolutely NOT suggesting this is what happened here. There are several scenarios for what may have occurred and the more I hear about the workings of steam locos the more I'm glad I don't drive them. :eek:

Time will tell, as ever.

Keep safe, John.