Oh really? Yes it always makes money in the end, someone else's money! 4472 is a magnificent locomotive and it was one reason why I became interested in heritage steam when I first saw it at Tysley way back in the mid 70s. However, what interested me more were the locomotives that had just arrived at Tyseley from a place called Barry Scrapyard. I had assumed that none had survived a visit to a scrapyard. I too like some on this forum find 4472's fame a little irksome but I don't really know why. There are probably a number of reasons for this but the main one is that most people who would not be able to name a steam locomotive if you held a red hot poker to their anatomy would probably be able to blurt out "Flying Scotsman". The rest of us know that there are other locomotives around thank you and we don't think 4472 is the best there is. I'm probably going to be followed now as my adopted home once had a shed with many A3s allocated! I liked Flying Scotsman when it was the only show in town but I think it might have even been eclipsed. It's cost far too much to restore - put it in the NRM and build a replica, would have been cheaper.

Bit like Royal Scot then I suppose. You may have seen many A3s but they are all gone now. It is the most travelled loco in the world now and is supposed to have done 100mph first. Thing is a replica would not have done all those things so I doubt people would see that. Hopefully as this has been a heavey overhaul (and I mean Titanic) it won't need another for quite a while, and if it is anything like 60163, in NRM hands things should be stable. I would like to see aother A3 I think, but not 4472. A new one with new number and name would be nice at some point, after all its 87 years old now. Somehow I doubt it will continue to run after this overhaul or the next. Bit frail if you know what I mean.

I always thought City of Truro was the first to get to 100mph?

City of Truo was not official apparently.

It was in my book even though I wasn't there! Now there will be those who know much more than I on this matter so I apologise in advance if I'm not too accurate. I believe that 4472 was the 1st British steam locomotive to achieve 100mph which was recorded scientifically but 3440 achieved 100mph down Wellington Bank in Somerset in 1903 or 1904 although the methods by which this was recorded were not as scientific. However, the GWR felt that they had plenty of evidence to authenticate 100mph and history records the little 4-4-0 as having achieved it. I'm sure the debate will continue but it was enough to secure City of Truro's future in preservation when every other iconic GWR locomotive was cut up (The GWR did not have a good track record - so to speak- of preserving its icons although I believe Mr Churchward was quite upset when his successor Mr Collett arranged to have the GWR's only Pacific 111 The Great Bear, butchered into a "Castle" but that was mainly because its unique boiler was expired. Nevertheless, 111 should really have been saved.) Ironically, the LNER preserved its heritage rather better but, because of Barry, we only have one A3 (and would not have had it except for private money) yet many Castles and 2 Kings!

Err, there are three Kings actually. :D

bearing gifts of Gold, Frankensence and Myrrh! ;)

I don't agree it's over-hyped. If it comes near me I will certainly go see it - but then I've also recently been to see Tornado, Bittern, King Edward, Clan Line, etc.

I really hope the project has a fully successful outcome.

But yes it is very British to snipe at success.......

Yes, I know there are but one of them did not come from Barry Scrapyard, it was purchased from BR by Bulmers originally! The other 2, KEI and KEII should not have gone to Barry at all but ended up there because of weight restrictions I believe. Again, someone somewhere will know more about that I'm sure. What I was trying to say, and not very well, was that we have ended up with some very prestigious locos thanks to a certain scrapyard! But you are right regarding the A3s of course, all went except for Flying Scotsman. I never saw any A3s in service as they had all gone by the time I knew what an A3 was. The loco shed in my current home town must have been fantastic in steam days, having quite an allocation of A3s, A2s, A1s, B12s, B1s A5s etc.

Great locos they really were. Something to do with 4472s early fame is that it had the same name as the train it pulled, which distinguished it from other locos.
I occasionally go down to the NRM to see the progress for myself. Not much was happening last time I went, but lots more progress has been made.
The amount of money people have paid for it just shows how much people care about it.
Even Jeremy Clarkson wrote about it in one of his books a while back and he adores it.
You find an enthusiast in the most unlikely places and this locomotive has ensured that and has done much to advertise the heritage movement and may have made what we have now materialise and for that it deserves 4 million to be spent on it.