Branson in new bid to stop Flying Scotsman going abroad

Published on Monday 29 March 2004 01:00

SIR Richard Branson has pledged to put forward cash to keep the Flying Scotsman locomotive in the UK.

Sir Richard is working with the National Railway Museum in York on plans to put a "substantive" offer on the table as early as today to ensure the steam engine stays in the country.

The locomotive’s current owner, Flying Scotsman Plc, decided to put its prize asset up for sale earlier this year after delays in building a visitor centre in Edinburgh to house it.

The firm asked international property advisers GVA Grimley to hold a sealed bidding process - effectively auctioning the legendary loco.

But Sir Richard hopes the undisclosed bid will be enough to persuade the company to take it off the market.

Following the retirement of another British transport icon, Concorde, last year, he is determined to see the Flying Scotsman remain in use for another 2-300 years.

He said: "We feel very, very strongly that the train should not be allowed to go overseas and we are willing to make an offer with the National Railway Museum to the owners which I believe will be a conditional offer on the basis that it doesn’t go to tender and that there is no risk of the train going abroad.

"We will be putting our offer on the table tomorrow and we would hope that it would be substantive enough to stop it going to tender.

"Also we know that there would be enormous pressure by the public to get the government to stop it going abroad."

With more than 100 locomotives already in its collection, the National Railway Museum would be ideally placed to house the Flying Scotsman but must come up with a bid large enough to fight off wealthy foreign bidders by Friday’s deadline.

The museum’s appeal attracted more than 1,000 individual donations in the first week.

If the offer put on the table today is unsuccessful Sir Richard is likely to back a campaign calling on the government to use its powers to keep the locomotive in the country.

That strategy would mirror a move last year in his high- profile efforts to keep Concorde flying.

Sir Richard wrote to Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, urging her to impose an export ban on the planes to prevent them being flown to museums abroad.