Why the Flying Scotsman locomotive crashed in Highlands leaving two people injured

The world’s most famous locomotive crashed into a luxury train, injuring two people, because the driver assumed it was further away and had a restricted view, the official investigation has concluded.

The collision happened as Flying Scotsman was about to be coupled to the Royal Scotsman train on the Strathspey Railway in Aviemore last year for a trip on the heritage line to Boat of Garten.

The UK Department for Transport’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the locomotive was travelling backwards at 7mph at 6.05pm on Friday, September 29 last year, with the collision causing minor damage to its coal tender and damage to the coaches. Two people in the coaches were taken to hospital.

The Royal Scotsman train's veranda was struck by the Flying Scotsman locomotive | Lisa Ferguson/The Scotsman

Its report, published on Thursday, said: “The collision occurred because the driver was not aware of the proximity of the locomotive to the coaches and so did not control its speed accordingly.

“This was due to the driver’s view of the track ahead being limited and because, immediately before the collision, no one in the cab warned the driver that the locomotive was approaching the coaches. The driver’s expectation, based on previous experience, was that the coaches would be located further away from the approaching locomotive.”

The RAIB also said the Strathspey Railway Company’s “ineffective management” of Flying Scotsman’s visit was an underlying factor. It recommended the company ensured the risks of visiting trains were “identified, assessed and mitigated”.

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The investigators said there were six people in the locomotive’s cab, contravening the company’s rules, but there was no evidence the driver and fireman had been distracted. It said a second learning point was the importance of train crew maintaining an effective lookout.

The RAIB said a passenger had reported briefly losing consciousness after clashing heads with another passenger in the observation coach that was struck. They were taken to hospital by ambulance for further checks.

A member staff from Royal Scotsman owners’ Belmond was also taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. Both were discharged later that evening. The impact also caused at least one person on the veranda of the observation coach to fall to the floor.

A spokesperson for the Strathspey Railway said: "We have fully engaged with the Investigation carried out by the RAIB and accept the findings of the report. The learning points in the report have already been addressed and work to deliver the intent of the one recommendation is in hand."