Flying Scotsman

HIS Majesty The King celebrated 100 years of Flying Scotsman and 50 years of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

On Monday June 12, Flying Scotsman, the world’s most famous locomotive, hauled the Royal Train into Pickering Heritage Railway Station as part of its centenary tour of the UK and to mark 50 years of North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Flying Scotsman, which turned 100 on February 24,2023, had been specially prepared for the occasion: its roof painted white and new lamps fitted to the cab, in line with the tradition of haul­ ing the Royal Train.

Judith McNicol, Director of the National Railway Museum, said: “To have Flying Scotsman haul the Royal Train in its centenary year and in the first year of His Majesty’s reign is a huge honour.

“It takes a dedicated team of people, with important heritage skills, to keep this engine running as it is the oldest steam locomotive on the main line.”

She added: “We are deeply appreciative of His Majesty’s interest in and support for our historic railways and the skills needed to maintain them.” herd of six cows will trample bracken and chomp through the dominant purple moor ­ grass that has sprung up since the fire, providing the space for native plants and heather to return, and creating habitat for newts, lizards, ground ­ nesting birds and hares.

Looking up

THE Royal Institutions for Chartered Surveyors UK (RICS) have expressed a more positive outlook for house prices, despite rising interest rates that are expected to impact buyers’ affordability. RICS’s reported that new buyer inquiries, prices, and expectations for the market were all less negative in May compared to previous months.

Despite their positive outlook for the property market, RICS warned that an increase in mortgage rates could constrain the market in the future. While new buyer inquiries registered at minus 18 per cent in May, the least negative reading in a year, the measure of house prices rose to minus 30 per cent, marking the third consecutive increase.