Legendary Journey with Flying Scotsman (Darlington - Stanhope Mainline Tour)
Event Summary
Friday 13th, Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th November 2026
Travel behind the legendary Flying Scotsman this November from Darlington to Stanhope on the Weardale Railway.
Step on board at the historic station of Darlington and travel along the branch line to Bishop Auckland, passing the museum at Hopetown, before continuing along the pretty preserved Weardale Railway to Stanhope and back. Relax as the rugged Wear Valley and North Pennines National Landscape scenery rolls by. Stretch your legs at Stanhope before the return journey.
Each booking is helping to keep this national icon of steam heritage operating.
Approximate Itinerary
- Departs Darlington approx 08:40, arriving at Stanhope approx 10:15. Departing Stanhope approx 11:15 arriving back into Darlington approx 12:50
- Departs Darlington approx 13:40, arriving at Stanhope approx 15:15. Departing Stanhope approx 16:15 arriving back into Darlington approx 17:45
Tour distance: approximately 60 miles return.
Flying Scotsman will lead the train in one direction, with a diesel locomotive hauling the train in the other direction with Flying Scotsman on the rear, in 'top and tail' formation.
Please note timings shown are approximate and subject to final timings being received from Network Rail near to the date. We will email the updated timings to you once they are confirmed and post them on this page too.
This service is expected to be extremely popular with many people going to see this train. Please use safe vantage points to see and take pictures of the train - stay clear of the line and do not risk your safety or that of others by trespassing on the tracks. Thank you.
Classes of Travel
Featuring comfortable seating, you can relax in style during your journey. These coaches are climate controlled with electric heating for colder weather.
Points to Note
- You may be sharing a table with other passengers. A limited number of Exclusive Table Upgrades are available to reserve the table for you. This table may be a dedicated table for 2 or a larger table for 4 with the other seats left empty.
Traditional seating in an open style interior coach, generally arranged around tables for 4. There is an on train buffet car available to purchase drinks and light snacks during the journey. These coaches are climate controlled to be comfortably heated in colder weather.
About Flying Scotsman
Built in 1923 by the London & North Eastern Railway, Flying Scotsman is one of Britain's most celebrated locomotives.
- 1928: Completed the first non-stop run between London and Edinburgh.
- 1934: Became the first steam locomotive to officially reach 100mph.
- 1968: Recreated its famous non-stop run, celebrating 40 years of service.
- 1969-1973: Toured the USA before being rescued and bought back home to Britain.
- 1988-1989: Toured Australia, becoming the first locomotive to circumnavigate the globe and setting a record non-stop run of 422 miles.
- 2004: Saved by a major National Railway Museum campaign, supported by the public and heritage funds.
- 2016: Completed its most recent major overhaul, returning to service to the delight of fans worldwide.
Weighing 97 tons and stretching 70 feet long, Flying Scotsman remains a jewel in railway history and a true icon of steam travel.
Arriving at Darlington Station
The train departs from Darlington Station. Postcode DL1 4AA
Car Parking
Darlington Station has pay & display parking facilities available. You may wish to use local bus or taxi services to arrive at the station. For more information about parking and other facilities at Darlington Station, visit National Rail.
Platform
The platform will be advertised on the departure screens usually with the word CHARTER.
You may need to show your confirmation email to gateline staff at the ticket barriers.
Our representatives will be around the station concourse or platforms to assist.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make changes or cancel your booking, please contact us as soon as possible either by email at [email protected] or by phone on 01629 380600.
Please refer to our Terms & Conditions of booking for full cancellation policy - click here.
Timings shown on this page are approximate and are subject to final confirmation by Network Rail. As soon as we have these times, we will email those with a booking with the final times and also update this page. Confirmed timings can arrive as late as 2 days prior to the tour.
As this tour is running on the National Rail network, it is dependant on other trains running on the network. Fox & Edwards Events are not responsible for the late running of the train and any costs to passengers which may occur as a result.
Should Flying Scotsman is unable to operate the train, we will endeavour to operate the tour with an alternative locomotive, which may be diesel. In this instance, a 30% refund of the ticket price will be automatically made.
Please contact us on 01629 380600 prior to booking to discuss your requirements. Unfortunately, due to the heritage nature of the train in use, we are unable to carry wheelchairs or mobility scooters.
If the tour begins from a large main line station then there are likely to be toilets, however occasionally this may not be the case. We recommend you check the National Rail website for further details.
There are toilet facilities on board the train, although these may not be suitable for those with accessibility needs.
Generally each tour will have an assisting diesel locomotive on the rear to provide electrical power to the coaches. On some tours, this diesel may lead the train in one direction for a period of time for operational reasons.
Unless explicitly stated, our railtour tickets in both classes do not include any meals. There is an on board buffet/bar for passengers to purchase refreshments and light snacks.
In order to offer the best value tickets for everyone, we're unable to offer child specific tickets. Children are welcome to travel on the full price ticket and must have a ticket at any age.
Children will be allocated a seat and are unable to sit on the knee for these journeys.
Many of these mainline tours are long journeys and full days out. Flying Scotsman regularly appears at heritage railways where child tickets are available and these journeys may be more suitable.
