Flying Scotsman's visit to Shropshire lets Ron see old pal

Ron Miles, of Jackfield, who went down to see The Flying Scotsman as it passed through Craven Arms, is one of the select few to have driven, if that is the right word, the loco. And he's got a certificate to prove it.

While it was something of a disappointment to Ron, armed with his high definition camera, and hundreds of other spectators that it didn't stop at the station, he says it was wonderful to see it again.

"I never filmed it passing me by, now I have," he said.

He got to drive it on March 20, 1995, when he saw the chance advertised in a newspaper while the loco was on the Llangollen Railway. It offered punters a chance to spend a day with the railway, with an opportunity to drive The Flying Scotsman thrown in for good measure.

"I don't miss an opportunity if I see something exciting. That's how I came to fly Concorde." (That's another story, by the way).

Although he can't remember how much it cost, he guesses it was around £100.

"I got there for 7.30am and as far as I can remember I had breakfast on a shovel. They put it on a fire and I had eggs and bacon.

"I spent a couple of hours in the signal box and then familiarised myself with all the pieces of running stock that they had got there."

Ron was able to get an initial look at The Flying Scotsman and chat to the driver, and have a cup of tea from the footplate can.

The eight people who had responded to the advert drew lots for the order in which they would drive the loco, and Ron was last, which would mean his go was late in the afternoon.

"It meant that when I drove it towards Berwyn Halt that I was the one who parked it up – I wish I could remember what the word is for parking up a loco.

"But I put it in its siding at 5 o'clock, by which time it was dark."

He had to learn the ropes, keeping a good lookout, releasing the brakes and operating the regulator and whistle.

"You have to study the gauges and find out if the temperatures are correct for the steam. There are other gauges you have to consult too, and you have to look through the side windows to make sure that there's nothing in the way, which is most important.

"The best thing of all is that you are sitting on a wooden bench and look out of the gap at the side and look down at the ground and can see the ground move beneath your feet."

You cannot just chuck the coal in the fire box, said Ron, you have to hurl it 12ft to 15ft to get the fuel deep inside.

"You have to throw it a long distance because it's a very long fire. I drove it for about 25 minutes and fired it for about an hour.

"It was marvellous, a wonderful experience to have all that power at your fingertips."

Ron drove The Flying Scotsman just over 10 miles, at 25mph.

Of its visit to Craven Arms, he said there were over 2,000 people on the station there hoping to see it, but the loco was further up the track taking on water.

"It was a disappointment. We only saw the smoke for over half an hour."

He hopes to get even closer when the loco returns to Shropshire later this year.

"When it comes to Bridgnorth I shall try my damndest to get on the footplate and renew my experience."