Flying Scotsman

What Flying Scotsman does

Flying Scotsman is a historic A1-class steam locomotive built in 1923 and owned by the National Railway Museum in York (part of the UK Science Museum Group), with a secondary site at Locomotion in Shildon. The locomotive is publicly framed as the world's most famous, and in 2023 it completed a £4.2m restoration and celebrated its centenary with the exhibition 'Flying Scotsman: 100 Years, 100 Voices'. Its underlying technology is the original steam-era mechanical platform augmented by a modern VR Experience used for immersive on-site exhibition, rather than any digital software product. Its commercial activity is structured around three revenue streams: commercial hire for TV, film and advertising handled through the museum press office; merchandise sales (prints, gifts, duvet sets, teddy bears, and the Flying Scotsman Blueprint Gin co-developed with York Gin) via the Science Museum Group's online shop; and commercial print licensing through the SSPL picture library. Customer access to the locomotive itself is free at the National Railway Museum, while monetization relies on tourism footfall, episodic media hire, branded merchandise, and licensing of a century-old image archive. The asset is supported by funding partnerships with the National Heritage Memorial Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and its operating model is curatorial and nonprofit rather than venture-style.

Name

Flying Scotsman

Legal name

Flying Scotsman

Website

https://flyingscotsman.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Flying Scotsman is a 1923-built steam locomotive owned by the UK's National Railway Museum, generating revenue through commercial media hire, branded merchandise, and image licensing, and serving general public visitors, media producers, and educational groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Tourism and Museum Attractions

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Tourist/Scenic/Heritage Passenger Rail Operators (TLAFADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• Heritage railway preservation
• Museum exhibitions
• Steam locomotive tourism
• Commemorative merchandise
• Historic transport attractions

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Commercial Hire for Media Production: Flying Scotsman is available for hire for TV, film, advertising or other commercial activity. Revenue generated through licensing fees for media appearances.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of Flying Scotsman merchandise including prints, canvases, gifts, teddy bears, duvet sets, and Flying Scotsman Blueprint Gin distilled in York by York Gin.
3. Print Licensing: Commercial licensing of photography/images of Flying Scotsman through Science & Society picture library.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Flying Scotsman is a 1923-built A1 class steam locomotive, owned by the National Railway Museum, that functions as a heritage tourism asset. Its monetisable offerings include public viewing at the National Railway Museum in York (free entry), a VR Experience, the "Flying Scotsman: 100 Years, 100 Voices" centenary exhibition, commercial hire for TV, film and advertising productions, image licensing via the Science & Society picture library, and branded merchandise such as prints, gifts, and Flying Scotsman Blueprint Gin distilled in York by York Gin.

Product overview

Flying Scotsman is a historic steam locomotive offering (not a unified software product but rather a portfolio of experiences and merchandise). The core offering is the physical locomotive itself, which is owned by the National Railway Museum. Supporting this are the Flying Scotsman VR Experience (virtual reality attraction), the Flying Scotsman: 100 Years, 100 Voices Exhibition (centenary exhibition), Flying Scotsman Blueprint Gin (commemorative alcoholic beverage), and Flying Scotsman Prints and Gifts (branded merchandise including prints, toys, and homewares). These products and experiences are managed separately by the National Railway Museum and its retail partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flying Scotsman VR Experience A virtual reality experience at the National Railway Museum that allows visitors to engage with the famous Flying Scotsman locomotive in an immersive format.
• Flying Scotsman: 100 Years, 100 Voices Exhibition A museum exhibition celebrating 100 years of Flying Scotsman, featuring 100 voices and stories from across the locomotive's history. Launched for the centenary in 2023.
• Flying Scotsman Blueprint Gin A commemorative gin distilled in York by York Gin to celebrate 100 years of Flying Scotsman, sold via the Science Museum Group online shop.
• Flying Scotsman Prints and Gifts Branded Flying Scotsman merchandise including prints, canvases, teddy bears, duvet sets, and other gifts, sold through the Science Museum Group online shop and via SSPL Prints.
• Flying Scotsman Commercial Hire Commercial hire of Flying Scotsman for TV, film, advertising, or other commercial activity, arranged through the National Railway Museum press office (contact: Amy Harbour).
• Flying Scotsman Image Licensing Commercial licensing of photographs and images of Flying Scotsman through the Science & Society picture library, supplying editorial and commercial customers with heritage railway imagery.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• York GinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to produce Flying Scotsman Blueprint Gin, distilled in York, as part of centenary celebrations. Joint product development for merchandise.
• SSPL PrintsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized seller of Flying Scotsman prints and canvas artwork, offering commercial licensing of museum images.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• North Yorkshire Moors Railway: Heritage steam railway operating scheduled services through the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, with strong film/TV tie-ins (Heartbeat). Closely comparable operating model and overlapping Yorkshire tourism audience.
• Locomotion (Shildon): Sister railway heritage museum in Shildon, also part of the Science Museum Group. Closely comparable as a railway heritage museum visitor experience where Flying Scotsman itself may also be displayed.
• Severn Valley Railway: One of the UK's premier heritage steam railways, operating scheduled services over a 16-mile line. Comparable business model combining heritage steam operations, museum-style visitor experience, merchandise, and special-event ticketing.
• West Somerset Railway: Heritage steam railway operating scheduled services between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead. Closely comparable as a paid heritage steam rail experience with museum components, gift shop, and event-driven ticket revenue.
• The Jacobite Steam Train: Heritage steam train service operated by West Coast Railways between Fort William and Mallaig, popularised as the 'Hogwarts Express'. Directly comparable as a paid heritage steam rail experience targeting tourists and film/media tie-ins.
• Bluebell Railway: Heritage steam railway in Sussex operating scheduled services with significant museum and merchandise operations. Comparable as a ticketed heritage steam experience with locomotive preservation focus.
• LNER Peppercorn A1 Class 60163 Tornado: The other surviving/operational LNER Peppercorn A1 Pacific steam locomotive in the UK. Most direct functional peer: same A1 class heritage, also operated as a living museum exhibit and for heritage rail tours, and competes for the same enthusiast and heritage tourism audience.
• STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway: Railway heritage museum in Swindon operated as part of a science museum group structure. Directly comparable as a railway heritage museum site with similar curatorial, exhibit, and educational programming model.
• Didcot Railway Centre: Railway heritage centre combining a working heritage railway, locomotive restoration, and museum exhibits. Comparable as a combined heritage rail operations + museum experience in the UK.

Broad incumbents

• National Railway Museum: Parent institution of Flying Scotsman and broader museum operation. Comparable as a railway heritage museum institution with collections, exhibitions, and educational programming, but operating at a larger organisational scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/railwaymuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/NatRailwayMuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalrailwaymuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalrailwaymuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flying-scotsman

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flying Scotsman