THE Flying Scotsman has arrived in Bury as the finishing touches are made to the restoration of the world’s most famous locomotive.

The steam engine is being restored to its previous glory after being bought by the National Railway Museum in 2004 following a massive public appeal.

As part of the work being carried out, staff at Bury-based locomotive workshop Riley & Son (E) Ltd have been restoring the Flying Scotsman’s boiler.

The 22-strong team has spent five years working on it and hope to complete the project within six weeks.

The distinctive vehicle will then be tested on the East Lancashire Railway for people across Bury to admire.

Colin Green, work foreman, said: “I feel very privileged to have been given the project of overhauling the world’s most famous engine. Leading a team of men through the work has been brilliant.

“This is good for the East Lancashire Railway and good for Bury.”

Early in the restoration project, it was discovered that the Scotsman’s A4 boiler, which it had carried since the 1970s, needed a great deal of repair work.

So it was decided that the boiler would be sold and the train’s spare A3 boiler, which originally came from sister locomotive Salmon Trout, would be repaired and used instead.

Staff at the firm in Baron Street were tasked with overhauling the A3 boiler.

So much work was needed that they had to almost completely rebuild the boiler, using some of the original parts.

It was given a new firebox with a copper inner skin and the rivets were replaced. The steam tubes have also been replaced.

Work has almost been completed and the Flying Scotsman was unveiled in York two weeks ago to donors who supported the fundraising appeal.

And last week it arrived in Bury so the staff can make sure it is in full working order.

Mr Green said: “After seeing the Flying Scotsman unveiled in York, it’s brilliant to have it here in Bury.

“We have a whole new set of challenges now because we have to turn it into a working engine. We have to do all the tests and commissioning, so we will run it on the East Lancs Railway to make sure it is all working.“ Once the tests have been done, the locomotive will be painted apple green in the final stage of its restoration.

It will then go on display at the National Railway Museum in August and be steaming on the tracks later this summer.

And Mr Green praised the hard work of the men who have been overhauling the train’s boiler.

He said: “It’s good to see the calibre of work that these lads have produced. We have done this with a very young workforce of highly-skilled men. It is like it used to be in the days of steam.”