A NEW virtual reality experience at a York museum takes visitors on a journey back in time with a "world famous" steam locomotive.
The brand-new VR experience at the National Railway Museum in York celebrates one of its star objects, Flying Scotsman. In the steam locomotive’s centenary year, Flying Scotsman VR takes visitors on a journey back in time and around the world, bringing the golden age of rail travel to life.
Aimed at families and anyone with an interest in steam travel, British engineering and science, this new immersive experience takes visitors through some of the greatest moments in Scotsman’s history.
After stepping onto the locomotive at London King's Cross station in 1928, visitors will travel through time – see Scotsman being built in the workshops in Doncaster, witness the British Empire Exhibition and join the crew onboard for Scotsman’s record-breaking 100mph run.
A spokesperson for the museum said: "Commissioned by the Science Museum Group and developed in collaboration with Figment Productions and Sarner International, the experience uses free roaming VR headsets to provide a multi-sensory experience not possible in the real world, including an understanding of how steam locomotion works from inside the boiler.
"Cutting-edge technology brings Flying Scotsman's story to life, from the rumble of the engine to the wind of the locomotive at speed – and of course the heat from Scotsman’s firebox."
The celebrity locomotive embarked on its first passenger journey from the sheds at Doncaster Works in 1923. A feat of design and engineering, it was the first locomotive of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). It gained its name in 1924, when it was selected to appear at the British Empire Exhibition in London and named after the daily 10am London to Edinburgh rail service.
Families also have a rare chance to see Flying Scotsman at the museum, alongside the newly updated Flying Scotsman Story exhibition. Visitors can also experience 'Flying Scotsman: 100 Years, 100 Voices' - introducing new stories of Flying Scotsman from a human perspective.
Flying Scotsman VR forms part of a centenary programme which includes a Flying Scotsman centenary train set from lead centenary sponsor Hornby, a £2 coin from The Royal Mint, featuring Flying Scotsman in vivid colour – a rarity on £2 coins, with the last coloured £2 coin released over 20 years ago and a new children’s book by bestselling author Michael Morpurgo: Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever - which tells the story of a little girl called Iris who dreams of being a train driver when she grows up.
The National Railway Museum collection includes over 260 locomotives and rolling stock as well as coins, medals, railway uniform and equipment, documents, artwork and photographs.
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