Although a Welshman, it is apt that Stephen Richards is so fond of Flying Scotsman based at York's National Railway Museum. (NRM)

Mr Richards, 39, newly appointed head of creative development at the NRM is the former National displays project manager at the National Museums of Scotland (NMS) and lived in the Scottish Borders.

No stranger to iconic transportation after being involved with The Concorde Experience at the NMS Museum Of Flight, Mr Richardsis now working alongside historical rail vehicles and artefacts such as Mallard and Flying Scotsman.

His immediate priority will be to lead the team into the next phase of the forthcoming exhibition, which tells the tale of the life of his beloved locomotive, Flying Scotsman.

He said: "I am very happy to join the NRM team at this very exciting point in its development. I'm looking forward to being actively involved in the delivery of its future vision."

As head of creative development in charge of design, project management and project teams, he reports directly to the Andrew Scott, head of the Museum.

The role is one of four new jobs created at the NRM as part of a restructuring programme begun in 2003, which aimed to pave the way for more growth and development within the museum.

Mr Scott, said: "He has fantastic experience of working with popular exhibitions at leading museums, and will bring a great deal of knowledge to the museum."

Updated: 09:45 Tuesday, March 08, 2005