By Nick Pigott
IN a scenario worthy of his flamboyant lifestyle, the remains of Flying Scotsman saviour Alan Pegler were scattered in the firebox of his beloved locomotive as it stormed up Stoke Bank on October 13.
The extraordinary send-off had been Alan’s personal request and was fulfilled by his daughter Penny Vaudoyer, who carefully placed her father’s ashes onto a firing shovel between Essendine and Little Bytham, close to the point at which ‘Scotsman’ had become the first steam loco to officially achieve 100mph in 1934.
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As the ashes went through the ‘A3’s’ double chimney into the sun-dappled Lincolnshire countryside, a prolonged blast on the whistle invited the train’s 478 passengers to drink a toast to the businessman, who in 1963 had saved the Gresley Pacific from the scrapyard, and set it on course to become the world’s most famous locomotive.
It was a highly emotional moment for those on board, especially for Mrs Vaudoyer’s family and friends, several of whom had travelled from France, where she now lives.
Read more in the November issue of The RM – on sale now!
