A LATE-NIGHT dash to borrow a crucial spring from the world-famous Flying Scotsman steam locomotive saved a major excursion to Liverpool from cancellation.

The Art in the Age of Steam train, from Scarborough to Liverpool, faced being axed after a vital cylinder spring jammed.

Without a replacement, the 71-year-old streamlined steam locomotive, No 60009 Union of South Africa, would not have been allowed to haul the train. This would have meant turning back nearly 350 passengers travelling to see the Tall Ships and the Walker Art Gallery’s acclaimed Art in the Age of Steam exhibition.

However, the A4 class Union of South Africa locomotive is a close cousin to the A3 class Flying Scotsman, currently being rebuilt at the National Railway Museum (NRM), York.

Engineers looking after the A4 streamliner contacted the NRM for help, knowing that the two locomotives shared identical cylinder springs.

NRM staff removed the Flying Scotsman’s spring and train support crew drove down from Scarborough to pick it up from York on Friday evening.

The crew then spent Friday night fitting it so that the Liverpool-bound steam train could depart on time at 6.40am Saturday. It successfully com-pleted its 440-mile round trip.

Nigel Dobbing, whose Railway Touring Company organised the special excursion, said: “Without this co-operation in the railway heritage industry, we could not have run the trip.”

This was also the launch trip for a series of steam trains from Liverpool Lime Street, organised by National Museums Liverpool and backed by the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo.

The Union of South Africa will be one of the locomotives featured with the first trip to Carlisle on Saturday, August 2, and the first to North Wales on Sunday, August 10.

A £5 discount per head is offered to Daily Post readers booking the trip, tel: 01553 661500.