A century ago, on 24 February 1923, a new steam locomotive
+
steam locomotive:
locomotora a vapor
was unveiled
+
to unveil:
estrenar
that changed British railway history. The Flying Scotsman, so called after the daily
+
daily:
tren diario
10am London to Edinburgh rail service which began in 1862, was designed by railway engineer Sir Nigel Gresley, and built in Doncaster in Yorkshire. By 1928, the train was travelling non-stop, completing the 534-kilometre route in just eight hours. The following year, it was the star of British cinema’s first talkie
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talkie:
película sonora
, a dramatic love story in which a fireman
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fireman:
bombero
saves the train from a malicious attempt
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attempt:
intento
at wrecking
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to wreck:
destrozar
it.
speed and style
In 1934, the Flying Scotsman became the first locomotive in the UK to reach
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to reach:
alcanzar
100mph (160.93 kmph). During the pre-war years, the locomotive matched
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to match:
combinar
speed with style, with innovations such as a cinema car, cocktail bar and even a hairdressing salon
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hairdressing salon:
peluquería
. During the war, it was painted black, in common with
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in common with:
al igual que
all wartime railway stock
+
railway stock:
flota de trenes
. But it returned to its signature
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signature:
característico
dark green in the post-war period.
AROUND THE WORLD
In 1963, the age
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age:
era
of steam was coming to an end
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coming to an end:
llegar a su fin
, and the Flying Scotsman was retired from service. In 1969, it ended up
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to end up:
acabar
stranded
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stranded:
varado, atrapado
in the US; its new owner
+
owner:
propietario
, the British railway enthusiast Alan Pegler, had attempted to tour
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to tour:
salir de gira
the train but had run out
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to run out:
agotar, quedarse sin
of money. The Flying Scotsman was rescued and restored
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to restore:
restaurar
in 1973 by businessman William Alpine. Sir William kept it running for twenty-three years, during which time it became the first steam locomotive to travel all around the globe.
NATIONAL TREASURE
When the Flying Scotsman once again changed hands, a campaign led by the National Railway Museum to save the train amassed
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to amass:
reunir, atraer
significant public support. With the help of a grant
+
grant:
subvención
and a £365,000 donation from entrepreneur Richard Branson, the well-loved locomotive was restored at a cost of £4.2million.
The Flying Scotsman was presented to enthusiastic crowds in 2016, having been fitted
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to fit:
instalar
with a whole new range
+
range:
gama
of components and parts
+
parts:
piezas
, along with enhancements
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enhancements:
mejoría
to allow it to operate in the 21st century. It now spends part of its time in the National Railway Museum in York as a working museum exhibit, and the rest of the time as the oldest mainline
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mainline:
línea principal
working locomotive on Britain’s tracks
+
tracks:
vías
.
