GRANDMOTHER Julie Slater has had an emotional re-union with the locomotive in which her father rocketed to fame.

She travelled up from her London home to the National Railway Museum in York for a close-up look at the world record-holding Mallard.

The museum is currently celebrating the 75th anniversary of the loco’s 126mph run in 1938 – a steam speed record which has never been surpassed.

Eighty-five year-old Mrs Slater’s father Harry Croucher was a guard with the LNER and was on board when Mallard hurtled into the record books.

And, accompanied by her own children and grandchildren, Mrs Slater visited the museum to see the loco her father once rode united with its five surviving sister engines.

“I feel overwhelmed that I’m here,” she said. “Now I can let everyone know who my father was.”

Harry Croucher features on the now legendary picture of the Mallard crew that was taken at Peterborough in the wake of the record-breaking run.

The museum’s associate curator Bob Gwynne said: “There is absolutely no doubt that the man in the family photos Julie provided is the same man as in the picture taken of the record-breaking crew at Peterborough. He looks like he found it quite a hair-raising experience.”

He added: “It is family stories like this that brings our spectacular collection of railway vehicles to life and we are interested in talking further with Julie about her memories of her father.”