THE Flying Scotsman could be withdrawn from service - only a week after its first passenger journey since being saved for the nation.
Bosses from the National Railway Museum in York, which bought the locomotive for £2.59m earlier this year, say the engine may need a major overhaul. It broke down on a level crossing near York city centre, on Tuesday.
Passenger runs between York and Scarborough have been cancelled for the rest of the week while engineers investigate.
Museum head Andrew Scott said an overhaul of the steam engine was planned for 2006, but it had been hoped to keep it running until then.
He said: "We are acutely aware that we owe it to the public and the railway industry to only operate Flying Scotsman if it can be reliable."
Mr Scott defended the purchase of the locomotive, using donations from the public and Sir Richard Branson, plus a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
He said: "Whether or not Flying Scotsman was in peak condition would not have affected our decision to acquire it."
Published: 29/07/2004
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