A BUSINESSMAN and steam enthusiast who spent three years restoring the iconic Flying Scotsman locomotive has died at the age of 55.

Tributes have been paid to Dr Tony Marchington, who paid more than £1m for the famous LNER Class A3 4472 steam locomotive in 1996.

Dr Marchington, who died in hospital on October 16, was widely credited with helping to save the Flying Scotsman for the nation.

He led an extensive and costly restoration of the engine, which was eventually bought by the National Railway Museum, in York, in 2004, following a high-profile national campaign.

Under the ownership of former ICI executive Dr Marchington, the Flying Scotsman made its return to steam in 1999 on the East Coast Main Line, between King’s Cross and York.

Geoff Courtney, who worked closely with Dr Marchington on publicity for the Flying Scotsman, described him as a “larger-thanlife character and a showman in every sense of the word”.

Mr Courtney added: “When he heard the Flying Scotsman was facing an uncertain future, he didn’t hesitate to step in to purchase it.

“A lot of people would say that, if it wasn’t for him, the loco wouldn’t have returned to mainline steam.

“The world of railway preservation owes him an awful lot.”

Speaking in 1999, ahead of the Flying Scotsman’s muchanticipated return, Dr Marchington admitted the restoration process had been daunting.

He said: “There were many sceptics who doubted my determination and financial ability to complete the task.

“I must admit it was a daunting prospect, but there was no way I was prepared to let this magnificent example of Britain’s railway heritage fade away.”

The locomotive was built in Doncaster in 1923, to the design of celebrated rail mechanical engineer Sir Nigel Gresley.