Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Virgin train blocks trainspotter's view of the Flying Scotsman - he gets US trip as apology

'We feel bad for that photobomb! I hear Atlanta, Georgia has a super busy rail network! Fancy a trip courtesy of Virgin Atlantic?'

Matt Payton
Friday 26 February 2016 20:28 GMT
Comments
Man misses Flying Scotsman

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

An avid trainspotter was waiting to catch a glimpse of the the restored Flying Scotsman to go past through a Lincolnshire village.

As this video shows, a Virgin train service passed him at the exact same time obscuring the "most famous train in the world" from view.

Ryan Allen, a leakage technician for Anglian Water, had found himself a perch in Little Bytham so he could video the Flying Scotsman - but ended up capturing the commuter train.

He posted the video on Twitter alongside the caption: "I had a feeling this would happen."

Virgin responded to him saying: "We feel bad for that photobomb! I hear Atlanta, Georgia has a super busy rail network! Fancy a trip courtesy of Virgin Atlantic?"

Mr Allen told the Evening Standard he's "over the moon" and will take his partner of 18 years with him on the trip.

He said: "When people were tweeting about the tickets I thought it was a wind-up.

"I sent it to my mates on Facebook and they thought it was funny, so I posted it on Twitter.

"My phone has been vibrating that much with retweet notifications I had to turn it off as I was at work."

Virgin Train's Richard Salkeld said: "We thought it was a nice thing to do because he was obviously very disappointed.

"We're informed that train spotting is in the top 20 of things to do in Atlanta.

"There are 5000 miles of track, so it seemed like the obvious destination to offer to Ryan."

Flying Scotsman soon became the star of the British railway system after being built in 1923
Flying Scotsman soon became the star of the British railway system after being built in 1923 (AFP/Getty Images)

The Flying Scotsman was the first steam engine to reach over 100mph in 1934.

Retired from service in 1963, the Flying Scotsman was returned to the tracks in January after a decade-long restoration project costing £4.2 million.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in