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Air Date:
25th March 2008
These are the stories they tell...
A bright blue pacific, of class A3 arrives at the yard
– his name is Flying Scotsman, but he prefers to be called Scott – and is rather put out when
he discovers he is not as famous as he thinks he is! Then Sir Ralph arrives – and leaves in terror at the sight
of Scott! To which, a mystery beckons for the engines...
Analysis:
It was inevitable, given the nature of the series, that
a Gresley pacific other than a streamlined A4 pacific would appear, and who else other than the world famous Flying Scotsman
could it be? The fact of the matter is, it wouldn't be a series about the “End of the London and North Eastern Railway”
without 4472, which epitomises everything about the Eastern Region of British Railways – an iconic locomotive that was
presented with a twist here.
First and foremost: Scott himself. The model seen in
the original trailers will be seen right at the end of the series, as the original model for Scott was the 1964 form, with
smoke deflectors, double chimney, and green livery. The model we see in this episode is destined to be very short lived- possibly
only one more episode after episode 10 is Scott seen in Express Passenger Blue. Scott was also to be presented differently
to the RWS version seen – here, it being 1952, Scott would be a very different character – not yet being saved
for preservation, not yet travelling to America, as it would be in real life, so it would be here: Scott was not famous at
all – and this is shown in Allen's and Tavish's reactions to his arrival. Later, when the end of steam arrived, and
a certain apple green pacific was the last steam locomotive on the main line, then, and only then, will Scott's character
be portrayed in a similar way to the RWS character – here, he is just another Eastern Region pacific, amongst the other
hundreds.
Episode Eight was markedly different from Episode Seven,
both in atmosphere and in set. The set had been re-designed for Episode Eight to accommodate the new characters who were going
to be in and around the series (for example, Scott the A3 Pacific, Arthur the A2 Pacific, and the used, but only introduced
by Episode 11, Thompson the B1...), but also for ease of access, and better filming potential. The signal gantry made
a reappearance, as did the sheds, but some new buildings cropped up – a factory, opposite the sheds, an old burnt out
shed (that would become the home of Holden the tank engine from then on), and a new set of water towers.
The use of “George” from Episode
six solved a few problems – originally, Herbert and Nigel were to have debated cricket, but Herbert's model (a Bachmann
Green Arrow model) was damaged beyond repair, and not suitable for filming. Therefore Herbert was cut from the Episode
completely, and would not return until Episode Nine, by which time another V2 model had been procured, and modified to represent
Herbert's intended double chimney prototype further.
The storyline was debated and re-written by the BRWS team many, many
times. How would Scott meet Sir Ralph? How would the confrontation scene play out? Eventually, the simplicity
of the episode was the best part of it: nothing of the “real story” (that is to say, Sir Ralph's back story)
was revealed. This story arc, which had started in the very first episode, and had been hinted at throughout the first six
episodes, with references to Sir Ralph's previous identity as Herring Gull, and the loss of his brother engine, the
former Gadwall, two such examples of a very lengthy and mysterious series sub-plot. The episode ended on two separate
lines, “no herring gulls” from Scott, and from the narrator, Simon Martin, “but for Sir Ralph, his story
is just beginning”...and of course, so was our association with the mysterious A4 Pacific...
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