About the Author

Brian Sharpe was born and bred in Peterborough situated on the East Coast Main Line north of King's Cross. He still remembers clearly the LNER Pacifics which worked the expresses on the main line through the city, although by the age of ten they had been replaced by the new diesels. The sight of A3 Pacific No. 4472 Flying Scotsman running light engine towards London in 1963 after its purchase by Alan Pegler was very much a sign of what the future would hold. Brian has since followed the engine on much of its travels not only in all parts of the British Isles but even on its trip to Australia. For many years a volunteer on the Nene Valley Railway, Brian's career included working as deputy editor of Heritage Railway magazine between 2002 and 2018.