The Flying Scotsman is coming to the county for a “much-anticipated” visit this week.

The historic steam locomotive, which has travelled the world, bankrupted owners and “thrilled the masses” will be coming to the Bluebell Railway in Uckfield on Wednesday, August 23, for a unique visit.

The express train, which was built 100 years ago in 1923, used to travel at 80 miles an hour from London to Scotland on the East Coast Main Line.

Now owned by the National Railway Museum, the locomotive will be at the Bluebell Railway for a week and a half for visitors to see and lucky ticketholders to ride on.

The Argus: The Bluebell RailwayThe Bluebell Railway

“We are delighted that the Flying Scotsman will fly south to visit us from August 23 to September 3,” said Paul Churchman, chairman of the Bluebell Railway

“An event like this creates a buzz of excitement for our hardworking employees and volunteers and we look forward to welcoming the thousands of ticket holders who are all keen to get close to arguably the most famous and iconic steam locomotive in the UK and probably the world."

The event was due to be held in 2022 but many ticket holders decided to keep their bookings and wait more than a year to experience the “giant of steam”.

The locomotive had to undergo some improvement work and it is now in “great condition” for its centenary year celebrations.

This will not be the Flying Scotsman’s first visit to the Bluebell Railway and the last event in 2017 was “a huge success”, with people travelling from far and wide to glimpse the famous locomotive.

The Flying Scotsman will be running non-stop return trains from Sheffield Park Station to East Grinstead Station on regular services and special dining trains.

The Argus: The Flying Scotsman when it visited BournemouthThe Flying Scotsman when it visited Bournemouth

These services are now sold out, but tickets for other trains during the event where you can hop on and off at stations to see the Flying Scotsman as it passes and for the static event where the Flying Scotsman will be on display in light steam are still available.

There are also visits available during the static display event where visitors can see the heart of the vehicle via the corridor tender and speak to crews to find out what driving the “giant” is really like.