ONE of the great names from the golden age of the railways is steaming out of the public eye - just as another is about to enter it once again.

Sir Nigel Gresley, sister loco of the record-breaking Mallard, has entered the workshops of the National Railway Museum in York for its 10-yearly major overhaul.

And the £600,000 project begins as the museum gears up to celebrate completion of the huge project to restore another locomotive icon, the Flying Scotsman, with a season of special events early next year.

No. 60007 /4498 Sir Nigel Gresley, recently a popular sight on the North York Moors Railway, was named after its well-known designer, who was also responsible for the famous Flying Scotsman.

This will be the sixth major overhaul undertaken by owners The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust since it purchased the locomotive in 1966 and it is expected to take in the region of three years.

The trust's engineering team will carry out repairs to the chassis and tender while the boiler will be sub-contracted to a specialist. In addition to the boiler work, new tyres for the driving wheels are required and are already on order from South Africa.

All work will be carried out to full Network Rail standards to ensure the locomotive can continue to operate throughout the country over the following seven to 10 years.

Trust chairman Nigel Wilson said: “The decision to work at the National Railway Museum was taken primarily because of the availability of excellent engineering facilities.

“We’re also really enthusiastic about the opportunity for new generations to see our engineering team carry out a real-life restoration project via the public viewing balcony.”

He added: “It is our intention that Sir Nigel Gresley will return to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway after the overhaul along with mainline tours and visits to other heritage railways.”

The museum’s head of operations, Jim Lowe, said: “It’s great to have another Gresley-designed steam icon on our site as we get ready for our Flying Scotsman season.

“Having the restoration of such a prestigious locomotive undertaken on our site brings a wide range of benefits including enabling our visitors to see live engineering work up close.”

For more information on the Sir Nigel Gresley restoration, including a fundraising appeal, visit sirnigelgresley.org.uk. For more information about the museum’s Flying Scotsman season including booking information and prices visit nrm.org.uk/flyingscotsman/scotsman-season