FANS of the famous Flying Scotsman are being urged to keep off the tracks when the locomotive starts its tour of the North York Moors this weekend.

It returned to the East Coast Main Line after a 10-year, £4.2million refurbishment by the National Railway Museum last month with an inaugural journey from London King’s Cross to York, greeted by thousands of people lining the route.

However, the day was marred by several dangerous incidents of trespass – where spectators were seen walking along the tracks and taking photographs of the Flying Scotsman as other trains passed on opposing lines.

Photographs shared online showed crowds of people, including children, stood in the path of oncoming trains with their view obscured by plumes of steam and smoke from the Scotsman.

All trains on the East Coast Main Line had to be stopped as a result, causing a combined total of over eight hours of delays to 59 train services, costing the railway almost £60,000 in compensation.

On Saturday (March 12) the Scotsman starts an eight-day tour of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) at Grosmont, with Network Rail, British Transport Police (BTP) and the NYMR warning visitors not to stray onto the tracks.

Emrys Warriner, of Network Rail, said the photographs of people stood on the tracks were “deeply worrying”

She added: “I cannot stress enough how dangerous it is to go onto the railway without permission, as well as being illegal.”

BTP Inspector Bob Moody said: “The behaviour of some people during the Flying Scotsman’s inaugural journey from London to York last week was simply not acceptable.”

He added that rail trespassers could be brought before the courts and fined up to £1,000.