TRAIN enthusiasts have been urged to take greater care after a man fell onto the track as the Flying Scotsman was preparing to steam off and a camera drone crashed into a carriage.

As details of the incidents on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway emerged, British Transport Police (BTP) issued a warning that anyone causing further disruptions to the legendary locomotive would face criminal proceedings.

Witnesses described how an elderly man tumbled from a platform at Grosmont packed with train fanatics ahead of Wednesday's first service of the day.

They said crowds looked on in horror as the man appeared to run out of standing room and landed on the line, ten yards from the 96-ton loco at about 9.15am.

An ambulance was called but paramedics found the man uninjured.

Photographer Steve Crown, of Middlesbrough, who was standing nearby, said: "There was no platform left for him, it wasn't like he was pushed.

"The platform was heaving with at least a couple of hundred people and the man took a step to his right."

Many of the line's team of 400 volunteers have warned people about standing too close to the track since the Flying Scotsman began running on the 18-mile line on Saturday.

The incident came days after the line's management considered closing its Pickering station to visitors on safety grounds as its platforms became packed with people trying to get a glimpse of the world record-breaking loco.

The line's head of operations, Liz Parkes, said the elderly man had got too close to the platform edge and that it was an isolated incident.

"There was no danger of him being hit by the train," she said. "We have no reason to believe that people are behaving badly. Everything has been running very smoothly, it has been a fun event for people."

BTP said they were not investigating the incident as it related to the railway's operation, but had launched an inquiry into a drone camera that crashed into a carriage pulled by Flying Scotsman on its final service between Grosmont and Pickering on Sunday, at 4pm.

Those travelling on the train on Sunday described seeing the camera drone flying alongside as it steamed southbound at 25mph.

However, the drone hit a tree and its camera became dislodged and hit one of the eight carriages behind the 1923 engine with a "loud smash".

Inspector Bob Moody urged people to find safe vantage points to view and take pictures of the train and stay clear of the line, adding that the use of drones within 50 metres of a train is an offence.

Insp Moody said: “We have identified the person responsible and officers will be speaking to them in due course.

"Not only is trespassing extremely dangerous and has previously resulted in the train’s journey being delayed, but it is an offence for which the offender risks being brought before the courts, a fine of £1,000 and a criminal record. We will be seeking to take action against trespassers on future journeys to ensure that these pass safely and free from disruption.”