ONE of the country’s most renowned heritage railways is about to celebrate a major milestone in its history in real style.

Next year the North York Moors Railway will be marking the 50th anniversary of the formation of its charitable trust – and setting the birthday wheels in motion will be the loco Royal Scot.

Built in 1927, she was the first in a new breed of steam locomotives, made by the LMS for their fastest passenger services from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.

She was then rebuilt by British Railways in 1950 and went on to serve another 12 years in traffic on the West Coast Main Line before being retired in October 1962.

After a major overhaul Royal Scot returned to steam in September 2015 – and will be travelling through the North York Moors from March 25 to April 2.

The railway’s general manager Chris Price said: “We are so excited for the arrival of Royal Scot and can’t wait for our visitors to see it in person. It’s always a special occasion when such an iconic locomotive arrives at our platform and we know it’s going to be a week to remember and is the perfect way to start spring.”

Tickets for Royal Scot are now on sale, with adult prices starting from £30 and children £15, with a family ticket for two adults and two children) available for £64.

For further information or to pre-book tickets online visit nymr.co.uk /Royal-Scot