THE owners of Flying Scotsman say they hope their plans for the locomotive's triumphant return to the London to York line will not be affected by a "minor issue" which has led to the cancellation of an appearance this weekend.

The famous engine returned to steam earlier this month after a £4.2 million, decade-long refit and the next big milestone on this journey will be its inaugural run from London King's Cross station to Yorkshire, planned for the end of February.

Flying Scotsman had been due to make its first appearance on the UK main rail network on Saturday when it was to have pulled the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express, for The Railway Touring Company.

This is a round trip from Manchester to Carlisle and back, taking in the hills of east Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales.

But "fining tuning work on the brakes" has meant Flying Scotsman pulling out of the run.

In a statement, the engine's owner, the National Railway Museum (NRM), said: "We understand and share the public's disappointment; however this is the nature of the testing and commissioning process. We will keep you updated."

Asked if this will affect plans for the inaugural run from London next month, a spokeswoman said: "We hope that our plans for a late February inaugural run will be unaffected as the mainline test runs will take place once this minor issue in resolved."

Two weeks ago, some railway enthusiasts were in tears when Flying Scotsman emerged into the East Lancashire Railway's Bolton Street station after the final stages of its refit at a nearby yard.

The Flying Scotsman, built in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in 1923, has been refurbished after the NRM in York, bought it for £2.3 million in 2004.