A FORMER boss of the National Railway Museum has hit out at the “awful” management of the Flying Scotsman restoration.

Andrew Dow, who was head of the NRM in the early 1990s, has spoken out about the stalled restoration project, which began in January 2006 and was scheduled to last one year and cost about £750,000.

The museum has spent £2.89 million so far, and an independent engineering report earlier this year identified that further repairs were needed at substantial cost. A tender for the work was issued yesterday.

Mr Dow claimed the project was soaking up millions that would otherwise have gone towards the maintenance and restoration of the whole collection.

He said: “As a result, the whole of the museum is suffering for one piece in the collection and that can’t be right. I realise that there is an etiquette which ordinarily prevents senior office holders from criticising their successors. I am only doing so on this occasion because the problems with the Flying Scotsman and the mismanagement which brought them about are so awful.”

A museum spokeswoman said: “We are open about the fact there have been a number of issues and challenges associated with the restoration of Flying Scotsman.”

Meanwhile, the museum is celebrating a major addition to its archives with the gift of further papers from one of the most comprehensive railway family archives in the country. The great great grandson of Timothy Hackworth has given it letters such as 1820s correspondence with George Stephenson.


• Meanwhile the National Railway Museum has launched its search for a new director.

In an advertisement in a national newspaper, it said it was looking for candidates with a “successful track record of leadership, combined with the vision, intellect and energy required to head a world-class museum.”

It says the new director will develop new funding streams, engage new audiences and seek to nurture innovation.

The closing date for applications is May 15 and the successful candidate will take over in November from acting director Paul Kirkman, who was seconded to fill the role following the departure of Steve Davies last autumn.