THE daughter of the man who saved the Flying Scotsman is heading to Dorset to ride behind the world's most famous locomotive.

The iconic 97-tonne A3 class locomotive will be hauling trains on the popular Swanage Railway for five days from Saturday, October 22 to Wednesday, October 26.

It will also be on static display at Swanage station on Thursday and Friday, October 20-21, and again from Thursday, October 27 to Sunday, November 6.

Penny Pegler will be visiting the Swanage Railway on Saturday, October 22 to ride behind the steam locomotive that her late father, Alan Pegler saved from going to scrap by purchasing it from British Railways in 1963 for £3,000.

She will be riding in a special Pullman-style observation carriage ‘Devon Belle’ Car number 14 that dedicated Swanage Railway volunteers have restored after they rescued it from San Francisco, in the United States, during 2007 where it was a static bar.

Penny said: "‘Flying Scotsman’ was a very important part of my life as a child. I was nine years old when my father came up up to my room on a snowy night in January, 1963, to say goodnight and told me, with a twinkle in his eye, that he had just bought a beautiful steam locomotive to save her from being cut up in a scrapyard.

“Over the next few years, my father and I went on many wonderful trips all over the UK with ‘Scotty’ as we called ‘Flying Scotsman’. For me, she was lovely and a special part of my family life. On many occasions, I followed my father through ‘Flying Scotsman’s corridor tender and sat in the fireman’s seat for a short while. There is nothing quite like it."

The Swanage Railway Company’s volunteer chairman, Robert Patterson, said: “We’re delighted that Penny Pegler will be very kindly visiting the Swanage Railway to ride behind the world’s most famous steam locomotive that her father saved from the scrapyard.

“We owe a great debt of appreciation and thanks to the late Alan Pegler for bravely preserving such a splendid stallion of speed which still has a very special place in the nation’s heart,” added Robert who is a volunteer station porter on the Swanage Railway."

For tickets and more information about the event visit www.swanagerailway.co.uk