FLYING Scotsman has been repaired and is set to get back on the tracks this weekend.

The legendary steam loco was taken off a planned trip from York to London yesterday afternoon after suffering a mechanical problem.

York's National Railway Museum said a diesel engine took over hauling the train on the run, and it shared the public’s disappointment at the news.

A spokeswoman said today it could confirm that the mechanical problem had now been fixed. "We're optimistic that it will be able to make this weekend's eagerly anticipated Southern runs," she said.

She added that the runs, operated by Steam Dreams, were scheduled to go from London Paddington to Salisbury, followed by another trip from Salisbury.

She said that, in order to avoid overcrowding and incidents of trespass, neither the NRM nor Network Rail were proactively issuing/publishing recommended viewing points or the timetable of when the train will be passing through specific locations.