Rail College named after Flying Scotsman Engineer

Sir Nigel Gresley designed the iconic Flying Scotsman and Mallard, among many others.

Network Rail said the Gresley Institute, in Doncaster, where the famous locomotives were built, would train up to 1,000 workers in the rail industry each year. The name was chosen by the public from a shortlist of four, but was a "clear winner" with 57% of the vote.

Sarah Newman, Business Change Manager at Network Rail, said the name reflected Doncaster's "proud railway legacy". "The Gresley Institute will become a cornerstone for training the next generation of rail industry professionals," she added.

The college, near Lakeside, was built to train engineers to work on HS2 high-speed railway, but was taken over by Network Rail after the scheme was partially scrapped. There are 21 classrooms across two floors, with equipment such as signalling simulators.

The competition to name the centre was organised jointly with City of Doncaster Council and attracted more than 3,500 responses. Other names suggested included Flying Scotsman House, Duddington and Bray House, and The Corridor.

Flying Scotsman was built at Doncaster Works in 1923. It broke the 100mph barrier in 1934 and holds the record for a non-stop run in a steam locomotive, set in 1989 with a 422-mile trip.

The steam speed record was later broken by the streamlined Mallard, which rocketed to 126mph in 1938.

Philip Benham, the chairman of the Gresley Society Trust, said the group was delighted to see such a clear result from the vote. "Sir Nigel Gresley lived in Doncaster for many year, and his greatest engineering achievements were created here – including his streamlined trains of the 1930s, Britain's first high-speed trains,"

Mr Benham said. "Development and innovation were at the heart of Sir Nigel's designs, so it is entirely appropriate that his name should be associated with the institute where the rail industry's future professionals will learn their skills."

This article was authored by Julia Bryson for BBC News and published under the title 'Doncaster rail college named after Flying Scotsman engineer'. It is reproduced above in accordance with section 30(2) of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988    

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