Sarner International and Figment Productions have been appointed by the Science Museum Group to design and build a new immersive experience to celebrate the life of the much-cherished steam locomotive, Flying Scotsman.

The attraction is due to open in 2023 at the National Railway Museum, York and at Locomotion in Shildon County Durham. This momentous occasion will coincide with the centenary of the world’s most famous locomotive, Flying Scotsman. 

It began life in February 1923 as the Flying Scotsman consolidated its reputation in 1934 when it was clocked at 100mph, becoming the first steam locomotive to have officially reached that speed. 

Sarner describe the steam locomotive ‘came to symbolise all that is speed and style, not least because it starred in one of British cinema’s first talkies in 1929 and the Flying Scotsman train service carried innovations such as a cinema car, cocktail bar, and hairdressing salon.’

The immersive experience will document Flying Scotsman’s storied history on the tracks and ‘will celebrate engineering brilliance and explore the science behind steam power.’

A combination of a beautifully themed physical environment delivering an AV preshow, followed by an innovative free-roam VR experience using the latest untethered VR technology will be harnessed – educating and entertaining a new generation of museum visitors. 

The experience will take a voyage along its a centenary tour of the UK before being installed as a permanent offer at the newly transformed National Railway Museum in York.

Bradley Wynne, Creative Director, Sarner International: “Flying Scotsman is central to the history of railways in the UK, and it is a great joy to be able to explore this legacy in this new ground-breaking attraction. The design will set a new standard in STEM education through innovative immersive storytelling as well as world class levels of accessibility, ambitions that drive our teams at both Sarner and Figment”.

Simon Reveley, CEO, Figment Productions: “In its day the Scotsman was a celebrity – literally a movie star – and it was an engineering marvel. We think it’s fitting to celebrate its centenary using the very latest technology. We’ll be doing things with this experience that we’ve never been able to do before; exciting new techniques that have unique relevance to the museums and heritage sector. Using our own Hyphen hyper-reality platform, we’ll enable guests to ‘step inside the movie’ – seeing all aspects of Flying Scotsman’s story.