HUNDREDS of people lined the platform at Oxford Parkway yesterday to welcome the nation’s favourite steam train.

Train enthusiasts as well as curious observers from across Oxfordshire fought to catch a glimpse of the Flying Scotsman as it pulled in.

The famous train, built in 1923, left London Paddington at 12.22pm yesterday and after passing through Bicester Village stopped at Oxford Parkway for twenty minutes to soak up the adulation of those on the platform.

Father and son Les and Mark Oliver made the trip from Long Hanborough to soak up the nostalgia and recall their family connection with steam.

The 91-year-old’s grandfather George Foster was a driver on The Royal Scotsman steam train in the 1920s and 30s and once transported King George V.

He said: “It really brought back very good memories for me of when my grandad used to drive steam trains.

“I would lie in bed and here them go past the window and wondered if it was him.

“To hear and see the train approaching gave me a chill down my back.”

His son Mark, 58, from Long Hanborough, said: “It was magnificent and a very nostalgic moment to see the steam train pulling in.

“It’s amazing that it attracts so many people, I think it’s a combination of the machine itself and the engine and the history behind it and the opportunity to see it coming through Kidlington.”

The train was built in 1923 and named after the express passenger service ‘The Flying Scotsman’ which had been running since 1862.

The locomotive, retired from service in 1963, has been restored several times since most recently in 2016.

Yesterday’s train was a special tour from London Paddington to Oxford then back through Didcot, Reading and ending at London Victoria.

Oxford Parkway was one of only four places the train stopped - and for 20 minutes - drawing in big crowds.

Ian Fergusson, from Marston, travelled on the train as a youngster and came to see it once more.

The 70-year-old said: “It’s been 60 years since I travelled on the Flying Scotsman and I had to come and see it when heard it was going to pass through so close by.

“It’s amazing to see so many people have come to see it.”

The next generation were also introduced to the wonders of steam.

Paul Hooper, from Carterton, brought his two-year-old son Ollie along.

He said: “It’s something you don’t see everyday and it’s a part of UK history - Ollie loves trains he takes his Thomas the Tank Engine with him everywhere and he’s really enjoyed the day.”

The famous train will be at Didcot Railway Centre for three days from August 26.