IT IS the moment historians and train spotters have been waiting for.

Thousands of people will dig out their notebooks and pencils and head out to bridges and stations as the world’s most famous locomotive rolls full steam ahead into the county.

The Flying Scotsman, which made history in 1934 when it became the first to reach 100mph, is back on Britain’s railways after a decade-long restoration project costing £4.2 million thanks to the National Railway Museum – and its next stop is Hampshire.

Daily Echo: The route the Flying Scotsman will take through Hampshire tomorrow

But the exact details of the 93-year-old steam engine’s route are being kept secret for fears people may put their lives at risk.

It comes after crowds of people stood in the path of oncoming trains and risked getting electrocuted to take photographs during the Flying Scotsman’s inaugural journey from London’s Kings Cross to York in February.

Network Rail told how they were forced to stop all trains on the East Coast Main Line due to illegal trespassing – causing more than eight hours of delays to 59 train services costing the taxpayer £60,000 in compensation to train operators.

Daily Echo: Top facts on the Flying Scotsman

Now, as thousands prepare to line Hampshire’s tracks to catch a glimpse of the world’s oldest locomotive, rail bosses and police are urging people to keep safe and to stay off the railway lines.

Managing director Phil Hufton said: “The risks are high enough on any railway, but on a third of rail networks there is the added risk of death through electrocution. I am urging those who plan to enjoy seeing Flying Scotsman in the coming days to do so from a safe position and do not go onto the railway under any circumstances.”

British Transport Police say anyone caught trespassing and those who do could face a criminal record and a fine of £1,000.

  • The Flying Scotsman will travel from London’s Paddington station to visit Hampshire and Wiltshire on Saturday.

It will then leave Salisbury railway station at 2pm and travel through Dean, Mottisfont and Dunbridge, Romsey, Redbridge, Millbrook, Southampton Central, St Denys, Swaythling, Southampton Airport Parkway, Eastleigh and Chandlers Ford, heading back through Romsey and Mottisfont and Dunbridge before arriving back at Salisbury for about 4pm.