The National Railway Museum (NRM) in York has launched an appeal to raise £250,000 to complete the restoration of the iconic Flying Scotsman locomotive.

The locomotive was acquired by the NRM in 2004 and has already undergone extensive work to restore the boiler in a bid to return the vehicle to full working order. It is hoped that the 'Steam our Scotsman' campaign will help return the locomotive to the track. The NRM's curator of rail vehicles, Jim Rees, said: "Too often, financial constraints lead to the use of 'short-term fixes', with locomotives being repaired with no more foresight than the next seven or ten years of certification; the very opposite of our own aims and ambitions for the Flying Scotsman.

Rising copper prices and the poor condition of the locomotive's boiler has resulted in the restoration scheme costing more than was anticipated, which is the reason why the NRM has launched this latest fundraising appeal.