IT IS one of the world’s most iconic and recognisable steam engines.

The Flying Scotsman will be in the county as part of a Hampshire Countryside Tour and trainspotters should get their cameras at the ready when the iconic train passes through on May 31.

This is not the first time that the Scotsman has passed through the region.

Last year, after a break of more than a decade, the world-famous train returned to the tracks following a refit costing more than £4million.

It will depart from Salisbury for a two-hour round trip in south Hampshire which will take it via Romsey and Southampton, passing through the Southampton Docks and the Solent before heading north. It will then follow the River Itchen to Eastleigh and then return to Salisbury.

The train is not expected to stop at any of the stations along the route but enthusiasts will be thrilled to see the train pass through stations along its journey.

Last year when the engine came to the south, organisers issued a safety warning to those trying to get near the tracks to see or photograph of the engine. Built in Doncaster, in 1923, The Flying Scotsman pulled the first train to break the 100mph barrier in 1934.

It was the flagship locomotive of the new London & North Eastern Railway who ensured instant celebrity status for the new star of their fleet by naming it after the express train service between London and Edinburgh.

Given the number 4472 it was seen by millions in its eye-catching apple green livery, and was heralded as a symbol of modernity following the First World War.

After the Second World War it was nearly consigned for scrap until British businessman and railway preservationist Alan Pegler stepped in and saved it during the 1960s.

The locomotive set two world records for steam traction, becoming the first steam locomotive to be officially authenticated at reaching 100 miles per hour in1934, and then setting a record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive when it ran 422 miles in 1989 in Australia.