It was inevitable, given the nature of the series, that a Gresley pacific other than a streamlined A4 pacific would appear, and who else other than the world famous Flying Scotsman could it be? The fact of the matter is, it wouldn't be a series about the End of the London and North Eastern Railway without 4472, which epitomises everything about the Eastern Region of British Railways: an iconic locomotive that was presented with a twist here. Having of course read the Reverend W.Awdry's "Enterprising Engines" as a child, I felt there was the opportunity to portray the Scott character in a different light.

In the 1950s, the real 4472 (by then 60103) was "just another engine" - its exploits forgotten post war, and a period of rationing meant that the racehorse became a full and proper workhouse for its new owners, British Railways. I felt having the youngest (chronologically) character, Allen (W.P Allen), be unaware of Scott's heritage would gain an intriguing insight into one of the preservation world's favourite sons.

Episode Eight was markedly different from Episode Seven, both in atmosphere and in set. The set had been re-designed for Episode Eight to accommodate the new characters who were going to be in and around the series (for example, Scott the A3 Pacific, Arthur the A2 Pacific, and the used, but only introduced by Episode 11, Thompson the B1...), but also for ease of access, and better filming potential. The signal gantry made a reappearance, as did the sheds, but some new buildings cropped up: a factory, opposite the sheds, an old burnt out shed and a new set of water towers.

The use of "George" from Episode six solved a few problems: originally, Herbert and Nigel were to have debated cricket, but Herbert's model (a Bachmann Green Arrow model) was damaged beyond repair, and not suitable for filming. Therefore Herbert was cut from the Episode completely, and would not return until Episode Nine, by which time another V2 model had been procured, and modified to represent Herbert's intended double chimney prototype further.

The storyline was re-written many, many times. How would Scott meet Sir Ralph? How would the confrontation scene play out? Eventually, the simplicity of the episode was the best part of it: nothing of the real story (that is to say, Sir Ralph's back story) was revealed. This story arc, which I had started hinting at in the very first episode, and had been hinted at throughout the first six episodes; with references to Sir Ralph's previous identity as Herring Gull, and the loss of his brother engine, the former Gadwall, are two such examples of a very lengthy and mysterious series sub-plot. The episode ended on two separate lines, "no herring gulls" from Scott, and from the ever omniscient narrator, "but for Sir Ralph, his story is just beginning"...and of course, so was our association with the mysterious A4 Pacific...