Julie-Flying-Scotsman

The Flying Scotsman locomotive toured extensively in the United States and Canada (from 1969 to 1973).

The following personal account of that trip was written by Julie Camden Field

Julie and the Flying Scotsman-001

I was working doing a promo for ‘Kerry Gold’ butter up and down Kings Road, which was in those days my stamping ground. In this instance I was hoping no one I knew would see me. I had a temporary uniform, a gold lame dress, emerald green cloak lined in gold and gold high heels: I must have look a fright!!!!I took a coffee break and got a copy of the Stage and an Evening Standard when a small ad caught my eye. Twelve girls wanted for USA trade show. Ah! ha! I thought, that will do me, so I rushed off to a phone box and rang the number. Luckily I got through as the number was jammed for three days. They invited me for an interview that afternoon, and I put the phone down punching the air in excitement. I then realized there was no way I could turn up in gold lame, knowing the American view of things, I dashed home.

I was up in West Hampstead and changed into my favourite suit, a pale yellow miniskirt and fitted jacket, and dashed back to the Kings Road. I had the number but not the name of the building which turned out to be one of the top clubs of the day. There were girls of every shape and size. Gulp! Well, put on a brave front I thought, as I joined the end of a long queue. My name was called and I faced a line-up of male interviewers. They explained that this English millionaire had bought the Flying Scotsman train and wanted to take it on a self-funded trade show all down the eastern seaboard of America. Wow, what a trip! Why did I think I was what they were looking for? They asked. Well I stammered, I was a stewardess on United Airlines. I got no further, I was in! Phew! A piece of cake! I had never had such an easy interview.

I went home euphoric. The trip was for six weeks and the next few weeks were spent getting visas etc. I was okay as I had a permanent one for the United States from my days as an air hostess. We got loads of publicity and photos. My mother later rang me one morning, something she never did as she hated phones, to tell me that she and my aunt had seen a photo in the Telegraph of someone who looked just like me, but of course it couldn’t be, as this person was perched on the engine of a red London bus. I cleared my throat and said “well actually Mum, it was and still is me”, and went on to explain. She sniffed and said “wasn’t it time I stopped all this ‘gadding’ around the world and settled down”?

A lovely man called Alan Pegler had bought the train which was shipped over to the USA. Sponsered by the Labour Government he had managed to get several British companies to take space on the train. Irish Linen, one of the High street banks, a whisky company, HP sauce and various others. He also shipped over, I think, one London bus, a black taxi cab and finally us.

We were all presented with what passed as a uniform, red tartan mini kilts. I got the feeling of deja vu. White Boots this time round and white tops. These went down a storm with the Americans, just as our Caledonian uniform had, so I should not have been surprised at their reaction and luckily this time round the kilts were made of a lot less material.

The railway tracks in America had been laid by an Englishman, so we were all right. We were going the length of the eastern side of the States, leaving out Florida in order to include Dallas and Houston. We were going to tie up with the major cities and their stores, but we were totally unprepared for the crowds of TV photographers and newsmen that followed us like we were royalty. Did it go to our heads? A little, if I am honest.

We kicked off in Boston: Puritan colonists from England founded the town which became the political, financial and religious centre of New England. The American Revolutions kicked off from here, hence the Boston Tea party. Patriots retaliated at the battle of Bunker Hill and won the siege of Boston. During the era of slavery, the city was dominated by Brahmins who came up against the political challenge of the Irish. This culminated in the catholic Kennedy family taking political control of the city in 1900. We only had a few days in this lovely city where we were welcomed by everyone we came across but we had a schedule to adhere too.

In New York we were located in Macey’s department store. The London bus was located outside Grand Central Station, one of the black taxi cabs was outside the store and the other one cruised around advertising us. The store was fun but really hard work. We set up like a market store and our sales pitch was pretty much the same. We got a lot of picketing from the pro-Irish but we sold most of our goods. We did not have a lot of free time but we got to the Metropolitan Museum, up the Statue of Liberty, round Staten Island on the ferry and for old times’ sake a carriage drive round Central Park.

We had a splendid pipe Major (bagpipes) who used too pipe us in everywhere we went in full Scottish regalia and for some reason a poor fellow in full ancient armour who had to be lifted on and off the train as he was unable to move. We also had a wonderful barman who taught us how to make ‘killer’ Bloody Mary’s, which were invaluable after late nights and early mornings. We also had John Spencer Churchill on board. He was a beautiful painter and he set up and exhibited some of his paintings in the stores we tied up with. After dinner he would sometimes stand up and do the famous ”We will fight them on the beaches” speech. Anyone coming in during this would a double take.

Regretfully, we had to move on to our next stop, Philadelphia. Here our base was a lovely elegant old fashioned store called Strawbridge and Clothier, named after the two Quakers who founded it in 1886. Philadelphia was a very sophisticated and cultural city with a lot of high society people who were all very keen to see who could throw the most lavish party. The one that shines was thrown by Grace Kelly’s brother. It was amazing, and was the first that most of us came face to face with a floor to ceiling champagne fountain.

John was exhibiting at the store and had been invited on to a late night radio chat show. All the great and the good were gathered round when the interviewer asked a rather impertinent question. After a long pause came a rather risqué answer (neither of which are repeated here). The hapless chap then went on to ask one of us girls, what we wore under our kilts. Quick as a flash she replied – Mink of course. We all collapsed amid high dudgeon from our hosts. We were ushered out quickly and put in cabs back to the hotel where we had fewer rooms than usual, so more people to a room, but we didn’t mind. It added to the fun.

The Liberty Bell was something everyone wanted to show us. It originally cost £150 and 13 shillings when first commissioned and this included insurance. Made of 70% copper, lead, zinc and other metals, the strike note we were reliably informed was ‘E’ flat. All too soon it was time yet again to hit the rail track. We still had and ever increasing crowd of followers including lots of children.

Most had never seen a steam train before let alone been on one. Alan was marvellous with them. He would stop the train and hordes of children would swarm all over it, and Alan would let them see the engine and he would blow the whistle for them, which was great fun. These stops meant we were usually late arriving everywhere, but what pleasure he had given to all those children. I doubt they ever forgot it.

Finally, we chugged into Baltimore, which had been granted this title by King Charles 1st was established in 1729, attracting many Germans to the area so there are still several religious groups dating back to this time. We were hardly settled in when it seemed time to leave and steam our way down to Washington DC where we had a ball. I was really lucky and met someone who had actually worked with J F Kennedy and he showed me some very precious photos of the two of them, one at a basket ball game.

We did not have time to get down to Richmond, which is where all the wealthy people used to live, as we had other fish to fry. Also we were kept very busy with invitations coming in daily and we were very spoilt. After Baltimore we got a bit of a rest as we travelled southwards, passing lots of small places where whole towns came out track-side to wave as we passed by.

Our next big stop was not until we got to Atlanta, where we stayed in a fabulous hotel with a glass elevator that we all thought was the ‘bee’s knees’, as we had never seen anything like that at home. Atlanta was a real mixture, but exciting, and we had to be careful where we went as there was still segregation in those days. I well remember at an airport in the south seeing a drinking fountain marked white and another one market coloured. I put my foot right in it by asking what on earth it meant. How could you have coloured water? But then to me the Americans could have anything!!

One of our group got quite badly beaten up walking home late but there were good times too. There was a part of Atlanta that was underground called just that ‘Underground Atlanta’. It was built along the old railway lines, and it came alive at night, with bars and clubs and restaurants. We caused quite a stir when we all went on invitation to this club dressed in our kilts. We all got up on stage and joined in the dancing.

As we had entered the club we had all been given a pint glass full of peanuts, and when we started to eat them the waiter said – ‘Oh no mam, you throw them at the musicians’. Wonderful! It was a Dixieland jazz band and we danced literally till we were thrown out.

The next day the owner phoned to say the whole street had turned up at his club the following evening to see us and would we like to repeat the performance before we left? It would have been rude not to accept so we obliged. Unknown to us there were several talent scouts in the club and most of us were offered jobs which we politely declined.

Fs-Julie_Camden-Field2-300

We were sorry to leave this unsettled city but our trip on the Flying Scotsman continued and we somehow got involved in a steam train rally outside Birmingham, which again was great fun and we were treated like royalty. Everyone took our photos and I remember us all doing Scottish reels to the amusement of the crowds. I corresponded with a young girl there who had learning problems. The family actually invited me over to stay with them but eventually we lots contact, which was a pity.

We just had three more stops to make on our trip. We had all become very fond of the Flying Scotsman and of course we revelled in all the attention we were getting, but nothing prepared us for the Texas hospitality we were about to encounter.

Our initial reaction was, to be truthful, not what we expected. Simply everyone wanted to take us past the spot where JFK was so tragically mown down. We couldn’t understand it and found it rather morbid. Everything carried grim reminders. There were tins of food, clothing, souvenirs, you name it-everything had a photo on it.

Dallas was the home of the most prestigious and expensive store in the country, Neiman Marcus. I felt a bit like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s with my nose pressed up against the windows and not being able to afford a single thing!

We were invited to a game of American Football. The local heroes ‘The Dallas Cowboys’ were in town. It was a real experience and a total mystery to us but we enjoyed it all the same. A Texas oil magnate threw a lavish party for us. He was a real train buff and had a working railway in his back garden. We drove up this dusty road and just like in the TV series and there was an identical ranch style house but inside wow! Every conceivable piece of wall space had a piece of art or mobile on it and by art I mean real valuable art. There was a large local dixieland band playing and the obligatory champagne fountain as centre piece.

For some reason or other we were all in a couple of rooms at a very plush hotel. Sleep was not high on the agenda but being young we muddled through. Our barman’s bloody mary’s helped.

We were understandably reluctant to leave, but leave we did and our next stop brought back happy memories. In Fort Worth Texas, home of the rodeos, we were again invited and arrived in our kilts piped by our trusty piper and were welcomed over the loud speakers as being from ‘little old England’, with as glowing and somewhat exaggerated explanation about the Flying Scotsman. Needless to say we got a massive cheer from the crowd who then descended on us wanting to have their photographs taken with us all.

Sadly, we only stayed the one night and then on to our last port of call Houston, another oil rich city which had hospitality honed to a fine art form. At that time, the Petroleum Club was the only place to be seen in. We were of course invited there for a really lavish do, to say the least. As usual we wore our kilts and were ushered into the great dining hall led by our Pipe Major. I have to admit we could hardly keep a straight face. We were officially welcomed to Houston and a lot of cheering went on, with the usual tremendous hospitality.

One invite I will always remember. A lady got in touch and said “I expect you all would like a real home cooked meal after all your travelling”. Well, she did us proud. A whole thanksgiving dinner finished off with homemade apple pie and ice cream. Not only that but she also invited us back. Not the sort of lady you would expect to do the cooking herself, but she did.

Finally, our railway adventure came to an end. The plan was to take the Flying Scotsman over to the west coast, but unfortunately it never happened. When the Conservatives came to power, they withdrew the sponsorship. As a result, it bankrupted Alan Pegler, and the loco and train got stranded in USA.

In 1973, William McAlpine was persuaded to purchase the engine, and it was returned to the UK. The Flying Scotsman now resides in the railway museum up in York and has just completed its restoration.

It was the end of an era for me, but not the end of the Flying Scotsman.

©Julie Camden Field / Steam Library Limited

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A3_4472_Flying_Scotsman

http://www.nrm.org.uk/flyingscotsman/about.aspx

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-flying-scotsman-prepares-for-the-usa

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/extra-flying-scotsman-leaves-for-usa

http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-alan-pegler-obe-businessman-1-2193109