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One of the world’s most famous steam locomotives will make a stop in Bristol today (Monday, October 8).

Flying Scotsman, the first locomotive in the UK to clock 100mph, is scheduled to arrive at Bristol Temple Meads sometime in the afternoon after departing Exeter at 3.30pm.

But organisers are keeping exact details of the iconic locomotive's visit to the South West a secret in a bid to keep train enthusiasts out of harm's way, reports Somerset Live.

(Image: Steve Parsons/PA Wire)

They are worried that, such is the appeal of the train, too many people may try to get too close to the railway line to catch a glimpse - jeopardising the safety of them and others.

These are the best places to see the Flying Scotsman in Bristol.

However according to UK Steam info it will leave Exeter at 3.09pm, passing through Taunton just before 4pm, Bridgwater at 4.10pm, Worle Junction at 4.27pm and arrive at Bristol Temple Meads at 4.49pm.

The West Country tour began in Taunton on October 4 before heading towards Plymouth to spend several days in Devon and Cornwall. The train will now depart back up towards Bristol Temple Meads today.

While the routes, dates and times are all known, the organisers of the steam journey of a lifetime have not released the exact times when the train will be where in certain places.

A spokesman said: "We are keeping the exact timings and locations secret to avoid overcrowding and trespassing incidents and we have been asked by British Transport Police to ensure we adhere to this."

Why is the Flying Scotsman so famous?

The train service is an express passenger train that has been running between Edinburgh and London - the capitals of Scotland and England respectively - since 1862, reports Devon Live.

Flying Scotsman was the services nickname until 1924 when it was officially designated the Flying Scotsman.

The locomotive Flying Scotsman hauled the inaugural Flying Scotsman train 392 miles (631 km) from London to Edinburgh in eight hours non-stop. The service then entered record books as the world's longest scheduled non-stop run by a train.

The following year there was a famous film called 'The Flying Scotsman'.

On 30 November 1934 the locomotive became the first steam locomotive to be 'officially recorded' at 100 mph (160.9 km/h) and she became a world record holder for speed.

The locomotive was officially retired by British Railways in 1963.

Every owner since has decided to keep the locomotive running rather than as a static exhibit - which has cost a lot of money.

Railway preservationist Alan Pegler restored her to her 1930s glory and took the locomotive on a tour of the United States.

But because of financial problems following the expensive American trip he sold The Scotsman to William McAlpine for £25,000. There were fears that it might be permanently stuck in America or scrapped.

In 1988 she made a trip to Australia for bicentennial celebrations. She made the longest ever non-stop run by a steam locomotive, travelling 422 miles in Australia.

She was bought in April 2004 by the National Railway Museum in York as part of the National Collection. After 12 months of interim running repairs, it ran for a while to raise funds for its recent 10-year major overhaul.

Now back in public hands she was bought for the sum of £415,000 with a further £365,000 from Sir Richard Branson and a £1.8m grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.