Sarner International and Figment Productions have been appointed by the Science Museum Group to design and build a new immersive experience to coincide with the centenary of the world's most famous locomotive, Flying Scotsman.
First unveiled in February 1923, Flying Scotsman consolidated its reputation in 1934 when it was clocked at 100mph, becoming the first steam locomotive to have officially reached that speed. It came to symbolise all that is speed and style, not least because it starred in one of British cinema’s first ‘talkies’ in 1929 and the Flying Scotsman train service carried innovations such as a cinema car, cocktail bar, and hairdressing salon.
Aside from telling the story of Flying Scotsman, the new attraction will celebrate engineering brilliance and explore the science behind steam power. It will use a combination of a themed physical environment delivering an AV preshow, followed by a free-roam VR experience using the latest untethered VR technology.
The multisensory experience will demonstrate how collections can be brought to life in fresh new ways – educating and entertaining a new generation of museum visitors.
The experience is set to embark on a centenary tour of the UK before being installed as a permanent offer at the newly transformed National Railway Museum in York.
pic: © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, National Railway Museum