IT WAS the end of the line for this A4 locomotive in 1966 as it made its final run from Glasgow's Buchanan Street Station to Aberdeen.

The city's trainspotters were out in force, and even on the tracks, to record their own little bit of railway history.

The streamlined locos, designed in 1935 by Nigel Gresley, were the last word in speed. On 3 July 1938, 4468 Mallard; the first of the A4 class to enter service, set a world speed record of 126mph.

This loco, The Bittern, was the last A4 in service, hence the huge crowd for her last return trip to the North East.

After withdrawal most were sold abroad or broken up, but all of the six remaining A4s, including the Mallard and The Bittern were recently on show at York's National Railway Museum to mark the 75th anniversary of that record-breaking run.