IT wasn’t so much the night mail crossing the border but more a grand old lady powering across the Exminster marshes.

Rail enthusiasts, and indeed normal mortals too, turned out in their thousands across Teignbridge to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Flying Scotman as she powered through the area.

The ton-up locomotive, who is celebrating her own ton this year, was passing through the area on route to Cornwall as part of a series of centenary tour specials across the UK.