The Flying Scotsman – one of the world’s most famous locomotives – is about to return to the rails after more than a decade of inactivity.

The engine, which retired from fulltime service in 1963, has undergone a restoration for the National Railway Museum in York, UK, at a cost of £4.2m (US$6.1m, €5.6m).

Following low-speed tests to be run along the East Lancashire Railway, the Scotsman will be riding the rails of the heritage line on the weekends of 9-10 January and 16-17 January in a dedicated steam preview event. On 23 January the train will conduct a mainline test, travelling from Manchester to Carlisle.

The Scotsman gained worldwide fame after its debut at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition in London. In 1928 the train carried out an unheard of engineering feat by hauling a non-stop service from London to Edinburgh. Most famously the train earned its place in the record books when it became the first steam locomotive to travel at 100mph (160kmph).

The train is still to be repainted ahead of a journey from London King’s Cross to York in late February, when public services will begin alongside an exhibition at the National Railway Museum.