For just a brief moment, there was a sense of hushed anticipation on platform one of Carlisle's Citadel station - before the sound of the Flying Scotsman 's whistle echoed through the air, signalling the arrival of the famous steam locomotive.

The engine's arrival was part of widespread celebrations following the full reopening of the Settle to Carlisle Line after 14 long months.

Crowds of all ages - rail enthusiasts, day trippers and those who just happened to be passing - all took the opportunity to take photos of the train as it paused on the platform for 10 minutes before departing.

The sound of camera clicks soon drowned out as the valves were opened, releasing a plume of steam into the spring sky.

The Settle to Carlisle line was closed in February last year following a mammoth landslip at Eden Brows, near Armathwaite.

It prompted the start of a £23 million project, which has included the clearing of a 70m embankment, the removal of 16,000 tonnes of spoil, the laying of four kms of steel-cased piles, the pouring of 2,500 cubic metres of concrete and the installation of five one-metre thick reinforced concrete slabs and landscaping.

"It's super, in every way," Douglas Hodgins, chairman of the Friends of the Settle to Carlisle Line, said of the Flying Scotsman's arrival.

"It's great for Carlisle and Cumbria that the line has been reopened. Cumbria has suffered greatly due to the floods and it's been more than a year since trains could travel the full length of the line.

"It was never closed all the way, it remained open at first as far as Appleby and then to Armathwaite but we had problems making sure people knew that.

"All credit has to go to Network Rail and Story Contracting, who are a local company, for getting the line reopened."