It will be the first scheduled visits for the A4 Pacific class locomotive, which in its heyday travelled along the East Coast Main Line, after a secret and successful trial run last week.

Tomorrow's and Sunday's trips have been organised by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) and are due to arrive at 1.35pm on both days.

Following tests only the two journeys into Whitby were authorised to minimise the effects on the locomotive of the sharp curvature of the track at several points.

Philip Benham, the NYMR general manager, said: "This is a very important weekend in railway history.

"It will be the first and last time that Whitby will be able to welcome an iconic engine of this type.

"The town is well used to welcoming historic ships but on this occasion it will be iron and steam that will grace the centre of Whitby over the weekend."

Organisers are hoping the trip will attract residents and visitors to the town to see one of the "most iconic of engines ever to grace Britain's railways" and perhaps take the opportunity to travel on the train across the moors.

On both days, the train sets off from Pickering at midday and is scheduled to call at Levisham, Goathland and Grosmont before finally heading into Whitby at 1.35pm.

Then the departure for the return journey from Whitby is at 2pm.

Clive Rowen-Evans, the chairman of the Moors and Coast Tourism Partnership, welcomed the "excellent" news and said the event would help spotlight what the area had to offer.

He said: "A wonderful heritage railway which received the Moors and Coast Visitor Attraction of the Year Award 2007 and a superb coastal resort, which has just been awarded the Best Day Out Award from Visit Britain.

"If this isn't an excuse to embrace what we have in the sense of our history and our heritage then I don't know what is.

"It has all the hallmarks of being a great weekend."

There will be 540 return services to Whitby organised by NYMR during the summer months.