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They're nearly home!

Latest news is that the pair, being taken across the Atlantic on the cargo ship Atlantic Conveyor from Halifax in Nova Scotia, are on schedule to arrive at Liverpool Docks.

The ship will be unloaded in the early hours of Wednesday morning if all goes to plan.

The locomotives will be the last item of cargo to be unloaded, and are set to be taken off the ship at 7am on Wednesday.

A press conference headed by National Railway Museum director Steve Davies will be held on the dockside at the same time.

There is no public admittance to the docks, and members of the public will not be admitted as it is a secure area out of bounds.

It remains unclear as to when the pair will leave the docks for the Locomotion museum at Shildon, where they are to be immediately placed on public display, with free admission.

A spokesman for haulier Moveright International said it will be down to HM Customs & Excise as to when the pair will be permitted to leave.

If all goes well, the pair will move out on Thursday to begin their long journey over the Pennines to County Durham.

However, their departure could be later.

They have been borrowed from their museum homes in North America for two years in order to help the NRM celebrate sister locomotive Mallard's world steam record run 75th anniversary in 2013.

All six surviving A4s will be lined up at the NRM in York and at Shildon in 2013.

Watch this page for further updates.