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The Belmond Royal Scotsman is a Scottish overnight luxury train, started in 1985 by GS&WR (Great Scottish and Western Railway Co.), and run since 2005 by Belmond Ltd. Its itineraries include 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7-night journeys [1] around the Scottish Highlands, visiting castles, distilleries and historic sites. Once each year, it also makes a 7-night journey around the whole of Great Britain. [2]
The first train was composed of Mark 1 sleeping cars and three vintage dining and lounge carriages. After the inauguration of the current train set in 1989, the vintage coaches have kept on running as the Queen of Scots charter train.
For the second train batch the train's former owner acquired Pullman cars, which were built in 1960 by Metropolitan Cammell for the East Coast Main Line. This train consisted of four sleeping cars, two dining cars, and one observation car .
The train's two dining cars have been replaced over the years. Dining Car 1, which used to be a Gresley kitchen car, was damaged in a shunting incident on depot and, as a wooden (Teak) bodied vehicle was deemed unsafe to continue passenger operations, it was withdrawn from mainline service. It was followed in 1992 by Pullman car Raven, acquired at the same time as the others in the train. Dining Car 2 used to be 99131, an ex-LNER SC1999 coach named Victory. It was replaced by the Pullman car Swift, which was acquired in 2011 and converted by Assenta Rail in Scotland. On 9 August 2011, the train hosted the very first wedding on an Orient Express train. [3]
Two former Mark 3 sleeping cars were added to the train in 1997 as service carriages, replacing two Mk1 coaches (99987 & 99966). One of them has also got double sleeping cabins.
Belmond acquired another Pullman coach in 2015 from CRRES (West Coast Railway Co Ltd) and again employed Assenta Rail to undertake outfitting and project management in order to create "State car - SPA". After provisional mechanical and body works at CRRES the coach was shipped to Mivan Marine in Antrim, where it was outfitted with two Bamford SPA rooms and 2 additional bedrooms (1 PRM Twin and 1 Double) with inter-connection. Upon completion the carriage was taken back to CRRES for final mechanical works and entry into the rolling stock library as 99337. The carriage entered service in September 2016.
Following an announcement in March 2023, a new accommodation category, Grand Suite, was launched in May 2024. Similar to their namesakes on the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, the two compartments feature double beds and a drawing saloon with a sofa. [4] For this a new State Car 1 was converted from another Pullman car, kitchen first 316 "Magpie". It replaced the previous State Car 1 (ex Pullman Parlour First 324 "Amber") in late April 2024. [5] For 2025, the introduction of two more Grand Suites and the abandoning of the Single cabins is scheduled. [6]
| Carriage | Current number | Former number and name | Layout [7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Observation Lounge Car | 99965 | Pullman Kitchen First E319 Snipe | Loose chairs and sofas with coffee tables, bar, outside observation platform |
| Dining Car 1 | 99967 | Pullman Kitchen First E317 Raven | 20 seat dining saloon, kitchen |
| Dining Car 2 | 99960 | Pullman Kitchen First E321 Swift | 20 seat dining saloon, pantry, cellar, linen closet, managers office. |
| State Car - Spa | 99337 | Pullman Kitchen Second E337 | Two spa rooms, a Double cabin and a PRM-accessible Twin cabin with inter-connection |
| State Car No. 1 | 316 | Pullman Kitchen First E316 Magpie | Two Grand Suites and a Double cabin |
| State Car No. 2 | 99962 | Pullman Parlour First E329 Pearl | Four Twin cabins |
| State Car No. 3 | 99963 | Pullman Parlour First E331 Topaz | Four Twin cabins |
| State Car No. 4 | 99964 | Pullman Kitchen First E313 Finch | Three Twin and two Single cabins |
| State Car No. 5 | 99968 | 10541 (Mk III Sleeper) SLEP | Two Double cabins, Staff sleeping cabins, Staff toilet and shower, generator |
| Service Car | 99969 | 10556 (Mk III Sleeper) SLEP | Staff sleeping cabins, staff toilet and shower, staff mess, generator |
The train length is 675 feet (206 m) without locos.
Until 2015, the Royal Scotsman motive power was provided by West Coast Railways, usually using Class 37, Class 47 or Class 57 diesel locomotives.
For the 2016 season, the haulage contract was taken over by GB Railfreight. Two of their class 66 locomotives, 66743 and 66746, being dedicated to the train. These were repainted into Belmond Royal Scotsman maroon livery with appropriate decals in April/May 2016, the work being carried out by Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works in Hampshire. 66746 appeared first, being released on 11 April with 66743 following on 30 May.[ citation needed ]
The Orient Express was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, with terminal stations in Paris in the northwest and Istanbul in the southeast, and branches extending service to Athens, Brussels, and London.
A passenger railroad car or passenger car, also called a passenger carriage, passenger coach, or passenger bogie is a railroad car that is designed to carry passengers. The term passenger car can also be associated with a sleeping car, a baggage car, a dining car, railway post office and prisoner transport cars.
The British Rail Mark 3 is a type of passenger carriage developed in response to growing competition from airlines and the car in the 1970s. A variant of the Mark 3 became the rolling stock for the High Speed Train (HST).
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Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits is a Belgian-founded French company known for providing and operating luxury trains with sleepers and dining cars during the late 19th and the 20th centuries, most notably the Orient Express. Founded by Georges Nagelmackers in 1872, CIWL developed an international network of trains beginning in Europe, and later expanding to Asia and Africa. The trains provided luxury and comfort at a time when travelling was still rough and dangerous. The Armistice with Germany was signed in a CIWL train carriage, the Compiègne Wagon, on November 11, 1918.
The name Queen of Scots was originally given to an LNER/BR Pullman train which ran from London King's Cross to Glasgow Queen Street via Leeds Central, Harrogate, Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley. Later the Queen of Scots was a luxury touring train that ran exclusive tours around Scotland's scenic countryside. The train was mostly aimed at American tourists. The train ran from 1985 to 1989 as the Royal Scotsman and in 1990 as The Queen of Scots.
Caledonian Sleeper is the collective name for overnight sleeper train services between London and Scotland, in the United Kingdom. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom, the other being the Night Riviera which runs between London and Penzance.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) is a private luxury train service from London to Venice and other European cities. It is currently owned by Belmond.
A railtour is a special train which is run in order to allow people to experience rail travel which is not normally available using timetabled passenger services. The 'unusual' aspect may be the route of the train, the destination, the occasion, specific sections of railway track, the locomotive hauling the train, the rolling stock, or any combination of these. Organisers may own or hire locomotives or rolling stock, or tours may be organised by railway management or other bodies outside the railway fraternity. Perhaps the most famous railtour in England was the Fifteen Guinea Special, the last steam hauled main line train run by British Rail. Railtours are often identifiable through the use of a train headboard, often identifying the name of the specific tour or the tour operator. On TOPS, railtours are usually given a 1Zxx headcode. Exceptions to this rule include regularly scheduled railtours such as the Belmond British Pullman operated Venice-Simplon Orient Express trains.
PeruRail is a railway operator providing tourist, freight, and charter services in southern Peru. It was founded in 1999 by two Peruvian entrepreneurs and the British company Sea Containers.
The Great South Pacific Express was a luxury Australian train service, run in by Queensland Rail and Belmond, the operator of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.
The Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury cruise train that carries passengers between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Pullman trains in Great Britain were mainline luxury railway services that operated with first-class coaches and a steward service, provided by the British Pullman Car Company (PCC) from 1874 until 1962, and then by British Railways from 1962 until 1972. Many named mainline service trains have subsequently used the word 'Pullman' in their titles, but most of these have been normal trains with increased first-class accommodation. Since 1982 however, some railtours have been operated by companies using Pullman coaches dating from the 1920s to 1950s to recreate the ambience of the heyday of Pullman travel.
Pullman is the term for railroad sleeping cars that were built and operated by the Pullman Company from 1867 to December 31, 1968.
The Maharajas' Express is a luxury tourist train owned and operated by The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). It serves four routes across North-West and Central India, mainly centered on Rajasthan between the months of October and April.
Luxury trains are a premium passenger rail service. Some luxury trains promote tourism in destinations across a region, while others take passengers on a ride through a single country.
Belmond British Pullman is a private luxury train that operates day and weekend journeys around Britain. Until 2023, it also served as the British leg of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) service between London and Venice.
The Northern Belle is a luxury train that operates day and weekend journeys around Britain from many different departure points. The train is named to recall the Belle trains of the 1930s, such as the weekly Northern Belle land cruise; operated by the London and North Eastern Railway every June from 1933 to 1939.
The Belmond Grand Hibernian was a luxury train service in Ireland. The service was operated by Belmond, the operator of several other luxury trains including the Venice Simplon Orient Express. It was officially launched on 30 August 2016 and ceased on 18 February 2021 and the service will run in another European country in the future.
Belmond Andean Explorer, launched in May 2017, is South America's first luxury sleeper train. It replaces the eponymous Pullman day train, between Cusco and Puno, at Lake Titicaca. By the new train this trip is converted to a one-night journey, and extended from Puno for another overnight ride to Arequipa.
