Model Railway Forum

Yesterday the wife and I, and a couple of friends, were lucky enough to have a luxury traveling experience.
We were picked up from a local station by a classic Diesel Class 47 in vintage blood and custard coaches.
This was our stead to Willesden, where the Steam loco was coupled up. We had "Britannia" resplendent in her late BR Livery.
We were served "Bucks Fizz, and fruit and yoghurt with granola, followed by a full English breakfast, and later, morning pastries, on route to Canterbury for a couple of hours exploration.
After spending a short time in Canterbury, we were then welcomed back onboard with a glass of Champers, and settled in for a trip through the Kent countryside and along the coast through Dover and Folkstone while steadily being served 5 course meal and a couple of bottles of wine.
It was a lovely day experiencing something of the life of the well to do railway traveler back in the day, and being hauled by a a magnificent Steam loco being allowed to stretch her legs a bit on the mainlines.
I did manage to snap a few not so good pics of Britannia, a couple of the best of bad bunch:

Done a few of those trips but not steam hauled. Perfect aren’t they.

Yes very enjoyable, but also oddly very tiring, this particular trip was our first, and at 16.5 hours long we went in at the deep end
We may go for a slightly shorter 12 hour Trip next time

Too Tall wrote: ↑Thu Oct 03, 2024 8:59 am
Yes very enjoyable, but also oddly very tiring, this particular trip was our first, and at 16.5 hours long we went in at the deep end
We may go for a slightly shorter 12 hour Trip next time

I agree, but sometimes such journeys have to be taken. They may not come around again.

Glencairn

Food is great and how they serve you one handed using a spoon and fork on a swaying train is amazing . On one occasion the guy was serving breakfast and my fried egg shot out of the utensils and landed in my wife's coffee.

My wife used to hate having to do silver service when she was at catering college and that wasn't on a moving train!
The eggs reference reminds me of a business trip from Runcorn to Euston on the Merseyside Pullman in the1990s. Just after we had boarded the train there was a tannoy announcement "unfortunately due to an accident at Lime Street there will be no eggs with the cooked breakfast this morning".