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Introduction

The Royal Scotsman has been running since 1985. It is a luxury tourist train that tours Scotland from May to October each year.



The train's operator 'The Great Scottish & Western Railway Co.' was aquired by Orient-Express Hotels in 2005, owners of other luxury services including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and Northern Belle.

Coaching Stock

The current train has been in use since 1990. Six of the vehicles are former ECML Pullman coaches built by Metro-Cammell in 1960. These have been extensively rebuilt for their present use.

The oldest vehicle in the train is Dining Car No.2, also known a VICTORY, which was built by the LNER in 1945 as a Corridor First, and later converted to a inspection saloon. In the early 1980s it was numbered Sc1999, named 'Lochaber' and used as on Fort William - Mallaig trains.

Two former Mk3 Sleeping cars were added to the train in 1997, replacing Mk1 coaches. These have been extensively modified, the air conditioning has been removed, and diesel generators are fitted to provide an electric train supply.

Name	Number	Originally	Details
OBSERVATION CAR	99965	319 SNIPE	Lounge with open veranda at one end.
DINING CAR No.1	99967	317 RAVEN	Kitchen/dining car
DINING CAR No.2	1999	LNER 1513	Kitchen/dining car
STATE CAR No.1	99961	324 AMBER	3 twin, 2 single bedrooms
STATE CAR No.2	99962	329 PEARL	4 twin bedrooms
STATE CAR No.3	99963	324 TOPAZ	4 twin bedrooms
STATE CAR No.4	99964	313 FINCH	3 twin, 2 single bedrooms
STATE CAR No.5	99968	Mk3 10541	2 twin bedrooms, 4 staff compartments, stand-by generator
SERVICE CAR	99969	Mk3 10556	7 staff compartments, mess room, generator

The first train, in use between 1985 and 1989 was made up of Mk1 sleeping cars and 3 antique coaches: A teak bodied 1912 Great Northern Railway Saloon, a clerestory roofed 1890 LNWR dining car, and an oberservation saloon converted in 1960 from an 1892 West Coast Joint Stock carriage.

These coaches were later used on the 'Queen of Scots' train, which is now based at Carnforth, after many years at Clapham Junction.

Traction

In 2005 West Coast Railway Company took over the job of providing traction from EWS. Under EWS The Royal Scotsman was usually Class 37 hauled (with some class 66s providing occasional cover), but WCRC have used Classes 31, 33, 37, 47 and 57 including locomotives hired in from other companies. Following clearance of Class 47 locomotives to Mallaig and Kyle in the Autumn of 2005, this class has featured on most tours with only the Western tour to Mallaig and Wemyss Bay seeing class 33 or class 37 traction as a second loco for 'Top and Tail' operation.


EWS painted 37428, 37401 and 37416 in Royal Scotsman maroon livery. The WCRC livery is coincidentally a very similar shade of maroon.

Tours

The various tours, on which you'll find no more than 36 passengers at a time, include

• Classic a 720 mile, four-night trip from Edinburgh to Kyle of Lochalsh and back including visits to Strathisla Distillery, Plockton, the Strathspey Railway and Glamis Castle.
• Western a 660 mile, three-night trip from Edinburgh to Mallaig and back including visits to Morar Sands and the Isle of Bute.
• Highland a 540 mile, two-night round trip from Edinburgh via Aberdeen and Inverness including a visit to the Highland Folk museum and Strathisla Distillery.

Timetables

• Diagrams:The Royal Scotsman 2011
• Times:Classic Tour 2011
• Times:Western Tour 2011
• Times:Highland Tour 2011

See also

Internal Links

• Diagrams:The Royal Scotsman 2011
• Diagrams:The Royal Scotsman 2010
• Diagrams:The Royal Scotsman 2009
• Diagrams:The Royal Scotsman 2008
• Diagrams:The Royal Scotsman 2007

External Links

• The Royal Scotsman
• Royal Scotsman files on scot-rail.co.uk