Continuing an almost 200 year tradition, the Royal Train fulfils an important role as well as adding a touch of glamour whenever it’s on duty. MARK CHIVERS looks at what’s available in model form to replicate the modernised Royal Train in miniature.
Of all the trains that operate on the British railway network, the Royal Train has a certain mystique about it that not even the most luxurious charter trains have as it glides majestically and often discreetly around the country. It isn't just the pristine uniform claret appearance of the motive power and rolling stock, or maybe the often-drawn curtains shielding the identity of the VIPs and staff onboard: it‘s a direct link to the earliest days of the railway, as Railway Realism explains.
Above: Hornby has issued a series of Royal Train packs through the years including a special train set produced for Marks and Spencer in the early 2000s, containing LMS ‘Princess Royal’ 6201 Princess Elizabeth and three Royal Train carriages. An all-new ‘OO’ gauge model of the locomotive was released in 2020.
Today’s Royal Train comprises nine active vehicles, seven of which are based on BR’s Mk 3 carriage design, together with two former BR Mk 2b Brake Corridor Firsts (BFKs) which are now used …
