Shakespeare Express marks start of Vintage Trains season
Specialist train operator, Vintage Trains, marked the start of its 2021 season with the launch of its inaugural Shakespeare Express, taking rail enthusiasts back to the golden age of rail travel, writes Jessica Brookes.
The Shakespeare Express is the first service Vintage Trains have operated since the start of the pandemic.
The service, led by the Queen Mother 47 773 locomotive, took guests from busy Birmingham Moor Street through the idyllic North Warwickshire countryside to the historic Stratford-upon-Avon on the North Warwickshire line, known as the Shakespeare Line.
The 47 773 is one of the most successful of modern diesel electric locomotives.
Entering service in August 1964, the locomotive was named after the Queen Mother by HRH The Queen Mother at Aberdeen in 1982.
It was also the first time the Pullman car 'Eagle ', built in the 1960s, was run on a mainline railway in Vintage Trains ' ownership.
Juliana Sancto, of Near Star Media, and Gwyneth Box, of creative agency Tantamount, were among those guests aboard the inaugural Shakespeare Express.
Juliana commented that the service was a “fantastic experience ”.
She said: “It was a fantastic experience to travel on a piece of British history that has so much meaning not only to the company but also to local communities.
“I 've been absolutely impressed by the good will and passion of volunteers to make the line something that we will be proud to show the world. ”
Gwyneth added: “We 've had a great day! It was lovely to reminisce about trains as they used to be, triggering memories I had totally forgotten about including going on holiday with my family when I was a little girl.
“It was enormous fun to meet lots of interesting people and have lots of interesting conversations. ”
Adam Williams, commercial manager at Vintage Trains, expressed his joy in marking the start of the Vintage Trains season.
He said: “After 20 months of no operational trains, for Vintage Trains to get back into the swing of things and to be getting over Covid is fantastic and we 're looking forward to a prosperous, successful 2021.
“We 're very fortunate that we 've got a strong following. We 're firmly cemented in the train enthusiasts ' calendar and we 're branching out into the family market. The Shakespeare Express is awfully popular for families, we 're doing seaside trains going to three destinations as well.
“Vintage Trains brings something that nothing else in Birmingham brings, an element of nostalgia, of heritage and tradition. The one thing we do in Britain well is tradition. It goes without saying we have the USP in Birmingham, if you want to go on a vintage, heritage locomotive, we have the market cornered.
“The future is only prosperous. ”
The Shakespeare Express will operate two return journeys every Sunday in August. Those booking a Pullman fare will be offered full English breakfast, three-course lunch, afternoon cream tea or a four-course dinner, dependant on the time of day.
To find out more, click here.
Read Richard Spooner's experience of travelling on the Shakespeare Express in this week's column here.
Pictured: The Shakespeare Express stationed at Stratford-upon-Avon station