The Richard Spooner Column: Train travel - not like the old days

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be invited on board the Queen Mother 47 773 locomotive train travelling on the Shakespeare Line from Birmingham Moor Street to Stratford-upon-Avon, courtesy of Vintage Trains.

Aside from regularly boarding the West Midlands Railway Cross City line to Five Ways, my train experience and knowledge is limited- to say the least!

As people huddled together waiting for the Diesel Queen to arrive at the platform, a guest raised the point that the experience seemed to have attracted many older generation guests rather than those who were of the Gen-Z or millennial era, such as myself.

Reflecting on her observation, I wanted to understand what had changed between our generations in order to create a disconnect between young people and their enjoyment of those experiences that are rooted in British tradition and history.

During our journey to Stratford-upon-Avon, I was privy to many nostalgic conversations between people who shared memories of old-school train travel and the incredible sense of connectivity it had brought to the Greater Birmingham region.

Whilst amazing to hear of how areas such as Stratford and Henley-in-Arden had become popular among tourists and become more connected to the city as a whole, an element of these reminiscent exchanges made me feel a kind of sadness.

If you were to ask me to recall some of my own fond memories of train travel (before boarding the Queen Mother 47 773 that is) I 'd have struggled.

In fact, most of what springs to mind is the image of dirty feet on seats, left over Carling cans after match day, and the experience of legging it up one escalator and down another in the event of a last minute platform change.

While most of that is certainly true of some inner-city train travel, it would be a huge disservice to tar the Queen Mother 47 773 with the same brush.

Something that might help paint a picture of the train for any fellow Gen-Z readers would be to think of the Hogwarts train from Harry Potter. Oh yes, I 'm talking about an old-school, 1960s train with embroidered, wing backed seats, leather armrests, long corridors and the offering of a 4 course meal for the journey.

Luxury at its finest, and not a muddy footprint in sight!

It was clear to hear and see that the guests on board had a genuine pride in the history behind the train and its journey to being back on the rails for families and friends to enjoy, and I could see why.

Some guests had even volunteered to work on the restoration at Henley-in-Arden station just to ensure that the nostalgia is preserved for those of our future generation who might wish to experience it.

While the phrase 'it 's not like the old days ' is a painful thing for any young person to hear, my experience on board the Diesel Queen has made me inclined to agree.

Train travel just isn 't what it used to be!

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Read ChamberlinkDaily's special report on the launch of Vintage Trains' Shakespeare Express for 2021 here.