Rare loco to make a return trip to the city
TRAINSPOTTERS will have the chance to see a rare locomotive come through Derby twice at the end of July.
A huge Class 57 locomotive, affectionately known as Bodysnatchers or Zombies by rail enthusiasts, will pull through Derby Midland station on Wednesday, July 20, and Friday, July 29.
Class 57s were given their nicknames due to their remodelling from Class 47s, the most common diesel loco seen on the British railways from the 1960s. Of more than 500 Class 47s, only 33 were remodelled to be Class 57s between 1998 and 2004, all of which were refitted in the Brush plant in Loughborough.
Many are still in operation and they will be at the front of two 1930s Pullman-style Northern Belle trains, taking travellers from Derby to Cardiff on July 20, and to Llandudno on July 29.
The Northern Belle trips are well-known for their luxury, offering passengers the chance to travel in style across the country in hand-decorated carriages.
The trip to Cardiff will depart from Derby at 8.30am and arrive in the Welsh capital at 12.30pm. While tickets are not cheap – £370 per person – passengers will enjoy a three-course brunch on the outward journey with tea and coffee, before having free time in Cardiff. On the way home, there will be a five-course dinner and champagne reception, with a bottle of wine per couple. The train will arrive in Derby at 10pm.
For the same price you can also enjoy the Llandudno at Leisure trip, which departs Derby at 8.50am on July 29, arriving in Wales at 11.30am. It will begin its journey back at 5.05pm, arriving in Derby at 7.45pm.
The Northern Belle, once part of the iconic Orient Express group, was described by actor Bill Nighy as “the Grand Duchess of luxury travel” and has appeared on TV shows, including Channel 5’s World’s Greatest Railway Journeys.