FULL STEAM AHEAD!
Champagne, sumptuous seats, delicious food — this is English rail travel at its finest
Normally I’d focus on the menu in a restaurant, but on this occasion it’s the tableside picture window which grabs my attention.
I instantly slide it open. Why? Because this is the fine dining g carriage of a 1946 steam locomotive and, according to a waiter, windows should be opened to let in the smut. ‘It flavours the food!’
There’s growing nostalgia for the e golden age of train travel, something eal rail enthusiast marcus robertson has tapped into. Some 25 years ago he set about restoring engines and carriages from the 1920s onwards and created Steam Dreams rail Co, offering day trips on heritage trains across Britain.
I’m on a fivehour Garden of England lunchtime tour, hauled by an elegant 80yearold engine named Braunton. as the whistle blows and we pull away from london Victoria, clouds of smoke and smut puff into the carriage. Close your eyes and the aroma transports you back to a bygone era.
Carriages are wider and glossier than on today’s trains. Wood-panelling is highly polished and seating is in sumptuous armchairs plumped with cushions. Fresh flowers sit on crisp, white tablecloths next to an array of glasses.
Champagne is served first followed by wine and canapes and there’s time to explore before lunch. This is called Pullman-style Dining and includes a gourmet threecourse meal. First Class offers sparkling wine and a snack box; Premium Standard serves tea and coffee.
Whatever the class, everyone’s treated like a VIP and all carriages are equally plush — the only difference is the pattern of upholstery.
Despite its age, Braunton is sprightly, rolling along at 75mph. This makes walking through the carriages wobbly work, especially after some vino. The gentleman in front of me is in search of the WC when he teeters dangerously.
‘Think I’ve drunk too much,’ he says as I lend a steadying arm. The loos, incidentally, are delightful — more ritz than National rail.
our trip follows a circular route via the North Downs, across the medway towards the South Coast, and the seasonal menu features produce from the passing fields.
No idea how, but chef Nicholas Allen prepares dishes for 200 passengers se in a galley the size of a large lar SUV. There’s no electricity or microwave, just two gas ovens.
The poached trout and crayfish starter st and South Downs lamb for fo mains taste delicious as we rattle ra past the Isle of Sheppey then th rochester Cathedral. There’s a 20minute stop in Canterbury and passengers and train enthusiasts alike gather to admire a this vintage beauty.
It’s hot outside, but it’s even hotter h when I’m allowed onto the footplate f to help shovel coal. I’m asked k if I’d like to pull the whistle. yes, please. The trumpeting woowoo is a real thrill.
Minutes later I’m tucking into apple tart as we steam past the white cliffs of Dover and the English Channel. on a good day I’m told that you can see France.
There’s a romance about train rides which focus on the journey as opposed to the destination. The experience feels very orient Express, with nothing but time and the open rails ahead. you might end up feeling a bit smutty, but it’s a fabulous way to let off some steam.