Heritage locomotive to haul Northern Belle from Ascot on first-ever trip

A heritage locomotive trailing ‘one of the world’s most luxurious trains’ will be making its first-ever trip from Ascot this year.

Every year, the Northern Belle brings horseracing fans to Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot – but it has never before started a leisure trip with Ascot as the departure point.

In November this year, it will be departing from Ascot for the first time and taking its passengers on a day trip to Bath.

To celebrate this first, a red carpet will be laid across the station platform as the Northern Belle’s umber-and-cream 1930s Pullman-style coaches pull in at 9.25am on November 7.

The train, once part of the Orient Express group, was voted the fifth best in the world by readers of the Condé Nast Traveller magazine, pipping Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer and the Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express.

The Northern Belle is sometimes seen being pulled by a classic steam engine, Princess Elizabeth.

But train enthusiasts will be greeted by a different sight this time – a heritage diesel locomotive.

Organisers think the train will probably be hauled by one or two former British Rail Class 57s, affectionately nicknamed ‘zombies’ or ‘bodysnatchers’ by trainspotters – a darkly humorous tip of the hat to this kind of ‘reborn’ locomotive.

Class 57s were not built entirely from scratch. They were recreated from original Class 47s dating from the 1960s, which were reaching the end of their working lives in the 1990s.

Because of this, about 20 years ago, Class 57s were built using 47 bodyshells and frames, removing the old engines and major systems while keeping the classic look, hence ‘body snatchers’.

The Bath trip is a fancy affair and includes a three-course brunch with champagne on the way there and a six-course banquet with wine and champagne during the evening journey home.

Fares start at £495 and some passengers will pay an extra £195 for Krug Class, which allows them to travel in a carriage that once formed part of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Royal train.

A Northern Belle spokesman said: “That might sound a lot of money, but we will be transporting people back to the golden days of rail travel – an era when nothing was too good for the pampered passenger.

“This will be a trip that people won’t forget. The wine, the food, the service, the luxury… The whole experience will linger in the memory forever.”

For more details about the Northern Belle, go to northernbelle.co.uk