Great Western Coffee Shop

From the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55198752)


Whether you are a royalist, a republican, or an indifferent, it's good to see William and Kate travelling by train.  Yes, of course their train is very different to the one others use but, yes, train travel is safe too.

I wouldn't imagine that social distancing will be an issue on that particular service............suspect there will be a pretty good buffet available too?  :D

More likely to be service at ones seat I suspect, than a buffet.

Glad to see the Royal train being used. Almost certainly greener than air or road transport. And as has been said the train is probably safer than the alternatives, against both accidents and deliberate attack.
I wonder if travel via Taunton is to be included ? In the past Taunton has been generally avoided as historically it was known for anti-royalist views.
It used to be the practice to close all curtains or blinds on the Royal train if it was unavoidably routed via Taunton.

More recently however the Royal train has visited the West Somerset Railway, so perhaps ideas have changed.

I thought the issue was not so much the monarchy but the monarch they had at the time.

I didnt know Taunton had any railways in 1685  ;)

Taunton hasn't moved on a great deal since 1685 to be fair  ;)

Young sir, you again tend to exagerate a little.
Taunton has moved with the times and many new innovations may be seen, including;

Electric lights, even in working class homes.
Shops with an upstairs.
Motor omnibuses have largely displaced horses.
Patent water closets are in general use.
The latest London fashions may be obtained in the larger stores.
Fine modern public houses, that serve chilled foreign lager beer as well as good honest ale. Some even serve imported wine.

..... but only with a Scotch Egg  ;)

Unconfirmed rumours also suggest ...

Electronic communication directly into the home, by means of radio, television and internet
Private motor vehicles largely displacing the motor omnibuses in their turn
Railway Trains in which coal and water traction has been replaced by diesel engines under the carriages
And railway trains in which mobile public house carriages have been replaced by at-seat service

There are those who consider that not all of these developments are positive ones.

I read somewhere that it runs on cooking oil - probably shares a tank with the chip pan in the buffet car    ;D  Unless they use microwave chips...........

1= A welcome development, dangerous in the wrong hands, but so is printing, as is teaching the lower classes to read.
2= Arguable either way. Undeniably useful, but consider the climate, noise, congestion, and fatal accidents.
3= Most regrettable.
4= Even more regrettable. Bring back tavern cars.

But possibly not for much longer?

Of course it should be remembered that where someone starts, others follow. 

We now have at seat service in pubs!   ;D

Recently yes, but Wetherspoons have been doing this for a few years with their phone app. Last year, on a weeknight a pint has sometimes appeared on my table as quickly as 1 minute after I placed the order. On a Friday / Saturday it has sometimes been as slow as 20 minutes later.

The Royal train doing its original intent .................... a travelling hotel that is secure

The choice of the Royal train for this tour it can be maintained as Covid secure accommodation

This will be fantastic publicity for the railways, at a time when it is desperately needed.

Possibly, but equally it may well reignite the debate on the necessity of maintaining and running a luxury train for the use of a handful of people at colossal cost which is only used around 3 times a year?

The cost of one journey to Cheshire for the Queen in 2018 is quoted as just under ?30,000.

A report I read recently was that it wasn't that luxurious. 

From Twitter (https://twitter.com/johnhwd/status/1335896015585628160)

What would have been the cost of the alternatives. It's not just the cost of the petrol is it. Police escort security staff vehicles etc. 

But is their car not making the same journey from station to station, but by road?

I suspect that if six of us were to meet up (outside, socially distanced, in the land of tier 2), we would take six different views on royalty and the royal train.  It is, though, hard to deny that there's a substantial marketing return from such a trip - a message saying "don't forget the train".  It goes wider too - if you're a Daily Mail reader, you are invited to buy a coat like Kate's

I count myself as a "moderate Royalist". I support the Royal family, largely out of a sense of tradition. Having a Royal family that has been in existence for longer than most countries is one thing that sets us apart from dodgy banana republics.
I do not however have any interest in royal "tittle tattle" and the latest "exclusive revelations" as found in Tabloid newspapers.

I am pleased to see members of the Royal family touring the country in the Royal train. It is a boost to morale and almost certainly greener than flying or driving.

The fixed annual costs of maintaining the Royal train are indeed considerable, but it could therefore be argued that it should be used MORE, since these fixed costs are then less per mile.
Many of the variable costs are wages or salaries of the many persons required for the security and comfort of Royalty, these are not strictly railway costs as they would be required also for air or road transport.

Yes, it's a very underutilised asset.  The fact it's Kate first official trip on it speaks volumes.  As well as encouraging more use by the Royal Family, perhaps it could be used for other VIP's?  Visiting dignitaries and the Prime Minister for suitable trips for example?

It is now starting to show its age though - the newest carriage is well over 30 years old - so I can't see another one being built unless it would be used far more.

It can get in the way on today's crowded railway. I few years ago I was at New Street at 17:30 on a weekday evening when everything towards Coventry was at a stand. Found out later from a friend in New Street panel that the Royal Train was stood in the platform at Stechford. It was waiting for the Duke of Edinburgh who's car was stuck in the rush hour traffic on the way from a cricket match at Edgbaston.

Not certain that age is such a problem, HSTs are older than that and were in intensive main line use until recently, some still are.
I doubt that a complete new royal train would be needed anytime soon.
The odd new vehicle if required could be converted from existing stock.
I doubt that HM would be very keen on other people using the more private vehicles of the Royal train, It should however be possible to remove these vehicles and store them, substituting a couple of other vehicles for use by the PM or other VIPs.
The staff vehicles, storage areas, kitchen car, dining car and some others could reasonably be used, simply detach the dedicated sleepers used by Royalty.

Yes, that would be my thinking.  The queen's loo will remain off limits, but perhaps modify the existing carriages that are dedicated to the Prince Of Wales so that they could be used by anyone, or, as you say, convert another couple of carriages into bespoke VIP vehicles for occasions when Royalty would not be using it.

As I thought, there has been some very good press created out of the use of the train on this trip, with most national news outlets giving it detailed coverage, even if not 100% positive.  As they say, any publicity is good publicity:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9026629/Before-pictures-Royal-Train-changed-years.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/12/06/royal-train-tour-duke-duchess-cambridge-get-festive-send-off/
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-william-and-kate-arrive-in-edinburgh-on-first-stop-of-uk-royal-train-tour-12154136
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/kate-william-sleeping-separate-beds-23131011

And closer to home.

 https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18929445.royal-train-passes-swindon-william-kate-tour-country/ (https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18929445.royal-train-passes-swindon-william-kate-tour-country/)

One huge advantage over doing day trips by helicopter is being able to leave the three young children at home, and spend a night in an empty siding somewhere remote. That puts a smile on a Duke and Duchess's faces.

In some Far Eastern countries that get you a jail sentence!

I shouldn't think they struggle for babysitters

The "tail" of the line that used to go up to Devizes from Holt Junction has long since been removed, I'm afraid.

As has the north chord at Bradford Junctions, which was sometimes used to stow the Royal Train for a night.  Used to be a great job for some poor PW chap(s) to put churns under the toilet outfalls of the train when recessed, and to make sure the churns were removed and emptied securely

Extraordinary what you see advertised on Ebay these days...

Wallingford branch was also used on occasions.

Adrian Vaughan in one of his books (Signalman's morning?) describes the Farringdon branch being used to stable the Royal Train.

From Woman and Home (https://www.womanandhome.com/life/royal-news/why-the-queen-could-be-forced-to-lose-her-beloved-royal-train/) (not my regular reading!)

How much was the estimate for the new royal yacht??!!

The Royal Yacht can be used for trade tours/delegations, etc when not on Royal duties.

Can't help wondering is a Royal Train could be used for other purposes too - luxury land cruises, for example.   More a train with one of the rail tour / heritage operators - perhaps an HST could be converted into a Red, white and blue pullman?

Alternatively (and just as realistically) you could just reserve a few carriages and stick the Royal Standard on the front of an IET? (preferably the one with the fewest cracks)  ;)

"We are not amused"