£9000 for rail trip with ‘Harry Potter’ carriages

A rusty dining carriage from the 1960s has been lovingly restored to its formers glory following a £750,000 two-year refit and will now form the jewel in the crown of a luxury sleeper Royal Scotsman service which aims to recreate the glory days of rail.

Bosses of the service – which charges well-heeled customers as much as £9000 per couple per trip – bought the carriage from the man who provided the Harry Potter films with trains.

Described as a sumptuous “house party” on rails, the magical period refit of the clapped out Pullman carriage was carried out by Dalkeith-based interior fitting 
specialists Peter Craig.

The firm – which has also transformed the interior of Andrew Fairlie’s restaurant at Gleneagles – described the project as its biggest ever.

The grand interior now boasts specially designed tartan carpets, carriage walls made from exotic sapele mahogany wood, and intricate marquetry bearing the image of the Scottish thistle.

The results of the elaborate overhaul will be seen for the first time when the train’s new season – which runs from April to October – starts on Sunday.

Royal Scotsman general manager Michael Andrews is delighted with the end result, which will offer passengers a slice of nostalgia reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.

He said: “We shelled it. We took all the windows out. We took it down to the roof, bare metal walls and bare metal floor. When you remove everything, it feels like you’ve got so much space to work with.”

The Mark I Pullman carriage’s original name, Swift, is a central part of the redesign.

Mr Andrews said the image of the bird has been incorporated into intricate panels around the carriage in homage to its origins, adding: “All the Pullman stock every year when they were manufactured all took a theme. You might have gemstones, you might have birds, you might have trees – you can rename them, but it’s bad luck.”

Tables of four laid with silver cutlery and crystal goblets will create an intimate atmosphere when the train is in service.

Mechanical workings including the wheels and the train’s body were updated in Carnforth, Lancashire, before the carriage was hauled by road to Dalkeith.

Peter Craig general manager Andrew Divers said it was one of the most challenging restorations the firm had ever tackled.

He said: “We had to take the original marquetry panels and source the same type of wood that was used in them. There were about eight different types in that one panel. It took about two-and-a-half months just to do the panels.”

The involvement of Edinburgh-based businesses extended to the carriage’s soft furnishings, with luxury sofas, curtains and cushions supplied by Devine Upholstery and Curtains.

Swift was bought for an undisclosed sum from entrepreneur and West Coast Railway owner David Smith, who owns the Hogwart’s Express carriages used in all seven Harry Potter films.

The car has replaced the train’s former wooden-bodied dining carriage Victory – once used by former Prime Minister Winston Churchill as a mobile base during a re-election campaign.

Mr Andrews said: “This is a country house hotel on wheels. It’s a house party. Going back to the Edwardian times, you would travel in your own private railway carriage up from London and you’d stop at the bottom of your estate. The staff would then take you up to the big house and you’d wine, dine, shoot and party. That was the social set that happened during that period and this is what we recreate.”

‘The last word in luxury’

THE Royal Scotsman has been run by Orient Express since 2005.

Britain’s most spectacular train experience caters for just 36 guests spread across an observation car, two dining carriages, library and kitchens, wine store, and four-and-a-half carriages of private accommodation. A dozen staff work 24/7 to fulfil the every need of guests.

Head chef Mark Tamburrini serves up Scottish cuisine on the service, which runs largely along the West Highland Line. Menus include langoustines, salmon and Aberdeen Angus beef.

A ticket can set a passenger back up to £8930.

Pulled by a diesel locomotive, travel writers have described the journey as the last word in luxury.