The British Royal Family are not the only ones with such an asset. The Romanian Royal Family has such a train as well and on important occasions it is still in use to this day. Maybe a video on it too (especially this being lesser known) would be interesting especially with its ties with Romanian history, up to current days. All the best to you!
I love the video mark! I wonder if you could do a video on general Eisenhower‘s command train in the second world war which was code named bayonet. The interesting thing is that it was driven by A locomotive of the same class that the record-breaking Malard was a part of, I don’t remember what its name was during most of the war but as I recall soon after the war in Europe ended it was renamed to the title “Dwight D Eisenhower” after the person whom used it most of the time during the war. 20 years later with the retirement of steam locomotion on British rail the Eisenhower was retired and shipped over to the United States where it has been on display in the United States national rail museum in Green Bay Wisconsin along with some of the coaches use during the war.
30+ years ago I was a British Rail signal man. I operated an isolated old school lever signal box with a usually disused siding & it was only active on 3 occasions over 2 years, each time as a sleep over position for the royal train. You could tell 2 weeks in advance this was about to happen as you could watch the fields been explored by paired up dog walkers most hours of the day & night & would also be asked to confirm my cars reg number from my home station as security began. The train also has special signalling arrangements, whereby it receives an extra forward "clear line" section during it's journey, something we were taught during initial training, so having the royal train broke the monotony of usual routine, but with the overnight stops occurring the results being I've spent many hours very close to both Her Majesty, prince Phillip and lady Diana before she married Charles, while I was getting overtime pay
When I was a child the Royal Train made an unscheduled stop at my country station as there wasn't enough vegetables and fruit to serve lunch... it drew lots of crowds while the Royal staff run into town to stock up.
About a decade ago I was stood on Coventry Station platform at about 5:30a.m. waiting for the first train to London. I was surprised to see a train coming in, thinking it was early for once - turned out it was the Royal train, also heading south, I dutifully stood, in case the Queen was aboard!! Another great vid!
As an ex shift station manager I can tell you the background work that takes place when this train is running is incredible. Equally the relief felt by railwaymen and transport police when the traveller gets off and goes on their way is priceless.
The relief after signalling royal trains is good but the cuppa an hour later is a satisfying moment at least on the Spalding branch at Littleworth it was 😊
The Dutch Royals also have a train (carriage) ! it's in a museum nowadays, but when the vulcano erupted in Iceland, and there was no flying in europe, they pulled it out of the museum and used it to travel (to denmark I think it was) so it's still in use when necesary
I wish we had more railways here in the US. I understand the history behind why we don't, but that needs to change as trains are the future, not the past.
@@kingjoe3rd it makes sense with the distances in the East Coast but the lack of right of ways makes building new lines, especially high speed ones difficult and expensive. Californias has turned into a quagmire too.
@@kingjoe3rd Along certain corridors, say 300 to 400 miles they make sense. And it doesn't have to be high-speed rail either, high-ER speed is good enough. However, outside those corridors passenger trains have to travel on the same tracks that freight trains do and the days of passenger train priority are over. Don't take a long distance train here in the US if you're in a hurry. And that's not going to change anytime soon.
I wonder how much lodging and related costs are saved by the train? All secure forms of travel are going to have onerous costs, but it does seem there's a bit of practicality to the train.
The downside is you are restricted to railroads, it is costly and the current train is very slow. The upside as you stated is you have a free house in the rails. Farther flight has the cost of fuel and restrictions on where and when you can land.
@@rydplrs71 Fact 1) no matter what form of government you operate, your leadership will be making the “rounds” if not the King than the President, if not the President then the Prime minister. Fact 2) a motorcade is a pain in the ass to civilian traffic and high risk to the primary. As a general rule most Personal security detachments prefer not to drive more than 30 miles with a VIP in even an armored convoy. So Choppers are the preferred. Yet helicopters are expensive and risky. Along side crash risk is they basically ride on a man made tornado this places limitations on where you can land and just complicates things. 3) the UK has one of the oldest and fairly well kept rail systems. With regular stations located in easy reach of the prime locations where a vip might be putting in a public appearance.
That Royal business is done as the train is rolling actually makes it a 25,000 pound a day office building, hotel complex, communication center and restaurant.
I think they should have used the Royal Train when transporting the Late Queen's coffin from Edinburgh to London. I understand the plane saved time but at the cost of a matter of hours the train would have provided an opportunity for people to line station platforms (or other safe places you can line the track) , to pay their respects as was seen when it was transported by road from Balmoral to Edinburgh.
You hit the nail on the head with "other safe places". There were idiots on the tracks when "Flying Scotsman" did journeys on the main line, causing frequent delays. That's precisely why moving Her Majesty's coffin from Scotland to London and from London to Windsor by train was considered unviable.
I think he definately deserves an OBE at least, but the late Queen Elizabeth (God rest her soul!) never called me for any recommendations! Maybe King Charles will? King Charles. Hey, that's going to take some getting used to, even for a Yank like me!
The National Railway Museum in Hamar, Norway also has Haakon VII's old special carriages on display. The current Royal Carriage (From 1994) is also owned by the museum, and is chartered out to the different rail operators (Vy, Go Ahead, SJ) when in use by the Royal Family. This arrangement is of recent origin, as the Norwegian parliament ratified an extensive railway reform in- I think- 2015 (much like the UK did in the 90s). Before that, it was NSB (the predesessor of today's Vy) who operated all railway traffic in the country, and owned all the rolling stock.
The train should stay in use, especially since the infrastructure is already there, and it's way more economical than flight. I don't get the notion that trains are "old-fashioned" because that is simply untrue, as they are becoming more and more popular around the world.
The bio-diesel aspect of this train is an outstanding feature and I understand that a regenerative braking is used in about half of the coaches feeding entirely separate types of storage/battery. The train therefore functions as a test bed for new technologies shared between universities and will do this for years. On the whole it sort of pays for itself.
We ran Bio diesel in large generators for a while. Emission testing proved it actually produced more NOX gasses with a moderate reduction in the others. Just because its called BIO doesnt mean its better.
Saw the service car being transported separately on my way home from Edinburgh on my change over in Carlisle last Friday. I thought surely they don't have a royal train anymore and that they were moving a piece to a different museum. Mark Felton strikes again with his weirdly relevant video to answer my question that I couldn't be bothered to google.
The Danish queen has a train too, sort of. It's 2 special built cars that spend most their time in the railway museum, but they're still pulled out for some special occasions and moved with a locomotive at either end - so if one engine breaks down they can keep going. Our queen mostly drives everywhere and in some cases (and when possible) the royal yacht Dannebrog follows along so they have a secure place to stay
@@andrewclark8630 So petty of Blair, such pandering to destructive envy, to have stripped away the royal yacht. Much like his attempt to destroy the House of Lords
Thank you, Mark. At the start of the video, I feared it would be an anti-rail hatchet job but you put the case for the train very well. It makes total sense both economically and environmentally compared to the road and air options.
@@JaegerMatthias By opening the video by comparing our King with Kim Jong Un because they are the only ones still using a royal train. "Seems a bit anachronistic....." "Is it an unnecessary luxury that should be got rid of?" The tone of the video could then have gone either way, but thankfully Mark then states the advantages and gives a wonderful summary of the stock and their use.
There was actually another class 67 unveiled recently for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - 67007. This locomotive is painted in a striking purple scheme with the Platinum Jubilee logo on the side, and white-topped buffers on either end
What a beautiful train, thanks so much for this rare opportunity to take a small peek into royal family travel, I would expect nothing but the best for her Majesty's family, I would hope that trains like this will not disappear like many other modes of transportation have, trains are so romantic and are becoming almost instinct thanks again Dr Felton.
When Prince William &Catherine Lived on Anglesey During his three year stint in RAF VALLEY as a Helicopter pilot with 22Sqd both he &Catherine where Regular passengers on Public trains (Virgin West Coast Voyagers).They sat in 1st class with their Personal protection officers ,amongst other members of the public.They where a lovely pleasant couple.
The revised plan had been announced two years ago but I know a few pals over at BTP were disappointed. It would have been a logistical nightmare for policing but would have been better in having people pay their respects to the Queen on a national level rather than the typical London dominated funeral we got.
I like planes when I have to cross very far distances over seas, but a train will always be my favorite way to travel as far as the rails can take me. A train has some kind of romance. Train system in UK is one of the best in the whole World. While I was living in UK I did enjoy trains very much.
Rail system in the UK it's at it's lowest ever.... Although it's better than the US system by far. But compared to japan and switzerland it's pathetic.
Mark, have you ever considered doing a story on the Allied Duty Trains that served the Allies stationed in Berlin during the Cold War? I have ridden on the American one at night
I was the Train Conducting Officer on the British Military Train several times. The British train was the only one allowed to travel during the day: apparently for both the French and US train there had been too many people taking forbidden photos… …lunch was served at Magdeburg and was silver service, just to show the Sovs how the other half lived :)
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 Back in '85, I recall a friend telling me that the East Germans would time you as you drove from West Germany to West Berlin, using a ticket issued at the border to confirm your drive-time. Never went to Berlin though. Would love to now.
Bit of a fun fact, the two earliest carriages used for the royal train, built in 1843 and 1851, had lasted into the 20th century on Colonel Stephens’ railway empire. The 1843 carriage found its way to Longmoor in the 1950’s and sadly scrapped in 1956 due to wood degradation. The 1851 carriage was grounded and used as a summer home until it was broken up for firewood in the 60’s.
My father was a fireman on the London to Edinburgh (flying Scotsman) in 1950s , And the older locomotive drivers ,told him that during ww2 1939-1942 the Royal train had been kept in constant stream in case of invasion ,so the royals could be transport to a port ,and off to the Canada ,if the Germans invaded.
That train used to be stored and maintained in Wolverton which is part of Milton Keynes. Until fairly recently you could still see camouflage paint which dated back to WW2, on the walls surrounding the yard but development has gradually led to the walls being demolished with only faint outlines left where the walls still stand.
Major's Tory government said the yacht would be retired all the way back in 1994, citing the expensive costs to maintain the vessel and its need for a refurbishment. The Tories thereafter made replacing Britannia an election issue in 1997, which probably did not go over well with Liz (dragging royal business into politics). Labour was non-committal about to replacing HMY Britannia while on the campaign trail, and decided after winning the election not to replace the royal yacht. As for "Blair Force One," it was a catchy phrase but it seemingly wasn't as controversial a decade later when David Cameron was pushing for a dedicated jet for the PM (and the royals, if need be). IIRC, at the time Britain was the only G20 country to not have a dedicated airplane for transporting its heads of state or government.
When we had a maritime world empire, and long-distance air travel was still in its infancy, there might have been a case for a Royal Yacht. I was sorry to see Britannia retired, but it was just another example of how the Monarchy has had to evolve in a changing world.
@dougaldouglas8842 What it was very useful for was what were called Sea Days. It was used to take business owners out to discuss trade deals that benefitted the British economy. It was estimated that the yacht helped add about £100 billion to the economy.
That last piece of Royal train footage was filmed at Pontypridd railway station, near my home. I'm not much of a rail, or royal enthusiast, but as a huge fan of Dr Felton's WWII content, I'll rejoice at any connection with the great man!😀
I thought it was. Been there several times but wasn't quite sure. I think it is a very nicely preserved station and I'm glad they didn't rationalise it away to empty platforms as happened in so many places.
I think the Royal Train is a great example of a more sustainable travel option and train travel needs to be seen more as a better option. Lead by example. It's also, for the "masses" a far more relatable form of transport.
The comparison to North Kore at the beginning had my milk 🥛 squirting out my nose! 😂😂😂😂 Seriously, I think it’s quite nice that the royals have their very own train and it’s used regularly.
I believe the train is important, it is easy for you to quote the costs of the train in isolation and it sounds a lot money, and of course it will compared to a £38.00 off peak ticket to Victoria. However, the Royal family are important to the UK, as could be seen by what happened when not just the Queen but the Queen Mother died. Their safety and ability to work unhindered are paramount. The train is an important symbol too, trains are important to the British people, you only have to look at the popularity of Heritage railways and model railways. I believe removal of the Royal Yacht was a mistake, it was statement of importance and soft diplomacy. Blair sadly preferred to spend money on lovey projects, unjust wars and on solictors at the European court of Human rights.
That was very interesting, and I absolutely love that royal claret color. That is gorgeous. I don't know who created or picked that out, but I hope they were suitably rewarded.
It is absolutely right that such a conveyance is available to the royal family for official functions since the UK is such a compact (respectfully) and rail linked country. It isn't like Charles III has ever taken it through the Chunnel to load up on duty free hooch in France or the Low Countries.
The German Rail Museum in Nuremberg has the 19th century Bavarian Royal carriages as used by Ludwig II. Great to have a painted ceiling in your mobile drawing room! The French National Rail Museum in Mulhouse has various VIP carriages as used by President Charles de Gaulle and by Queen Elizabeth II.
What a coincidence I visited both of this Museums a Couple Years Ago in the mid and late 2010's. Do you know that at the Nuremberg Museum they have also have Otto von Bismarck's saloon carriage.
Excellent video! I was in London over the summer and saw one of the royal train's locomotives running light while I was waiting for an Overground train at Shepherd's Bush!
In Norway we don't have a royal train, but we do have a royal carriage which after the railroad reform is owned by the Norwegian Railway museum, and is pulled by whatever operator runs the railroad where the king will be going for each trip all this was much easier before they privatized the rail here really. We also still have a royal yacht which is staffed and maintained by the navy but owned by the king KS Norge which was given to the royal family by the Norwegian people in 1948 its a beautiful ship.
In the Netherlands there is also a royal carriage (1992) still in use. The former royal train (austere saloon/sleeping cars train from the 50's) is now in the national railway museum This (1992) carriage is kept in working order for the royal family also at the railway museum.
the environmental arguement is very significant and one that will probably be of more importance to the current monarch. As the UK ismostly a single large island with a good rail system, it makes little sense to fly. it's also worth noting that there are no royal residences between Sandringham and the palace of Holyrood House, the latter being used relatively infrequently. As such, the royal train acts as a valuable base for the monarch or members of the royal family doing a series of visits to an area.
The Duke and Duchess clearly used their "Two Together" railcard to get 1/3 off the price of their tickets. £48k is actually quite cheap for three days of travel on any British trains these days.
I was going to work one day from Cardiff to Bridgend . The royal train came in , loads of police and army "popped" out of the woodwork, and the queen got off.... i was 10 feet away if that ... I was standing behind one the police men...
In late 1970s/ early 1980s on german TV sometimes 45 min ,Specials' appeared, showing three 15 min stories/ episodes, in all three episodes the same popular german actor was the main character, in the next ,Special' another actor appeared. One time the actor Heinz Rühmann was the main actor in such a Special', all three stories played in Great Brittain. In one of this 15 min stories, he played the railway station man of a very small railway station in a rural area. Somehow he knew, that this day the Royal Train will pass his little railway station, and for being a patriotic british citizen, he ordered a teenager, to wave a british flag, when the Royal Train passes. To his surprise, the Royal Train came earlier than expected and stopped at his station. As the only railwayman here, he went to the train and asked, which help the Queen needs. But the railwayman opening the doors, answered, the Queen is not in the train, it stops only for being to early. But i see, you are a dutyfull railwayman, so you can enter the Royal Train and drink a cup of tea with us. In this carriage, where the tea was drunken, there was a cleaning lady sitting in a chair, having her hair covered with a piece of cloth, looking like a ,Turban' ( asian headgear). The Teenager looked through a window, to see what the railwaystation man does. He saw him speaking with a lady, from which he could only see from behind head and headgear. The boy was surprised, let fall bis flag and run to the next pub, where he shouted: The Royal Train has stopped and Mr..... drinks tea with the Queen! A nice short story of german TV, noting british Royal Train.
Rail versus helicopter, the cost saving is obvious. Also learned about a paint color I didn't know -- Royal Claret. These videos about the Royal Family and their gear are a nice detour from the usual military history. Some history about the Tower of London, the Guards units, the other military units standing guard over the Monarch from time to time, the Division of Guards museum, or any similar topics, would be welcome ... by this viewer anyway!
There is no longer a Royal Yacht (Big mistake, that small ship - that little piece of mobile Britain paid for itself many, many times over.) There is no RAF 1. A massive airborne command centre to convey our monarch in safety and security around the world. Don't begrudge our King the Royal Train, I want my Monarch arriving in style. Not just on the 8.15 from Paddington arriving at Platform 2. This is our King we are talking about.
Another interesting n informative upload. It's a beautiful train n seems well maintain n fuctional. Was not aware the royals had a dedicated train assembly @ their disposal. Kudos for ur high standard of fact finding info. Anticipating ur next one. Peace 🕊
If cost and security are an issue then keep the train. Royalty has its place and when the chips are down the royals do their duty boosting moral and recognizing efforts of those in the front line. When nurses, soldiers and others are met by Royalty it means their efforts have not gone unnoticed and are appreciated by the monarchy. Let's keep the train.🙂
Well done sir. this reminds me of the royal trains owned by the Maharajas of India, most of whom had their own trains or carriages for traveling. Although the interiors were considerably more opulent.
The British and DPRK are not the only Royal trains. The Japanese have one set aside for the Emperor’s use. A number of civilian upper class also own private rail carriages. Where the Royal yacht could very easily be replaced by aviation. The alternatives for the Royal train would be more expensive helicopter or worse highly vulnerable and more troublesome motorcade.
The Royal Train is another tradition we need to keep and as the Locomotives are used on other services when not required for the Royal Train they aren’t waisted by just standing around doing nothing.
I enjoyed this video.i was wondering if there was a royal train still.i hope they keep it and use it more.its cost isn't bad and its more environmentally safe,and it can make people feel more connected to the royals and now railroads are being reopened and looked at to limit truck travel to move freight over distance,trains are more effective. thank you Doctor.
Edinburgh airport has or had a dedicated plane with the engines on 24/7 for the royal family . Looks just like a B/A shuttle . We visited it with the school .
I would think a train would be less safe than air travel. Any opposing forces would know basically the entire route and could plan accordingly. A plane doesn't have to stick to rail.
Great video as always Mark but I believe it was John Major who got rid of the Royal Yacht Britannia back in 1997, Tony Blair and the new Labour govt then just refused to authorise a replacement? i do feel it was a mistake to get rid of the original Yacht and it did upset the Royal Family.
It was indeed Major who made the decision. There was no plan for a replacement at the time, although the Tories did claim they would investigate one as part of their election promises
It used to be the practice to turn out the track workers to stand at intervals along the route of the Royal Train. This presumably is no longer the case, not least because there aren't enough track workers nowadays. I wonder when this practice ceased.
Dr. Felton, I'll have to correct you, just a little bit. The Queen of Denmark, also had her own train, well, just carriages, no locomotives. Thank you very much Sir, for your amazing stories. 🇰🇷
My only objection to The Royal Family using our taxes to pay for their Train - is that their not spending enough of our Taxes to update the Train. That grim forgettable office interior needs to go. Less NHS waiting room - more Gold Palace please.
It's a fact that the monarchy isn't funded by the taxpayers. The Sovereign Grant is 25 per cent of the income of the private Crown Estate. The government keeps the balance, which is about £300 million a year.
I had to film the arrival of royals at York station, staff showed me exactly where the train would stop claiming that the double doors would open precisely at a given point .. to be honest I didn’t believe them and was ready to move my camera in case of an overshoot, I was wrong ... of course, superb driving skills (same royal driver every trip?)
Mark do you know about the British steam locomotives that went to war in the middle east in WW2. The Stanier class 8F. Thought you my be interested. Thanks for your video.
Retire the train? Take the concept even further, more like. A Royal train that can pass through the Channel Tunnel and access the railways of Europe & beyond.
Actually, it already could do if the diesel genny was defuelled and the hauling locomotive was electric - the coaches are MK III stock (one is actually from the prototype HST) and are passed to go through the tunnel and into Europe
My commiserations Doc.I.know you're blue blood because you've mentioned a couple of your ancestors in your videos.Everyone's going to miss the Old Mom and the glitter of Royalty. Expensive but romantic. She was really beautiful. Nice train.Thank you.
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I probably need this… for completely embarrassing reasons… 😂
I understand they retired the ship because she powered by steam and it was something to do with her boiler fuel
The British Royal Family are not the only ones with such an asset. The Romanian Royal Family has such a train as well and on important occasions it is still in use to this day. Maybe a video on it too (especially this being lesser known) would be interesting especially with its ties with Romanian history, up to current days.
All the best to you!
After 2024 the United States will also have a royal train, painted orange and abundantly decorated with bling.
I love the video mark! I wonder if you could do a video on general Eisenhower‘s command train in the second world war which was code named bayonet. The interesting thing is that it was driven by A locomotive of the same class that the record-breaking Malard was a part of, I don’t remember what its name was during most of the war but as I recall soon after the war in Europe ended it was renamed to the title “Dwight D Eisenhower” after the person whom used it most of the time during the war. 20 years later with the retirement of steam locomotion on British rail the Eisenhower was retired and shipped over to the United States where it has been on display in the United States national rail museum in Green Bay Wisconsin along with some of the coaches use during the war.
30+ years ago I was a British Rail signal man. I operated an isolated old school lever signal box with a usually disused siding & it was only active on 3 occasions over 2 years, each time as a sleep over position for the royal train. You could tell 2 weeks in advance this was about to happen as you could watch the fields been explored by paired up dog walkers most hours of the day & night & would also be asked to confirm my cars reg number from my home station as security began. The train also has special signalling arrangements, whereby it receives an extra forward "clear line" section during it's journey, something we were taught during initial training, so having the royal train broke the monotony of usual routine, but with the overnight stops occurring the results being I've spent many hours very close to both Her Majesty, prince Phillip and lady Diana before she married Charles, while I was getting overtime pay
Didn’t know Diana was paid when she was with Charles
@@moltderenou i didn't know she got overtime.
@@davesy6969 @Molt de Renou I knew that people would nitpick.
Rail signals dont necessarily stick strictly to proper grammar so long as the trains are safe 😉
@@jezjukes 😂
When I was a child the Royal Train made an unscheduled stop at my country station as there wasn't enough vegetables and fruit to serve lunch... it drew lots of crowds while the Royal staff run into town to stock up.
About a decade ago I was stood on Coventry Station platform at about 5:30a.m. waiting for the first train to London. I was surprised to see a train coming in, thinking it was early for once - turned out it was the Royal train, also heading south, I dutifully stood, in case the Queen was aboard!! Another great vid!
You 4locker.
I'm glad you remembered your manners, so many people these days don't even know them.
As an ex shift station manager I can tell you the background work that takes place when this train is running is incredible. Equally the relief felt by railwaymen and transport police when the traveller gets off and goes on their way is priceless.
The relief after signalling royal trains is good but the cuppa an hour later is a satisfying moment at least on the Spalding branch at Littleworth it was 😊
I was in the BTP and covered several royal trains as a PC. Always enjoyed doing them but it was a relief to send them on their way…
I don’t even read the titles from this channel anymore, I just watch the video and always it is most interesting and well produced. Cheers!
I do the same !
Yep, me too👍
As a railway man and royalist, I found this video fascinating. Thank you Mark.
Youre welcome J.T. Cheers, Thomas (Mark's assistant).
The Dutch Royals also have a train (carriage) ! it's in a museum nowadays, but when the vulcano erupted in Iceland, and there was no flying in europe, they pulled it out of the museum and used it to travel (to denmark I think it was) so it's still in use when necesary
As an American railfan I found this very interesting. Thanks Dr. Felton!
I wish we had more railways here in the US. I understand the history behind why we don't, but that needs to change as trains are the future, not the past.
@@kingjoe3rd it makes sense with the distances in the East Coast but the lack of right of ways makes building new lines, especially high speed ones difficult and expensive.
Californias has turned into a quagmire too.
Rail away
@@kingjoe3rd Along certain corridors, say 300 to 400 miles they make sense. And it doesn't have to be high-speed rail either, high-ER speed is good enough.
However, outside those corridors passenger trains have to travel on the same tracks that freight trains do and the days of passenger train priority are over. Don't take a long distance train here in the US if you're in a hurry. And that's not going to change anytime soon.
@@xiaoka Not just a quagmire but a corrupt boondoggle.
I wonder how much lodging and related costs are saved by the train? All secure forms of travel are going to have onerous costs, but it does seem there's a bit of practicality to the train.
The downside is you are restricted to railroads, it is costly and the current train is very slow. The upside as you stated is you have a free house in the rails. Farther flight has the cost of fuel and restrictions on where and when you can land.
There no savings, both options are needless expenses for a symbolic position
@@rydplrs71 Thank you for a fact-free non-analysis.
@@rydplrs71 Fact 1) no matter what form of government you operate, your leadership will be making the “rounds” if not the King than the President, if not the President then the Prime minister.
Fact 2) a motorcade is a pain in the ass to civilian traffic and high risk to the primary. As a general rule most Personal security detachments prefer not to drive more than 30 miles with a VIP in even an armored convoy. So Choppers are the preferred. Yet helicopters are expensive and risky. Along side crash risk is they basically ride on a man made tornado this places limitations on where you can land and just complicates things.
3) the UK has one of the oldest and fairly well kept rail systems. With regular stations located in easy reach of the prime locations where a vip might be putting in a public appearance.
@@terranempire2 also more eco friendly which comes in handy for image in these times
That Royal business is done as the train is rolling actually makes it a 25,000 pound a day office building, hotel complex, communication center and restaurant.
Before I even watch I give it a thumbs up. It’s Mark Felton. Of course it’s great.
👍
same
I think they should have used the Royal Train when transporting the Late Queen's coffin from Edinburgh to London. I understand the plane saved time but at the cost of a matter of hours the train would have provided an opportunity for people to line station platforms (or other safe places you can line the track) , to pay their respects as was seen when it was transported by road from Balmoral to Edinburgh.
How's a c c crowded latform safe for burgeoning prols ¿?
Wasn't that precisely the reason why this wasn't done? Specifically the potential for the crowds to basically make regular operation impossible.
@@suzyqualcast6269 I don't understand your question. People line platforms every day I don't see how this would be any less safe.
@@Sammy1234568910 Ignore her Marxist ramblings.
You hit the nail on the head with "other safe places". There were idiots on the tracks when "Flying Scotsman" did journeys on the main line, causing frequent delays. That's precisely why moving Her Majesty's coffin from Scotland to London and from London to Windsor by train was considered unviable.
How is Mr Felton not Knighted yet? Seriously Mark Felton is the best historian I have ever seen.
I think he definately deserves an OBE at least, but the late Queen Elizabeth (God rest her soul!) never called me for any recommendations! Maybe King Charles will?
King Charles. Hey, that's going to take some getting used to, even for a Yank like me!
Probably, because the former queen was extremely sick. She was out in public less.
@@gnguyen411 I imagine so. In those last photos taken of her with the new British PM she looked like she'd lost a lot of weight.
Sir Mark Felton has a nice ring to it.
He works for kbg 🤣🎶🎉💍
There’s a train museum in Brussels where you can visit a similar train from our Belgian monarchy.
i personally would love to go see it one day
The National Railway Museum in Hamar, Norway also has Haakon VII's old special carriages on display. The current Royal Carriage (From 1994) is also owned by the museum, and is chartered out to the different rail operators (Vy, Go Ahead, SJ) when in use by the Royal Family. This arrangement is of recent origin, as the Norwegian parliament ratified an extensive railway reform in- I think- 2015 (much like the UK did in the 90s). Before that, it was NSB (the predesessor of today's Vy) who operated all railway traffic in the country, and owned all the rolling stock.
The train should stay in use, especially since the infrastructure is already there, and it's way more economical than flight. I don't get the notion that trains are "old-fashioned" because that is simply untrue, as they are becoming more and more popular around the world.
In the 1950s they were considered old fashioned, then by the 1970s they realised the alternative would make towns and cities unbearable.
The bio-diesel aspect of this train is an outstanding feature and I understand that a regenerative braking is used in about half of the coaches feeding entirely separate types of storage/battery. The train therefore functions as a test bed for new technologies shared between universities and will do this for years. On the whole it sort of pays for itself.
We ran Bio diesel in large generators for a while. Emission testing proved it actually produced more NOX gasses with a moderate reduction in the others. Just because its called BIO doesnt mean its better.
Saw the service car being transported separately on my way home from Edinburgh on my change over in Carlisle last Friday. I thought surely they don't have a royal train anymore and that they were moving a piece to a different museum. Mark Felton strikes again with his weirdly relevant video to answer my question that I couldn't be bothered to google.
The Danish queen has a train too, sort of. It's 2 special built cars that spend most their time in the railway museum, but they're still pulled out for some special occasions and moved with a locomotive at either end - so if one engine breaks down they can keep going. Our queen mostly drives everywhere and in some cases (and when possible) the royal yacht Dannebrog follows along so they have a secure place to stay
Same for the Dutch king
I saw that Royal Yacht quite close when it visited the UK - a most splendid vessel.
@@andrewclark8630 So petty of Blair, such pandering to destructive envy, to have stripped away the royal yacht. Much like his attempt to destroy the House of Lords
@@andrewclark8630 different yacht mate - he's talking about Denmark! 👌🏻😜
@@ashotofmercury I was talking about the Danish royal yacht
Thank you, Mark. At the start of the video, I feared it would be an anti-rail hatchet job but you put the case for the train very well. It makes total sense both economically and environmentally compared to the road and air options.
You feared it would be a hatchet job?
Since when has he displayed even a hint of bias?
@@JaegerMatthias By opening the video by comparing our King with Kim Jong Un because they are the only ones still using a royal train.
"Seems a bit anachronistic....."
"Is it an unnecessary luxury that should be got rid of?"
The tone of the video could then have gone either way, but thankfully Mark then states the advantages and gives a wonderful summary of the stock and their use.
@Cottonheaded Ninnymuggins ???
@@harri2626 I don't think that's necessarily bias, more presenting the arguments that are made against it.
I think a train is a practical, sensible way for the royal family to get around. It's not luxury, it's utilitarian.
There was actually another class 67 unveiled recently for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - 67007. This locomotive is painted in a striking purple scheme with the Platinum Jubilee logo on the side, and white-topped buffers on either end
Queens Messenger was sometimes used to pull Travelling Post Offices.
What a beautiful train, thanks so much for this rare opportunity to take a small peek into royal family travel, I would expect nothing but the best for her Majesty's family, I would hope that trains like this will not disappear like many other modes of transportation have, trains are so romantic and are becoming almost instinct thanks again Dr Felton.
When Prince William &Catherine Lived on Anglesey During his three year stint in RAF VALLEY as a Helicopter pilot with 22Sqd both he &Catherine where Regular passengers on Public trains (Virgin West Coast Voyagers).They sat in 1st class with their Personal protection officers ,amongst other members of the public.They where a lovely pleasant couple.
Us British Transport Police love the Royal Train movements and were rather heartbroken they didn't form part of Her Majesty's funeral arrangements
The revised plan had been announced two years ago but I know a few pals over at BTP were disappointed.
It would have been a logistical nightmare for policing but would have been better in having people pay their respects to the Queen on a national level rather than the typical London dominated funeral we got.
Dr. Felton thank you again for these videos. They show parts of history not taught in regular classes. I love them!
The trains make sense being the lower cost per mile and the engines are used for other stuff so they stay maintained and have other uses.
Thank You Mr. Mark Felton.
I'm quite surprised at how simple the interior of these cars are. They look like a 1980s family restaurant
It must be nice to get away from centuries old stuffy palaces and stay in a motel 6 style train car once in a while.
@@xiaoka While kinda funny, that's not in line with royalism at all.
@@Jkp1321 The same is true of the former Royal Yacht Britannia - it’s comfortable, but isn’t especially plush in reality.
The Queen didn't actually like grand interiors, she had simple tastes. Most of the fancy interiors of the palaces were made before she was Queen.
I like planes when I have to cross very far distances over seas, but a train will always be my favorite way to travel as far as the rails can take me. A train has some kind of romance. Train system in UK is one of the best in the whole World. While I was living in UK I did enjoy trains very much.
Rail system in the UK it's at it's lowest ever....
Although it's better than the US system by far.
But compared to japan and switzerland it's pathetic.
Mark, have you ever considered doing a story on the Allied Duty Trains that served the Allies stationed in Berlin during the Cold War? I have ridden on the American one at night
I was the Train Conducting Officer on the British Military Train several times. The British train was the only one allowed to travel during the day: apparently for both the French and US train there had been too many people taking forbidden photos…
…lunch was served at Magdeburg and was silver service, just to show the Sovs how the other half lived :)
@@bob_the_bomb4508 Never knew a rail service existed during that period. Very cool.
@@morgan97475 A few years ago N scale models were availble of the cold war train cars. A DB coach labeled for the U.S. Army, for example.
@@morgan97475 Right, and it was the closing of the rail lines in addition to the roads that precipitated the Berlin Crisis of 1947-1948.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 Back in '85, I recall a friend telling me that the East Germans would time you as you drove from West Germany to West Berlin, using a ticket issued at the border to confirm your drive-time. Never went to Berlin though. Would love to now.
Bit of a fun fact, the two earliest carriages used for the royal train, built in 1843 and 1851, had lasted into the 20th century on Colonel Stephens’ railway empire. The 1843 carriage found its way to Longmoor in the 1950’s and sadly scrapped in 1956 due to wood degradation. The 1851 carriage was grounded and used as a summer home until it was broken up for firewood in the 60’s.
Bring back the royal yacht I say.
I second that
My father was a fireman on the London to Edinburgh (flying Scotsman) in 1950s , And the older locomotive drivers ,told him that during ww2 1939-1942 the Royal train had been kept in constant stream in case of invasion ,so the royals could be transport to a port ,and off to the Canada ,if the Germans invaded.
That train used to be stored and maintained in Wolverton which is part of Milton Keynes. Until fairly recently you could still see camouflage paint which dated back to WW2, on the walls surrounding the yard but development has gradually led to the walls being demolished with only faint outlines left where the walls still stand.
Disgraceful that Tony Blair scrapped the Royal Yacht, then said that he needed “Blair Force One”. At least he didn’t manage to get the Royal Train.
BoJo wanted a new yacht didn't he?
Major's Tory government said the yacht would be retired all the way back in 1994, citing the expensive costs to maintain the vessel and its need for a refurbishment. The Tories thereafter made replacing Britannia an election issue in 1997, which probably did not go over well with Liz (dragging royal business into politics). Labour was non-committal about to replacing HMY Britannia while on the campaign trail, and decided after winning the election not to replace the royal yacht.
As for "Blair Force One," it was a catchy phrase but it seemingly wasn't as controversial a decade later when David Cameron was pushing for a dedicated jet for the PM (and the royals, if need be). IIRC, at the time Britain was the only G20 country to not have a dedicated airplane for transporting its heads of state or government.
When we had a maritime world empire, and long-distance air travel was still in its infancy, there might have been a case for a Royal Yacht. I was sorry to see Britannia retired, but it was just another example of how the Monarchy has had to evolve in a changing world.
@dougaldouglas8842 What it was very useful for was what were called Sea Days. It was used to take business owners out to discuss trade deals that benefitted the British economy. It was estimated that the yacht helped add about £100 billion to the economy.
I imagine everyone breaths a massive sigh of relief when that train pulls away and no longer there problem
That last piece of Royal train footage was filmed at Pontypridd railway station, near my home. I'm not much of a rail, or royal enthusiast, but as a huge fan of Dr Felton's WWII content, I'll rejoice at any connection with the great man!😀
I thought it was. Been there several times but wasn't quite sure. I think it is a very nicely preserved station and I'm glad they didn't rationalise it away to empty platforms as happened in so many places.
I think the Royal Train is a great example of a more sustainable travel option and train travel needs to be seen more as a better option. Lead by example. It's also, for the "masses" a far more relatable form of transport.
Looks like they got the interior from a Travelodge closing down sale.
The comparison to North Kore at the beginning had my milk 🥛 squirting out my nose! 😂😂😂😂
Seriously, I think it’s quite nice that the royals have their very own train and it’s used regularly.
The Royal train ? This should be a good one as always just stay on track and don’t get derailed as we listen to Dr Felton !
I see what you did there....well done.
Those claret-coloured carriages and locos are very elegant.
I believe the train is important, it is easy for you to quote the costs of the train in isolation and it sounds a lot money, and of course it will compared to a £38.00 off peak ticket to Victoria. However, the Royal family are important to the UK, as could be seen by what happened when not just the Queen but the Queen Mother died. Their safety and ability to work unhindered are paramount. The train is an important symbol too, trains are important to the British people, you only have to look at the popularity of Heritage railways and model railways. I believe removal of the Royal Yacht was a mistake, it was statement of importance and soft diplomacy. Blair sadly preferred to spend money on lovey projects, unjust wars and on solictors at the European court of Human rights.
Very cool personal train.
Great vid, Ty. Keep the train, ditch the whirlybird(s) and dump the elitist jet(s), says this non monarchial Texan.
That was very interesting, and I absolutely love that royal claret color. That is gorgeous. I don't know who created or picked that out, but I hope they were suitably rewarded.
It was first used for a car belonging to King Edward VII in 1901.
@@michaelmontagu3979 Cool. I've always liked Edward.
@@odysseusrex5908 He certainly had personality.
It is absolutely right that such a conveyance is available to the royal family for official functions since the UK is such a compact (respectfully) and rail linked country. It isn't like Charles III has ever taken it through the Chunnel to load up on duty free hooch in France or the Low Countries.
The German Rail Museum in Nuremberg has the 19th century Bavarian Royal carriages as used by Ludwig II. Great to have a painted ceiling in your mobile drawing room! The French National Rail Museum in Mulhouse has various VIP carriages as used by President Charles de Gaulle and by Queen Elizabeth II.
What a coincidence I visited both of this Museums a Couple Years Ago in the mid and late 2010's. Do you know that at the Nuremberg Museum they have also have Otto von Bismarck's saloon carriage.
it's like this. Cheaper, more Efficient and more environmentally friendly also it can travel safely in adverse weather conditions
As a sea faring country, the UK should never have decomissioned The Britannia. Some things you can't put a price on.
Excellent video! I was in London over the summer and saw one of the royal train's locomotives running light while I was waiting for an Overground train at Shepherd's Bush!
I'm a commoner. Haven't been on nor been able to afford to go ANYWHERE by train in 🇬🇧 since April 1986.
Pull the other one, it has bells on!
I remember looking in it as a child at the National Railway Museum at York
That would have been one of the older ones, not the one featured in this video. (In fact the NRM has TWO previous versions).
Hope these never go away
In Norway we don't have a royal train, but we do have a royal carriage which after the railroad reform is owned by the Norwegian Railway museum, and is pulled by whatever operator runs the railroad where the king will be going for each trip all this was much easier before they privatized the rail here really. We also still have a royal yacht which is staffed and maintained by the navy but owned by the king KS Norge which was given to the royal family by the Norwegian people in 1948 its a beautiful ship.
In the Netherlands there is also a royal carriage (1992) still in use.
The former royal train (austere saloon/sleeping cars train from the 50's) is now in the national railway museum
This (1992) carriage is kept in working order for the royal family also at the railway museum.
I'm liking Marks variety of subjects this weather, a good orator makes reading a phone book sound interesting.. keep the Doc's coming Doc !
I have seen the Royal Train at Aberystwyth. Interestingly due to the nature of the track, pulled by two very clean Class 20s.
the environmental arguement is very significant and one that will probably be of more importance to the current monarch. As the UK ismostly a single large island with a good rail system, it makes little sense to fly.
it's also worth noting that there are no royal residences between Sandringham and the palace of Holyrood House, the latter being used relatively infrequently. As such, the royal train acts as a valuable base for the monarch or members of the royal family doing a series of visits to an area.
The Duke and Duchess clearly used their "Two Together" railcard to get 1/3 off the price of their tickets. £48k is actually quite cheap for three days of travel on any British trains these days.
We get to pay for Air Force 1 over here. And most often it's not "official" business, just campaigning. 🙁
How is security guaranteed on a train? A 🐈⬛ SD allows it to go in any direction and change routes. A train has to go on predetermined tracks.
I was going to work one day from Cardiff to Bridgend . The royal train came in , loads of police and army "popped" out of the woodwork, and the queen got off.... i was 10 feet away if that ... I was standing behind one the police men...
In late 1970s/ early 1980s on german TV sometimes 45 min ,Specials' appeared, showing three 15 min stories/ episodes, in all three episodes the same popular german actor was the main character, in the next ,Special' another actor appeared. One time the actor Heinz Rühmann was the main actor in such a Special', all three stories played in Great Brittain. In one of this 15 min stories, he played the railway station man of a very small railway station in a rural area. Somehow he knew, that this day the Royal Train will pass his little railway station, and for being a patriotic british citizen, he ordered a teenager, to wave a british flag, when the Royal Train passes. To his surprise, the Royal Train came earlier than expected and stopped at his station. As the only railwayman here, he went to the train and asked, which help the Queen needs. But the railwayman opening the doors, answered, the Queen is not in the train, it stops only for being to early. But i see, you are a dutyfull railwayman, so you can enter the Royal Train and drink a cup of tea with us. In this carriage, where the tea was drunken, there was a cleaning lady sitting in a chair, having her hair covered with a piece of cloth, looking like a ,Turban' ( asian headgear). The Teenager looked through a window, to see what the railwaystation man does. He saw him speaking with a lady, from which he could only see from behind head and headgear. The boy was surprised, let fall bis flag and run to the next pub, where he shouted: The Royal Train has stopped and Mr..... drinks tea with the Queen!
A nice short story of german TV, noting british Royal Train.
Rail versus helicopter, the cost saving is obvious. Also learned about a paint color I didn't know -- Royal Claret. These videos about the Royal Family and their gear are a nice detour from the usual military history. Some history about the Tower of London, the Guards units, the other military units standing guard over the Monarch from time to time, the Division of Guards museum, or any similar topics, would be welcome ... by this viewer anyway!
Thank you Mark, interesting information. I've seen photos of the Royal train before, you're right, it's not luxurious at all.
You don't know what the inside looks like
@@tomquimby6432 You do realise there are pictures on the internet, correct?
this must be first train covered on this channel that did not have quad 20mm flak guns mounted on it... :)
How do you know it doesn't 😁
There is no longer a Royal Yacht (Big mistake, that small ship - that little piece of mobile Britain paid for itself many, many times over.) There is no RAF 1. A massive airborne command centre to convey our monarch in safety and security around the world.
Don't begrudge our King the Royal Train, I want my Monarch arriving in style. Not just on the 8.15 from Paddington arriving at Platform 2. This is our King we are talking about.
You forgot to mention that the king of the Netherlands also uses the train even now and then and he also has a special carrier cage named NS 10.
With the UK's lack of freedom of speech double VPN sounds like a good idea
Excellent thank you. I’m in favour of building a new royal yacht. Sounds crazy but I have my reasons for this.
Another interesting n informative upload.
It's a beautiful train n seems well maintain n fuctional. Was not aware the royals had a dedicated train assembly @ their disposal. Kudos for ur high standard of fact finding info. Anticipating ur next one. Peace 🕊
If cost and security are an issue then keep the train. Royalty has its place and when the chips are down the royals do their duty boosting moral and recognizing efforts of those in the front line. When nurses, soldiers and others are met by Royalty it means their efforts have not gone unnoticed and are appreciated by the monarchy. Let's keep the train.🙂
I remember well the Royal Train headcode in the steam days - one lamp above, three along the buffer beam.
Thanks Mark, You have high lighted just what a pampered privileged family we have in Great Britain ... What a waste of money the monarchy is ...
The Emperor of Japan also has his own Train.
when I hear that opening sound I know it's gonna be lit
Well done sir. this reminds me of the royal trains owned by the Maharajas of India, most of whom had their own trains or carriages for traveling. Although the interiors were considerably more opulent.
The British and DPRK are not the only Royal trains. The Japanese have one set aside for the Emperor’s use. A number of civilian upper class also own private rail carriages.
Where the Royal yacht could very easily be replaced by aviation. The alternatives for the Royal train would be more expensive helicopter or worse highly vulnerable and more troublesome motorcade.
The Royal Train is another tradition we need to keep and as the Locomotives are used on other services when not required for the Royal Train they aren’t waisted by just standing around doing nothing.
The management & operating crews should teach the rest of the network about how pride in their work breeds efficiency.
Dr. Felton, thank you for these wonderful insights into the Royal Family.
Thanks for a look at a specialized part of running the Monarchy.
I enjoyed this video.i was wondering if there was a royal train still.i hope they keep it and use it more.its cost isn't bad and its more environmentally safe,and it can make people feel more connected to the royals and now railroads are being reopened and looked at to limit truck travel to move freight over distance,trains are more effective. thank you Doctor.
The Royal Train is still in use.
700,000? Bargain, it costs that much to hire a car for the week in Killarney!
Edinburgh airport has or had a dedicated plane with the engines on 24/7 for the royal family . Looks just like a B/A shuttle . We visited it with the school .
I would think a train would be less safe than air travel. Any opposing forces would know basically the entire route and could plan accordingly. A plane doesn't have to stick to rail.
Great video as always Mark but I believe it was John Major who got rid of the Royal Yacht Britannia back in 1997, Tony Blair and the new Labour govt then just refused to authorise a replacement? i do feel it was a mistake to get rid of the original Yacht and it did upset the Royal Family.
It was indeed Major who made the decision. There was no plan for a replacement at the time, although the Tories did claim they would investigate one as part of their election promises
25k May seem a lot but Air Force one costs well over a million just to service it and get it off the ground with fuel etc
It used to be the practice to turn out the track workers to stand at intervals along the route of the Royal Train. This presumably is no longer the case, not least because there aren't enough track workers nowadays. I wonder when this practice ceased.
Dr. Felton, I'll have to correct you, just a little bit. The Queen of Denmark, also had her own train, well, just carriages, no locomotives. Thank you very much Sir, for your amazing stories. 🇰🇷
I currently work with the Eastern & Oriental Express Train operating in Malaysia
My only objection to The Royal Family using our taxes to pay for their Train - is that their not spending enough of our Taxes to update the Train. That grim forgettable office interior needs to go. Less NHS waiting room - more Gold Palace please.
It's a fact that the monarchy isn't funded by the taxpayers. The Sovereign Grant is 25 per cent of the income of the private Crown Estate. The government keeps the balance, which is about £300 million a year.
I have seen Queen’s Messenger, but it was not pulling the Royal Train but banking behind the Belmond British Pullman back in June.
I had to film the arrival of royals at York station, staff showed me exactly where the train would stop claiming that the double doors would open precisely at a given point .. to be honest I didn’t believe them and was ready to move my camera in case of an overshoot, I was wrong ... of course, superb driving skills (same royal driver every trip?)
There seriously must be a guardsman driving that train...
Only a guardsman would get something so on point.
Mark do you know about the British steam locomotives
that went to war in the middle
east in WW2.
The Stanier class 8F.
Thought you my be interested.
Thanks for your video.
Retire the train? Take the concept even further, more like.
A Royal train that can pass through the Channel Tunnel and access the railways of Europe & beyond.
Actually, it already could do if the diesel genny was defuelled and the hauling locomotive was electric - the coaches are MK III stock (one is actually from the prototype HST) and are passed to go through the tunnel and into Europe
I think the Queen requested that her coffin be brought to London by train, but it was changed to a plane due to security reasons
My commiserations Doc.I.know you're blue blood because you've mentioned a couple of your ancestors in your videos.Everyone's going to miss the Old Mom and the glitter of Royalty. Expensive but romantic. She was really beautiful. Nice train.Thank you.
"Painted in Royal Carrot".
"Ehhh, What's up, Doc?"
(Chomp chomp chomp)...
Then the fun begins!..