The Jacobite was so expensive and difficult to get tickets for. Instead we went inland to Strathspey steam railway. We had a fantastic time with Sunday lunch on a steam train for similar price to regular tickets on the Jacobite.
Just go to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway if you want a Harry Potter railway experience, they filmed the Hogsmeade Station scenes there. You'll be sure to get steam engines and vintage coaches there, and on most heritage railways you'll not get told off for window hanging. :)
A few points. That diesel is from the 1960s, its as classic and historical as the 1950s steam trains they use. Those mark 3 carriages you were in are feom the 1960s as well. Its just they havent been as well looked after as the mark ones and twos that the Jacobite usually uses. This has come about because the company that runs the trains is in dispute with the rail regulator about installing modern central locking systems required to run on British mainline railways so has has its licence to run them until it comes to an agreement with the regulator. Tnis is about safety as back in The day there were a gew accidents when people opened the doors on trains and fell out. The whole dispute is covered quite well by the Green Signals podcast.
My wife and I have done the experience in September 2023. It was absolutely a fantastic experience. As Harry Potter, fan. We had a magnificent day out and are going to do it again in 2025.
Unfortunately as I described in the video there have been a few changes this year which means that the carriages used are different from 2023, as are a number of other aspects regarding the trip. Hopefully the original carriages can be used again soon though!
Might as well be hauled by a diesel locomotive when you are confined to a carriage with non-opening sealed windows. You miss out on the special sounds and smells that only steam locomotives can provide. In the circumstances I would have taken the regular railcar service on this line at a much cheaper price, and without the need to book months ahead. There are plenty of heritage railways throughout Britain where you can ride behind steam locomotives, and their carriages have opening windows. A credit to the volunteers who operate and maintain them. I enjoyed my trip on that beautiful line a few years back behind steam on the Jacobite train before the fun police took over.
The coach problem is due to the older coaches being unsafe (doors able to open on the move). The company hasn't done much to resolve this over the past year, we're hoping we'll get the older coaches back soon but who knows
There’s unfortunately very little chance West Coast Railways will be able to use them again. As they do need door locking controlled by Gaurd to be fitted. They will no doubt need an exemption from the ORR due to their delays in choosing when to update their antics. Personally use ScotRail’s Super Sprinter trains where you can technically record out of the window still 😂
I've done the Fort William to Mallaig trip on the Jacobite and by ScotRail, I don't really think that the extra you pay for the Jacobite is worth it if you are primarily interested in the scenery.
Was on this yesterday. Totally ruined by the health and safety brigade. Can't get a decent photograph because you can't open a window on a mk2 D carriage. I asked to even lean out the window on the Glenfinnan Viaduct whilst the train was stopped. "NOT ALLOWED ". Any photo I took has got rain on the window and a reflection of the carriage interior. Total let down.
Hai ! Thank you for the informative video. We‘ll be flying to scotland next week. And like you I‘ve booked the jacobite ticket since march. We kept getting information from west coast railway about the problem. I thought they have solved the problem. There was an email that said, there will only be morning service aka once a day. Which train service did you use ? The morning one or the evening one? Do you know which one would be using the steam train? Because that would determine when are going to visit the glenfinnan viaduct. Actually there is also a beautiful steam train here in Harz national park, germany. And it is also pricey. Kerp up the good work and many more videos coming
Thank you for watching! I have had a look at the website and it seems like they have changed the schedule again since we took the train just over a month ago. This summer there were two scheduled trains per day; once in the morning (and this was the steam train) and once in the afternoon (the diesel locomotive). It seems that there is no longer a diesel locomotive service in the afternoon and this has been switched instead to an evening service. Hopefully this means that the remaining morning service is still the steam one but on the website it does say that they reserve the right to send a diesel locomotive instead of a steam train at any time. I would therefore say that your best chance of seeing the steam train at Glenfinnan Viaduct would be to try and spot the morning service! I have more information about Glenfinnan Viaduct on my blog :) www.solosophie.com/glenfinnan-viaduct/
Far better and cheaper to take the normal Scotrail service from Fort William to Mallaig, we did two years ago. Same scenery, get much more time in Mallaig to explore and have a Langoustine lunch, and at a quarter of the price of the Jacobite. Not full of annoying kids either!
Watched your video the night before riding and it got me worried. Thankfully we got the steam train. However, I must say this ride left me disappointed - and would have preferred chasing it by road. The carriages were very dirty on both the inside and outside, and with the (not so) new carriages, it makes it very difficult for photos, and it’s a shame about the safety regulations with the old carriages. The customer service was also average. As an Ops Manager of a heritage railway back here in NZ, I would have been disappointed. The staff will stand in the ends of each car and are very strict on anyone getting up. I thought by their mannerisms they might have been volunteers, but they are staff, which I thought would have been more trained in customer service. They didn’t do anything particularly wrong, but it’s very awkward watching them stand at the end of each car not saying much. Could also barely hear the whistle, which seems like a silly complaint, but people pay for a steam train experience - and they want to hear the whistle. It’s a main part of the magic of a steam train ride - maybe the whistles in UK are a lot quieter than other places, but I only very faintly heard it once the whole journey, going over the viaduct. I don’t know, was expecting an awesome day, but something just didn’t click for me sadly. I’m happy to say I’ve finally done it though.
I'm afraid that in Britain, a scenic rail journey is an oxymoron. In many cases, the actual scenery is hidden behind the dense hedgerows that have been allowed to grow. As for the trains, old service carriages with small windows do not impress me. Compare them with the purpose built panoramic dome cars that other countries use on their scenic trains, even narrow gauge lines such as in Switzerland, so the British loading gauge should be no obstacle. The Rocky Mountaineer in Canada has such coaches and also has open platforms where one can stand and feel the air rushing past- beats hanging out of a door window.
reason you dont have your classic coaches now is because of the heads of 10a thinking they're special snowflakes and different from other tocs and should be given the carte blanc to do whatever the hell they like on network rail metals by not fitting the required CDL
Thanks for the heads up. It looks dreadful. I will be cancelling my booking for May 2025. Let those annoying Harry Potter fans ruin it for somebody else.
The Jacobite was so expensive and difficult to get tickets for. Instead we went inland to Strathspey steam railway. We had a fantastic time with Sunday lunch on a steam train for similar price to regular tickets on the Jacobite.
Just go to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway if you want a Harry Potter railway experience, they filmed the Hogsmeade Station scenes there. You'll be sure to get steam engines and vintage coaches there, and on most heritage railways you'll not get told off for window hanging. :)
A few points.
That diesel is from the 1960s, its as classic and historical as the 1950s steam trains they use.
Those mark 3 carriages you were in are feom the 1960s as well. Its just they havent been as well looked after as the mark ones and twos that the Jacobite usually uses.
This has come about because the company that runs the trains is in dispute with the rail regulator about installing modern central locking systems required to run on British mainline railways so has has its licence to run them until it comes to an agreement with the regulator.
Tnis is about safety as back in The day there were a gew accidents when people opened the doors on trains and fell out.
The whole dispute is covered quite well by the Green Signals podcast.
You mean MK2 coaches
The mk2s they are using date from the 70s the earlier ones from the late 60s still had openable windows
If you love trains then I recommend going, its totally worth it
My wife and I have done the experience in September 2023.
It was absolutely a fantastic experience. As Harry Potter, fan. We had a magnificent day out and are going to do it again in 2025.
Unfortunately as I described in the video there have been a few changes this year which means that the carriages used are different from 2023, as are a number of other aspects regarding the trip. Hopefully the original carriages can be used again soon though!
Might as well be hauled by a diesel locomotive when you are confined to a carriage with non-opening sealed windows. You miss out on the special sounds and smells that only steam locomotives can provide. In the circumstances I would have taken the regular railcar service on this line at a much cheaper price, and without the need to book months ahead. There are plenty of heritage railways throughout Britain where you can ride behind steam locomotives, and their carriages have opening windows. A credit to the volunteers who operate and maintain them. I enjoyed my trip on that beautiful line a few years back behind steam on the Jacobite train before the fun police took over.
The coach problem is due to the older coaches being unsafe (doors able to open on the move). The company hasn't done much to resolve this over the past year, we're hoping we'll get the older coaches back soon but who knows
There’s unfortunately very little chance West Coast Railways will be able to use them again. As they do need door locking controlled by Gaurd to be fitted. They will no doubt need an exemption from the ORR due to their delays in choosing when to update their antics.
Personally use ScotRail’s Super Sprinter trains where you can technically record out of the window still 😂
This seems like an absolutely borderline "bait and switch" tactic that should be illegal.
Thank you Sophie. Very helpful review
Did you book the morning or afternoon train ?
Thank you - very helpful video. I'll take the much cheaper regular train rather than the distinctly scruffy and expensive Jacobite.
We did the same in 2021. Had a far better experience with the regular train service. The staff onboard were marvellous too.
I've done the Fort William to Mallaig trip on the Jacobite and by ScotRail, I don't really think that the extra you pay for the Jacobite is worth it if you are primarily interested in the scenery.
Was on this yesterday. Totally ruined by the health and safety brigade. Can't get a decent photograph because you can't open a window on a mk2 D carriage. I asked to even lean out the window on the Glenfinnan Viaduct whilst the train was stopped. "NOT ALLOWED ". Any photo I took has got rain on the window and a reflection of the carriage interior. Total let down.
Hai ! Thank you for the informative video. We‘ll be flying to scotland next week. And like you I‘ve booked the jacobite ticket since march. We kept getting information from west coast railway about the problem. I thought they have solved the problem. There was an email that said, there will only be morning service aka once a day. Which train service did you use ? The morning one or the evening one? Do you know which one would be using the steam train? Because that would determine when are going to visit the glenfinnan viaduct. Actually there is also a beautiful steam train here in Harz national park, germany. And it is also pricey. Kerp up the good work and many more videos coming
Thank you for watching!
I have had a look at the website and it seems like they have changed the schedule again since we took the train just over a month ago. This summer there were two scheduled trains per day; once in the morning (and this was the steam train) and once in the afternoon (the diesel locomotive). It seems that there is no longer a diesel locomotive service in the afternoon and this has been switched instead to an evening service.
Hopefully this means that the remaining morning service is still the steam one but on the website it does say that they reserve the right to send a diesel locomotive instead of a steam train at any time. I would therefore say that your best chance of seeing the steam train at Glenfinnan Viaduct would be to try and spot the morning service!
I have more information about Glenfinnan Viaduct on my blog :) www.solosophie.com/glenfinnan-viaduct/
That is not a steam engine, but is still a classic engine
Hi, can anyone help to me to know if 5 month old baby is allowed to travel in Jacobite train?
Far better and cheaper to take the normal Scotrail service from Fort William to Mallaig, we did two years ago. Same scenery, get much more time in Mallaig to explore and have a Langoustine lunch, and at a quarter of the price of the Jacobite. Not full of annoying kids either!
Watched your video the night before riding and it got me worried. Thankfully we got the steam train.
However, I must say this ride left me disappointed - and would have preferred chasing it by road.
The carriages were very dirty on both the inside and outside, and with the (not so) new carriages, it makes it very difficult for photos, and it’s a shame about the safety regulations with the old carriages.
The customer service was also average. As an Ops Manager of a heritage railway back here in NZ, I would have been disappointed. The staff will stand in the ends of each car and are very strict on anyone getting up. I thought by their mannerisms they might have been volunteers, but they are staff, which I thought would have been more trained in customer service. They didn’t do anything particularly wrong, but it’s very awkward watching them stand at the end of each car not saying much.
Could also barely hear the whistle, which seems like a silly complaint, but people pay for a steam train experience - and they want to hear the whistle. It’s a main part of the magic of a steam train ride - maybe the whistles in UK are a lot quieter than other places, but I only very faintly heard it once the whole journey, going over the viaduct.
I don’t know, was expecting an awesome day, but something just didn’t click for me sadly. I’m happy to say I’ve finally done it though.
What do you mean "thought by their mannerisms they might have been volunteers" - mean?
I'm afraid that in Britain, a scenic rail journey is an oxymoron. In many cases, the actual scenery is hidden behind the dense hedgerows that have been allowed to grow.
As for the trains, old service carriages with small windows do not impress me. Compare them with the purpose built panoramic dome cars that other countries use on their scenic trains, even narrow gauge lines such as in Switzerland, so the British loading gauge should be no obstacle. The Rocky Mountaineer in Canada has such coaches and also has open platforms where one can stand and feel the air rushing past- beats hanging out of a door window.
Its worth it in a steam locomotive.
Not on a train like that. Its the best its was definetly worth it and i will defenitly do it again and again.
Beautiful viewes ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I have done it. With steam. Wonderful scenery Great weather. Very enjoyable. And a short cruise at Mallaig.
reason you dont have your classic coaches now is because of the heads of 10a thinking they're special snowflakes and different from other tocs and should be given the carte blanc to do whatever the hell they like on network rail metals by not fitting the required CDL
Typical Highlands rip off , no way is that worth it
It looks absolutely crap
I hope you don1t mean the highland views.
@@williamgardner2739 I meant the scruffy, rip off train but seeing as you are asking, I much prefer the Lake District
Thanks for the heads up. It looks dreadful. I will be cancelling my booking for May 2025. Let those annoying Harry Potter fans ruin it for somebody else.