ON THE RAILS From
far-flung journeys to a home by the tracksEn Route News
By Simon de BurtonGolden Eagle luxury trains
marks its 30th anniversary this
year with the launch of an exotic
new route. The Persia and Silk
Road tour takes passengers
through parts of Iran,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan that few
westerners get to see, with stops
at the Unesco city of Yazd (below),
the Shahdad desert and ancient
cities of Shiraz and Isfahan. The
journey can be made east to
west from October 2 to 17 or
west to east April 6 to 21 next
year. Tickets start at £15,195.
goldeneagleluxurytrains.comSmooth AS SILK➼
The historic Caledonian Sleeper
service has been re-launched following the £150
million refurbishment flagged up in En Route
2018. Out went cramped cabins and unlockable
doors, and in came 75 new coaches offering rooms with keycard
entry, Wi-Fi, en-suite bathrooms and the world’s only train-borne
double beds. The Serco-owned service operates between London
and Scotland, with the initial Lowlander route from the capital to
Glasgow or Edinburgh soon to be followed by the Highlander route,
which will take passengers from London to destinations including
Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William. sleeper.scotBack on Track➼ Go We s t
You may not be
overcome with
reasons to visit
Swindon, but next
month’s two-day
railway festival taking
place at STEAM, the
museum of the Great
Western Railway, should
make a trip to this
Wiltshire town utterly
irresistible. Running on
September 7 and 8, the
festival will feature 26
superbly detailed model
railways, many
depicting historic
scenes, plus full-sized
locomotives (King
George V, City of Truro
and Caerphilly Castle)
on show and available
for inspection. Live
steam traction engine
displays are scheduled,
and “refreshments,
GWR style” are also
promised (but don’t let
that put you off ).
Tickets from £8.80.
steam-museum.org.ukuxury tourist train operator Belmond is laying on a
special service next month called the Tiger Express.
Starting on September 7, the Eastern & Oriental
Express will run along the popular Bangkok to
Singapore route on behalf of the Save Wild Tigers charity in
a bid to raise awareness of the big cats’ plight. Chinese artist
Jacky Tsai has been commissioned to paint tiger motifs on
two carriages of the train, which will pass through territories
in Malaysia and Thailand where the animals once thrived.
Three nights aboard will be bookended by overnight stays at
the grand Siam Hotel in Bangkok and Raffles Hotel in
Singapore. Tickets start at £3,724, with 20 per cent going
to Save Wild Tigers. belmond.comEARN YOUR STRIPES
Train buffs who fancy getting away from it all (and still being
able to come back) may be interested to know that England’s
highest mainline railway station is currently up for sale. Dent
station at Cowgill sits on the famous Settle-Carlisle line in the
heart of the Yorkshire Dales. The platform is still in use but
the Victorian property, built in 1877, has been lovingly
converted into a three-bedroom home. davis-bowring.co.ukABOVE YOUR STATION
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SEPTEMBER 2019 VANITY FAIR EN ROUTE
09-19-News-Rail.indd 15 09/07/2019 16:04