Despite my position of employment, I do not tend to make it any kind of habit to loiter around railway stations at the crack of dawn, especially on a Thursday morning (and one following a long weekend, at that!).
However, this morning is a little bit different, and a little bit more special.
As I wait beneath the glow of beautiful Dawlish sunlight, I am anticipating the arrival of one of the United Kingdom’s foremost luxury travel offerings: The Midland Pullman, which today will be stopping at the station on one of its boutique services travelling from Paignton to Scarborough.
Departing on its maiden voyage on 12 December 2020; The Midland Pullman takes its name from an express passenger service that operated along British Railways’ Midland Main Line between London St. Pancras and Manchester Central via Leicester & Millers Dale during the 1960s, and offers luxury charter railtours along a number of designated routes on specific dates throughout the year, providing high-end train travel experiences with journeys departing from more than 100 stations across the United Kingdom.
A Classic Reborn
First rolled onto railway tracks between between in September 1960; the vehicle used for the Midland Pullman’s original incarnation was, as the name implies, a Blue Pullman, a unit that was initially used on routes from 1960 to 1973.
A luxury train through and through; the original unit was capable of travelling at speeds of up to 90mph (144km/h), and featured fixed couplings to reduce instability, hydraulically damped helical springs within the bogies and pneumatically braked axles along a two-stage system, enabling highly-controlled stopping.
Each unit was air-conditioned and utilised a large primary diesel engine, as well as a generator for motive power and secondary Rolls-Royce C8NFLH diesel engine and auxiliary 150 kVA 3-phase 400 V generator beneath the floor, providing ample power for the wealth of air-conditioning, fridge and ancillary equipment on-board.
The Midland Pullman’s original service was finally withdrawn in 1966, with its replacement, an electric-locomotive-hauled Manchester Pullman train, beginning to run services between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston via a newly electrified West Coast Main Line, which subsequently offered a reduction in journey time of up to 45 minutes.
The Return
Charter operator FM Rail first revived the Blue Pullman service in January 2006, offering charter services for a short time before the company became defunct later that year. Shortly after this, the service was then operated by Cotswold Rail from February 2007, where it remained in operation until it, too, went defunct in 2010.
2025’s Pullman, which is now operated by Locomotive Services Limited (LSL), is something of a different beast.
Utilising one of British Rail’s signature Class 43 high-speed trains (HST), the vehicle runs on a mix of diesel & electric power, with each traincar having received a full refurbishment both inside and out in order to faithfully recreate the classic blue look of the original Pullman vehicles.
Services run throughout the year and offer a more relaxed travel experience to tourist hotspots across the United Kingdom – with pre-booking a necessity in order to board.
Alas, I am not one of the lucky few to board the Pullman this morning (at any rate, I’m a bit underdressed!). However, catching a glimpse of the regal unit’s vibrant blue livery dashing along the coast of the United Kingdom certainly isn’t a bad way to start your day.
Maybe next time, eh?
