Has anyone seen Prince Charles today?

[crewmeal]

We saw him at Glasgow yesterday with a class 67 adorned in his feathers and plaque, but where is he today? Anyone got photos of the Royal train on this trip?

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Expected in Newcastle tomorrow (Wed).

 

[driver9000]

Believe he was in Edinburgh this morning.

 

[jamesontheroad]

According to the BBC this morning, he travelled Glasgow -> Edinburgh yesterday, was in North Wales today and Newcastle tomorrow.

The privilege of having your own train. Or rather one you can borrow from your mum

 

[Aictos]

Good to see the royal train being used, much cheaper then having to hire out hotel rooms and use cars/helicopters to get everywhere,

If it was just a trip to Edinburgh then onto Newcastle, I would say just use a regular East Coast service but as he's heading halfway cross the country, I do firmly believe he's made the right decision.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Does the royal train, when in proper use, get priority over every train the country: Isn't the headcode 1X01 or something special?

 

[krus_aragon]

If this is the trip I'm thinking of, he's coming to the National Botanical Gardens of Wales at Llanarthne, presumably using Carmarthen as a railhead.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Does the royal train, when in proper use, get priority ovcer evry train the country. Isn't the headcode 1X01 or something special

It's 1Z01.

 

[The Decapod]

I heard people talking about his train passing through Bristol today. Don't know if that was true.

Surely a royal train is an anachronism in this day and age. We don't have a Prime Ministerial train and even the USA doesn't have a specific presidential train set aside - although with Air Force One at his disposal, President Obama probably has no need for a train!

Is our royal train the only example of a personal train that is run on a national rail network in a major country, I wondered. I checked and there are a handful of others. The Emperor of Japan has an imperial train - a modern high-speed one - although he rarely uses it but travels by air or in a private carriage on a normal train. The Dutch also have a royal coach that is attached to normal trains, while the Norway does have a royal train.

I reckon our royals (if we have to have royals at all!) should make do with a royal carriage at the very most. Or maybe they should buy a tour bus like rock stars use. Using a train to to (essentially) carry two people about is incredibly extravagant, even if it is running on biodiesel.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Kim Jong-Il has his own train, because he's terrified of flying

Last seen a few weeks ago apparently taking him from the DPRK into China for a hush hush visit.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Kim Jong-Il has his own train, because he's terrified of flying

Last seen a few weeks ago apparently taking him from the DPRK into China for a hush hush visit.

I thought it was illegal for anyone to leave NK?

 

[Flamingo]

He was in Bristol Temple Meads today, my brother & his mrs shook hands with HRH and his mrs about 4.30 in the Cabot Circus shopping centre!

 

[ainsworth74]

He was in Bristol Temple Meads today, my brother & his mrs shook hands with HRH and his mrs about 4.30 in the Cabot Circus shopping centre!

Wait did you meet Prince Charles or Kim Jong-Il?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Wait did you meet Prince Charles or Kim Jong-Il?

If you touch Kim Jong-Il you get shot. Then your family get shot. Then they declare war on your country.

 

[LE Greys]

lol, if you touch kim-Jong-Il you get shot. Then your family get shot. Then they declare war on your country.

And welcome to the Democratic and People's Republic of Great Britain!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

And welcome to the Democratic and People's Republic of Great Britain!

That is what NK are meant to be too. Remember when they wanted to bring the Moon down to Earth and own it?

 

[sprinterguy]

I heard people talking about his train passing through Bristol today. Don't know if that was true.

Surely a royal train is an anachronism in this day and age. We don't have a Prime Ministerial train and even the USA doesn't have a specific presidential train set aside - although with Air Force One at his disposal, President Obama probably has no need for a train!

Is our royal train the only example of a personal train that is run on a national rail network in a major country, I wondered. I checked and there are a handful of others. The Emperor of Japan has an imperial train - a modern high-speed one - although he rarely uses it but travels by air or in a private carriage on a normal train. The Dutch also have a royal coach that is attached to normal trains, while the Norway does have a royal train.

I reckon our royals (if we have to have royals at all!) should make do with a royal carriage at the very most. Or maybe they should buy a tour bus like rock stars use. Using a train to to (essentially) carry two people about is incredibly extravagant, even if it is running on biodiesel.

Coach travel is a lot more risky than rail travel, private and luxurious or not, so the thought of putting members of the royal travel onto the roads for a long distance would probably terrify the security teams! And it's almost impossible these days to add a carriage onto any service train or similar, as most trains are fixed formation units these days. I think the royal train is a fantastic symbol of of our heritage; our railway heritage for a start; as various major private rail companies have had royal train carriages for almost as long as there have been railways!

It's great to know that our monarchy are supporting the British rail network, and not ignoring almost 200 hundred years worth of history and taking off in a fuel guzzling jet. If anyone is going to get loco haulage these days, then it makes some sort of sense that at least the royal family still is (even if it is just "Skips" these days)!

 

[Wyvern]

Using a train to to (essentially) carry two people about is incredibly extravagant, even if it is running on biodiesel.

But is it only two people? Presumably there will also be various secretaries and security people.

 

[sprinterguy]

But is it only two people? Presumably there will also be various secretaries and security people.

Indeed, plus dignataries' personal staff, who have their own quarters. Which is somewhat extravagant, the ability to transport servants around with you, but definitely equates to more than two people on the train.

And I'd probably like to add here that I've had haulage behind 47798, the former royal loco, so have one thing in common with members of the royal family...

 

[Flamingo]

Wait did you meet Prince Charles or Kim Jong-Il?

I didn't, my bruvver met Charles

 

[Darandio]

so have one thing in common with members of the royal family...

So will many Germans!

I do agree with many though, I still think the idea of a royal train running around the country has a certain romanticism about it, even if it doesn't capture the imagination as it might have done in the past.

I even remember my dad doing the Saturday nights on the track to make ends meet and every so often, he would have to do "the royal" when it used to overnight at Tursdale sidings with royalty on board. Cue many armed policeman hunkering down in the snow with their pieces which still has him wondering "how they managed to keep their arses warm". Forgive him, he is 78!

It's actually one of the better stories he tells until we get to the one about the "blue alien" thundering through Ferryhill Station in the late fifties. Off topic, but any guesses get points.

 

[The Decapod]

But is it only two people? Presumably there will also be various secretaries and security people.

I said ESSENTIALLY two people. All the other people on the train are only on it to serve the needs of Charles and Camilla.

The train I was on today had 2 staff to support about 50 passengers (driver and guard)

The royal train might have (guess) 50 staff to support 2 passengers! The only thing that gets more pampered on the rails than the royals is nuclear waste! You could say that nuclear waste is the 'royalty' of freight LOL!

You might have guessed that I'm not a royalist but we won't go into that on a railway forum!

 

[HSTfan!!!]

I saw it, the amount of enthusiasts asking for information of it's timings was unbelievable. I thought it was common knowledge it's all on a need to know basis?

 

[jopsuk]

Given the Queen often uses FCC to get to Sandringham, and reserving a whole carriage s fairly common practice for large parties of politicians/sports teams etc- I do agree there is little need for an extravagant plush train for a party of (from the report I saw yesterday) 14 people- not to mention that this "green" pilgrimage goes up and down and up and down the country, as well across it, several times. It matters not what powers the train* when the journey itself is wasteful.

Phew. Done, without a rant about the essential core wrong of royalty or the waste of bloody oxygen that Charles specifically is.

Oops

*the 67s are running on chipfat, apparently?

 

[Sapphire Blue]

According to Radio Leeds, the Royal Train, with Prince Charles, is due in Todmorden this morning.

 

[merlodlliw]

It was all over BBC Wales & S4C that Prince Charles was going via Carmarthen station the previous day (Monday), extra security was of course at the station
from both Police forces.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I said ESSENTIALLY two people. All the other people on the train are only on it to serve the needs of Charles and Camilla.

The train I was on today had 2 staff to support about 50 passengers (driver and guard)

The royal train might have (guess) 50 staff to support 2 passengers! The only thing that gets more pampered on the rails than the royals is nuclear waste! You could say that nuclear waste is the 'royalty' of freight LOL!

You might have guessed that I'm not a royalist but we won't go into that on a railway forum!

but you did

 

[mrcheek]

The only thing that gets more pampered on the rails than the royals is nuclear waste! You could say that nuclear waste is the 'royalty' of freight LOL!

Maybe they should run a class 46 into the Royal train at 100mph......

 

[sprinterguy]

Maybe they should run a class 46 into the Royal train at 100mph......

I suppose that depends on what you think about the royal family. Or class 46s for that matter!

I saw it, the amount of enthusiasts asking for information of it's timings was unbelievable. I thought it was common knowledge it's all on a need to know basis?

Gen can get leaked though, even with the most closeley guarded train workings, rail enthusiasts seem to have an uncanny knack of getting hold of the relevant information: I've known rough timings to trickle down to "platform level" concerning the Royal Train in the past.

 

[jopsuk]

A look onboard. Yikes. The man really is devoid of taste.

My dad once had to organise a visit from Charlie boy. Hi workplace had "HM" in its name. Codename for the visit in the meetings in the run up was "Operation Big Ears"

 

[Clip]

I heard people talking about his train passing through Bristol today. Don't know if that was true.

Surely a royal train is an anachronism in this day and age. We don't have a Prime Ministerial train and even the USA doesn't have a specific presidential train set aside - although with Air Force One at his disposal, President Obama probably has no need for a train!

America is slightly bigger then our fair island though so a train would take him a while to get across do you not think?

Plus a royal train gives the spotters something extra to do for the day