Northern Belle chugging into Northampton to give trainspotters a thrill

Trainspotters will be in for a treat when one of the world’s most luxurious trains pulls into Northampton station for the first time this summer.

The Northern Belle’s seven restored 1930s-style Pullman carriages were once part of the iconic Orient Express group and one was even used by the Queen as part of the Royal Train.

They will be hauled by a heritage locomotive for a five-hour trip starting at Castle station on July 3.

The service was named to evoke memories of the Belle trains of the 1930s, including the weekly Northern Belle operated by the London North Eastern Railway between King's Cross and Harrogate every June from 1933 to 1939.

Dining car interiors are decorated with artwork, mosaics and wooden panels with marquetry created by A Dunn and Son, a family firm that dates from 1895 and which created panels for carriages that ran on the original Belle services

The service runs excursions around the country, drawing crowds of railway enthusiasts and passengers wanting to be pampered.

Then a liveried steward hands them a glass of champagne before they tuck Into a slap-up seven-course lunch cooked on board or relax with a traditional afternoon tea.

Northern Belle managing director Jeanette Snape said: “We transport people back to the golden age of rail travel. A more relaxed time, when how you reached your destination was as important as the destination itself.

“We’re delighted to be visiting Northampton for the first time and hope this will be the first of many trips from the town.”

Visit northernbelle.co.uk for more details.