Hertfordshire Rail Tours

Hertfordshire Rail Tours was a company that ran charter trains for enthusiasts, named as they were originally based in Hertfordshire. Most of its trains started from London Terminals, although most from London King's Cross. A fair proportion of charter trains used the "Pride of the Nation" dining train set, this is an all seater dining train. The company was purchased by FM Rail in September 2005, with the HRT brand name retained.^[1]

Blue Pullman

The Blue Pullman headboard on 47712 Artemis

The Blue Pullman Hertfordshire rail tour train

With the market for charter trains appearing buoyant and the company wishing to develop into more lucrative fields, FM Rail decided to re-introduce a Blue Pullman from the beginning of 2006, reminiscent of the Blue Pullman diesel multiple units that operated between Bristol and London during the 1960s.

With the original stock scrapped, they had to provide a new fleet, which consisted of a rake of air-conditioned Mk.2 coaches fitted with Pullman style lighting, topped and tailed by Class 47 diesel locomotives. As no Mk.2 kitchen cars had been built, two Mk.1 coaches were inserted into the set. The Mk.2s were painted in the original livery of Nanking Blue with a white band around the windows, but, as the Mk.1 vehicles had much larger windows, they were simply painted in plain blue. This unfortunately broke up the lines of the train somewhat.

The first outing of the Blue Pullman was a dining excursion from Kings Cross and back via Ely and Peterborough on Thursday 12 January 2006.

The service, although normally worked by two Class 47s also painted in the dedicated blue livery, would be hauled by a single Class 87 if the entire working was due to be "under the wires". The 87 would be hired-in from GB Railfreight (now FirstGBRf) - in a bid to get the whole business in house, FM Rail was rumoured to be considering buying their own dedicated Class 86 locomotives when the company entered administration in December 2006. The Blue Pullman coaches passed to Cotswold Rail, which re-launched the service on February 2007.^[2]

Transfer to Victa Westlink

FM Rail went into liquidation in December 2006, and the Hertfordshire Rail Tours business passed to Victa Westlink Rail, a joint venture between Victa Railfreight and Westlink.

Eddie Stobart takeover

In August 2007 the company passed into the hands of the Eddie Stobart Group, through the reverse takeover of Westbury, the parent company of Westlink, by the Stobart Group.

Subsequently Hertfordshire Rail Tours company was renamed Stobart Rail Tours. The Hertfordshire tour programme was scaled back and relaunched as the Stobart Pullman, using the former Virgin West Coast Mk3 coaches, but different traction.

The last scheduled tour that was run as Hertfordshire Rail Tours operated on Easter weekend 2008.^[3]

References