Royal train
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A royal train is a set of carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of that particular royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages.
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[edit] Australia
The various government railway operators of Australia have operated a number of royal trains for members of the Monarchy of Australia on their royal visits to Australia.
[edit] Canada
Royal trains have been employed to transport members of the country's royal family on numerous tours prior to the 1960s, after which the Canadian Royal Flight was predominantly used.
- 1860 - Grand Trunk Railway: Prince of Wales (later as Edward VII of the United Kingdom)
- 1901 - Canadian Pacific Railway: Duke of York (later as George V of the United Kingdom)
- 1906 - Canadian Pacific Railway: Duke of Connaught (Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn)
- 1939 - Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
[edit] Japan
In Japan, trains for the Emperor, the Empress, or the Empress Dowager are called Omeshi Ressha (お召し列車), literally meaning "trains that they use", albeit with extremely polite word for "use". Trains for the other members of the Imperial Family are called Gojōyō Ressha (御乗用列車), meaning "trains to ride" in slightly more common language. However, both Omeshi Ressha and Gojōyō Ressha refer to a non-scheduled service solely operated for the Imperial Family. Dedicated Imperial carriages were owned by Japanese National Railways (JNR), and these came under the control of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) following privatisation. The dedicated locomotive-hauled set was retired in the 2000s and replaced by the specially-built E655 series EMU, which can also be used as a VIP charter trainset.
In the modern period, imperial trains are used less and less, as the current Emperor Akihito generally travels by air, or regular scheduled trains with a reserved carriage. Imperial trains are still operated occasionally, but they mainly function as a cordial reception for state guests, rather than transportation of the Imperial Family.
[edit] Morocco
The Moroccan Royal train was produced by Budd Company in the US and delivered in the early 1980s.[1] The Royal train consists of two self-propelled cars. After King Hassan II died, the Royal train stopped being used by the new king, Mohammed VI.[2]
[edit] The Netherlands
The Dutch State Railways uses a single Royal carriage to transport the Queen and her family. It was ordered by the Dutch Royal Family in 1991, and construction was finished in 1993. It replaced a previous two-carriage Royal Train built in 1930, which is currently on display in the Dutch Railway Museum.[3] When the Queen travels by train, a single locomotive travels ahead to explore the tracks. The train itself is composed of two ordinary locomotives of the Dutch State Railways (head and tail of the train), the royal carriage itself, and two ordinary first class passenger carriages for staff, press and other guests.
[edit] Norway
The Norwegian Royal Train is a set of train carriages used by the Norwegian royal family and maintained by Norges Statsbaner (Norwegian State Railways). The current set was introduced in 1994 in connection with the Lillehammer Olympics and replaced a set from 1962, that had consisted of B3 carriages named A1. The set contains a main sleeping compartment with dressing room and adjoining bathroom, two guest compartments, guest bathroom, kitchen, guard compartments and a combined dining and conference room.[4]
The set is pulled by ordinary railway locomotives and most often ordinary passenger carriages for press and other guests are added.
[edit] South Africa
From 5 February to 10 April 1934, Prince George, Duke of Kent toured South Africa in a special train known as The White Train.[5]
The three month long British Royal Family tour of South Africa in 1947 saw the ordering of eight ivory-painted air-conditioned saloons from Britain, three of which were built to Blue Train sleeping car standards, while the remaining five were special saloons for use by the Royal family and Field Marshal Jan Smuts, the South African Prime Minister.[6]
After the tour the Blue Train type saloons were painted in the Blue Train's livery for service on the Blue Train, while the remaining special saloons became part of the White Train used exclusively by the Governor-General of South Africa and later the President of the Republic of South Africa.[6]
[edit] United Kingdom
Queen Victoria was the first British monarch to travel by train, on 13 June 1842, when she travelled on the Great Western Railway (GWR), which ran the line between London and Windsor (for the Castle). Pretty soon, other major British railway companies had their own carriage(s) dedicated for use by the Royal Family or other dignitaries.
In 1948, upon the formation of British Railways, the individual regions continued to maintain their own Royal Train carriages. A single "Royal Train" was only formed in 1977 as a response to the demands of the Silver Jubilee. This train has been maintained since privatisation of the UK's railways by EWS, although the Royal Family has travelled on ordinary service trains more frequently in recent years to minimise costs.
[edit] See also
- Royal yacht
- Official state car
- Air transports of heads of state and government
- North Korean presidential trains
[edit] References
- ^ Source: Tel Quel, #367
- ^ [1]
- ^ Page at the official site of the Dutch Royal Family about the Royal train (Dutch)
- ^ Dagbladet article on the new Royal Train (Norwegian)
- ^ The Herald Online
- ^ a b The Blue Train
