London Underground would like to offer passengers a luxury dining experience in a Royal railway carriage. Nope, not a joke, but real.

Back in 2010, TfL acquired heritage coach DM45029, which is notable amongst railway buffs for being the last coach upon which the entire Royal Family travelled together.

Currently in the sort of state that most heritage carriages end up in after a period of neglect and then restoration, TfL is now considering an option to fully restore the kitchen and dining facilities and to turn it into a fine dining experience which would operate across the London Underground.

The plans would also see the coach being pulled by Sarah Siddons, an historic fully restored electric locomotive originally built in 1923.

Presumably, the occasional steam trip would also be possible.

London Underground are really just jumping onto the railway bandwagon of the luxury railway dinner that supports quite a few mainline railway heritage companies, who charge a princely sum for lunch while being pulled by a steam locomotive.

Then again, it’s not the first time that London Underground has offered supper on the tube — although the last time was a publicity stunt to mark the opening of the Jubilee Line in 1979.

And there have been the occasional wags who cause even unshockable tube commuters to look up from behind their newspapers as a full dinner service is laid out.

If TfL do start the luxury dining service, it would certainly make a change from the vending machines that used to be a bit of a running joke on the London Underground for swallowing cash from unwitting users and ever so rarely disgorging a bar of Fruit and Nut chocolate.

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5 comments
  1. When I was on holiday in Bern, Switzerland, some years ago, I kept seeing an old tram wandering around the tram network. Turned out to be some sort of “Restaurant Tram” – dine as it moved.

    More than that I never have found out. It’s hard to find information on it online – you end up at the “Old Tram Depot” bar/restaurant for most searches. Still, it would be an intriguing notion having it roll through Barbican at 1pm.

  2. James Bunting says:

    My Underground Guide, published by the London Passenger Transport Board in 1936, shows the times of trains with Pullman cars from Aldgate to Aylesbury and Verney Junction. The service finished after the outbreak of WW2.

    Wikipedia quotes: Named Mayflower and Galatea, each Pullman coach seated up to 19 passengers, and for a supplementary fare of 6d or 1s breakfast, luncheon, tea or supper could be purchased. They contained a toilet and were built with steam heating, electric heating being fitted in 1925.

  3. Bob McIntyre says:

    Nice idea but wouldn’t it have to be drink-free due to TfL’s alcohol bank?

    Surely the carriage was bought as personal transport for Boris?

  4. LadyBracknell says:

    I am sure such a venture would be a roaring success. People are always looking for something novel and it would surely offer a much more stable ride than the Afternoon tea bus tour: http://www.bbbakery.co.uk/our-bakeries/afternoon-tea-bus-tour/ Just so long as the train picks a scenic, overground section. Not much glamour attaches to the Northern Line.

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