Unconfirmed reports that the Royal Train may visit Cheshire
 

The Knutsford Guardian reported that The Queen may be in attendance at the RHS Flower Show and could travel by Royal Train to Knutsford station. (The station is currently being done up, months ahead of schedule.)

Buckingham Palace has refused to confirm or deny rumours.

If the Queen does visit by train the likely route would be London-Stoke on Trent-Stockport-Altrincham-Knutsford with the train continuing empty to an unused platform 3 at Northwich station, until it's return journey

For Gods sake, nobody hang around that route with a camera for the next few days!

It's not till mid July though.

I saw the Royal Train in Cheshire this morning on its way to Preston. When the royals visit the North-West, the train often parks up overnight in an easily guarded siding at Hooton station on the Wirral. It then continues on the final part of its journey from there. This could well be the plan if the Queen visits Knutsford. Hope I haven't said too much?

I know Merseyrail quite often keep spare trains at Hooton, but I thought as it was part of the self-contained Merseyrail network that only 507s and 508s were allowed in to that siding.

If the train arrived at Knutsford from Hooton, it wouldn't be able to wait at Knutsford while the Queen is in attendance at the RHS show, so would likely have to continue to Northenden to be out of the way of passenger and goods trains, with out entering a Metrolink line at Altrincham.

Are you thinking of the old bay platform siding? The siding where the Royal Train is often stabled has a runround track and was originally used by oil trains from Stanlow Refinery. I don't think it is actually electrified.

Even if the Queen alights at Knutsford she will more than likely rejoin the Royal Train somewhere else. Visiting the RHS Show will probably be just one of her engagements that day. It seems strange that there is nothing in her diary during the dates of the show which are 23-27 July.

I take it there's a paranoid level of security surrounding the Royal Train?

Perhaps these things are better discussed in a less public forum? :p

:eek:

Stand by for a influx of new members with usernames such as SpecialAgent 007!

In the recently published royal finances it states that the Royal Train uses biofuel.:confused:
If this is true I assume that they are referring to the Mk2b Generator Coach and not the Class 67's normally used to haul the train.
Can any of our Royal Train drivers confirm?

Nope, they have been running a 67 on the stuff.

Linky here....http://greenfuels.co.uk/Info/press-releases.aspx

No doubt the government will tax bio-fuel up to the hilt. People will just feel 'whats the use of changing'. Unless it is a lot cheaper than normal fuel, people will be slow to change. Of cause the cost of food will go up even more as more farms scrap normal food farming for the new money making bio-fuel crops. Us poor workers will lose out again.
'I'll get off my high horse now'.

Thanks for that Foggy. I obviously missed seeing that report.

Producing biofuel at the expense of food is totally unethical. We will have to be very careful how biofuel production develops.

I love the irony in touting bio-fuel as a clean energy efficent alternative by using it to run an entire train for one person, as an indulgence.

Had they used it to power a Class 185 and stuck the Prince in Standard or even better Standing class, I'd have been impressed. :D

There would still be the issue of the train needing to wait somewhere so it isn't blocking the line. Northwich would be the obvious choice. However, that station's in no condition for a Royal Visit.

I did say 'unconfirmed reports' in the title - that's why. Local papers are quite often short of news and will print speculation or audacious plans that haven't got any chance of being implemented.

I was thinking that the Queen might rejoin at somewhere like Wilmslow or Macclesfield with the train being stabled in the Manchester/Stockport area during the day. Even if it was stabled at Hooton overnight it could still drop her off at Knutsford, run on to Altrincham to change tracks before returning to Northwich for stabling.
Maybe not but just the thought of it has kept this thread going for two pages ;)

The papers actually just added a slightly differently worded story to their website http://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/n...at_Knutsford_/

It appears from that story that Network Rail's contractors told them the Queen was going to come. However, maybe Network Rail told their contractors that the Queen would come to ensure they completed the work within the allocated time to a high standard.

I never realised we still had a Royal Train,
Thought it had gone along with the Royal Yacht (hospital ship), Queens Flight (RAF) in order to finance Blairforce One. However if this train should be used more frequently instead of planes and heliocopeters then perhaps the tracks might get more funding and even more passegers since 'If it is good enough for Her, then it is good enough for me'.
John.

Surprisingly, despite it not being listed in the Royal appointments The Royal Train was at the Manchester bound platform at Knutsford station between about 12:00 and 13:00 being hauled by a Class 67 EWS engine. I can't confirm that the Queen was on it. There were no crowds at the station.

The 1205 Chester to Manchester service was held up for 25 minutes between it's Greenbank and Mobberley timing points as a consequence.

I haven't seen any reports of the Royal Train visiting Knutsford today but the "Northern Belle" Pullman train was due to arrive from Cardiff at 12:00 and the "Orient Express" Pullman train was due to arrive from London at 12:58.

Ah it could well have been one of those if one is in a cream and brown livery, which it looks like both are. I haven't seen the Royal Train, except on TV or on the Internet and probably wrongly assumed with the media reports and a train turning up with cream and brown painted carriages.