|
In the United Kingdom, the Royal Train is used to convey senior members of the British Royal Family and associated staff of the Royal Household around the railway network of Great Britain. It is formed from a dedicated set of claret liveried sleeper, dining and lounge carriages. The current stock dates from 1977-1987. They are arranged according to requirements, and stored when not in use. The earliest royal coaches date back to the mid-19th Century in the reign of Queen Victoria; until an upgrade in 1977 there were multiple sets based in different regions, a legacy of the pre-nationalisation era of railways in Britain. Many are now in museums or on heritage railways; the National Railway Museum in York has a royal themed exhibition. Dedicated locomotives have never traditionally been part of the Royal Train, first appearing in special livery only in the 1980s, but also seeing use on other trains since 2003. In the 21st Century, various preserved (and one new build) steam locomotives have also hauled the train on special occasions. Although regularly cited by critics as one of the exuberant luxuries of the Royal Family, which has led to an increase in the alternate use of normal scheduled services where possible, supporters argue the current arrangement emphasizes utility over luxury, and is still often the most practical and secure mode of travel to fit the required itinerary and avoid disruption to the public. ==History== Queen Victoria was the first British monarch to travel by train, on 13 June 1842 on the Great Western Railway (GWR), which ran the line between London and Windsor (for the Castle).〔(The Royal Train ), Monarchy of the United Kingdom. Accessed 31 December 2007.〕 Nearly sixty years later, after her funeral in 1901, Queen Victoria's coffin was taken to London Paddington station and transported on the Royal Train back to Windsor where she is buried.〔("THE PROCESSION IN LONDON.; SCENE AT VICTORIA STATION. THE FUNERAL TRAIN ARRIVES. THE ROYAL MOURNERS. KAISER EASILY RECOGNIZED. AT PADDINGTON STATION." ), ''The New York Times'', 3 February 1901. Accessed 31 December 2007.〕 After the formation of British Railways in 1948, the individual regions continued to maintain the constituent railway companies' Royal Train carriages. A single "Royal Train" was formed in 1977 as a response to the demands of the Silver Jubilee. The Royal Family have also travelled on ordinary service trains more frequently in recent years to minimise costs.〔Chamberlain, Gethin. ("Royal Express is more Pizza than Orient" ), ''The Scotsman'', 4 May 2002. Accessed 31 December 2007.〕 The train currently consists of nine carriages, seven of these being of the British Rail Mark 3 design, including two that were built for the prototype HST train. Not all of these will be used to form a train, as different vehicles have specified purposes. Two locomotives are designated for use on the train and painted in the claret livery of the royal household, but are used for other traffic when not hauling the royal train. The carriages may be used for other Heads of State, but they cannot be hired by private users. When not in use, the train is stored in Wolverton, where it is maintained by an Alstom subsidiary.〔 Train drivers are specially selected based on their skills, including the ability to make a station stop within six inches of the designated position.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「British Royal Train」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|