Treat for rail enthusiasts as Northern Belle set for Wrexham visit

Rail enthusiasts are in for a treat when a posh vintage train – voted even more luxurious than Canada’s famous Rocky Mountaineer – calls at Wrexham station this month.

Passengers are forking out almost between £295 and £570 to wine and dine while sipping some of the world’s finest champagne aboard the 1930s Pullman-style Northern Belle.

A spokesman for the train, which once formed part of the iconic Orient Express, said: “It might sound a lot of money, but this will be no ordinary railway journey.

“Nothing is too good for our pampered passengers from the moment they board over a red carpet at Wrexham station.

“Then as they are handed their first glass of champagne, we transport them back to the golden days of train travel during the heady days of the 1930s.

“There are even a couple of resident musicians to serenade them during the journey and we have an onboard conjuror to add an extra touch of magic.”

Actor Bill Nighy described the Northern Belle as “the Grand Dame of luxury travel” during an episode of Channel 5’s “The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys”.

And last year, readers of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveller magazine raved over the food, voting it the ninth most luxurious train in the world – the only British train in the top 10.

One of the individually-decorated vintage carriages used to form part of the Royal Train, and is reputed to include what was the late Queen Mum’s favourite seat.

The Northern Belle will depart from Wrexham at 1.05pm on Friday, June 23, after having already picked up passengers at Crewe and Chester.

Passengers have a choice of Afternoon Tea, with sandwiches, cakes, pastries and petits four, or a seven-course gourmet dinner with wine.

For an extra fee, they can upgrade to “Krug Class” and sip some of the world’s most expensive champagne.