ROYAL TRAIN

Southland Times, Issue 23199, 14 May 1937, Page 16

ROYAL TRAIN

WHEN THE KING TRAVELS ELABORATE PRECAUTIONS TAKEN The Royal train, which has been at the Wolverton (Bucks) carriage works since the death of King George V has been overhauled and redecorated in readiness for the tours which their Majesties are planning to make after the Coronation. Perhaps the most responsible task the railwayman is called upon to perform is ensuring the safety of the Royal Family when they travel. An historical interest attaches to the special transport provided by Royalty, and it stands to the credit of Britain’s railways that they have carried out Royal Family safely for just on a century, says a writer in a Lancashire paper. The Royal train now at Wolverton is the most noted of all such trains. It will, this year, complete 37 years’ service. When not in use it is “shedded” in the carriage works, and canvas sheets are spread along the sides to protect the outer paintwork from dust and smoke. The saloons are regularly inspected and cleaned, inside and out, and in winter they are always kept heated to preserve the upholstery and leather work from the effects of damp. Many people have the idea that the King travels free. This is not so, and it has always been the wish of the Royal Family that they should pay for the trains provided for them. In addition to paying first-class fares for every member of the Royal party and suite, the King pays 13/4 a mile for the use of a Royal train. Journey That Cost £5OOO

It is estimated that the cost of the return journey from London to Ballater—the station for Balmoral—is £450 each way. When Sir William Harcourt was Home Secretary, about half a century ago, he said Queen Victoria spent no less than £5OOO on a return journey from London to Balmoral. She was nervous and refused to allow the driver to exceed 40 miles an hour; while lookout men had to be stationed at every 200 yards along the line. About 4500 additional men were required, which added enormously to the cost. The precautions taken for the safety of a Royal party are comprehensive. Before the journey, every inch of the route is inspected by men from the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Department, and a search party equipped with a searchlight examines every. tunnel. The procedure followed was laid down many years ago in now nearlyforgotten Acts of Parliament. Among the quaint regulations is one which lays down that all level-crossing gates must be worked by men and not women when a Royal train is passing. It was considered apparently that a man could put up a fight if irresponsibles tried to interfere with the progress of the Royal train. Another rule states that all ventilation shafts of tunnels must be guarded—there is the remote possibility of explosives being thrown down them. Certainly these railway pioneers forgot nothing! Making Way Clear

All level-crossing gates are locked before the train is due; half an hour before it enters a siding all shunting is stopped, and goods trains in sidings are examined to ensure that nothing has shifted and everything is clear. The Royal train is signalled mile by mile—by lamp or flag, according to the hour—during the entire journey. One bell signal in each box is reserved to announce the coming of a Royal train, and the call signal, “RX,” takes precedence over every other message. The train is equipped with telegraphy, so that in the event of a breakdown the telephone operators and telegraphists, on board could at once get in touch with the nearest signal box by tapping the wires running alongside the line. The size of the train depends upon the number' in the Royal party. Before a journey is taken an accurate diagram is made out, showing the number of coaches in use, and their exact length. The distance from the front of the train to the King’s doorway is measured, so that the driver shall know where to stop and the engineering department where to lay the red carpet. In addition, a plan of the seating accommodation is drawn out, and the weight of the train determined so that a suitable engine is detailed for the work. When complete, the diagram is sent to Buckingham Palace. A number of officials always travel with the train. The driving of a Royal train is not the perquisite of any special man. The honour is shared among highly-experienced veteran drivers and firemen. These picked men are accompanied in the cab by an inspector. At the front and back are brake vans containing the Royal luggage and electrical heating equipment, and they are used also by the train staff. The general manager, superintendent of the line, chief engineer, and locomotive superintendent nearly always travel with the'train. Last year there retired a fitter of the L.N.E.R. who had travelled 50,000 miles with Royalty. He was on board 480 special trains, and travelled on 269 journeys with King George V, who every year sent him a brace of pheasants as a Christmas present. Railway Police Members of the railway police, as well as Special Branch detectives, travel on the train. There is a dual telephone system, so that the crew in the last van can communicate with their colleagues at the front, and every saloon can get into immediate touch with the driver’s cab. There is also a special saloon for the Royal attendants, and in each department of the King’s saloon is a push-bell marked “Eqaerry.” The equerry is provided with a portable electric bell, which he carries with him and plugs in whereever he may be sitting. The Royal suite is truly a home on wheels. It is composed of the King’s saloon, the Queen’s saloon, and the Royal dining car, looking handsome with hand-chased gold-plated door handles and gilded lions’ heads at each corner. The suite is comfortably, but not ostentatiously, furnished. Each saloon is divided into a day room, bedroom, and bathroom, and each room is so perfect and complete it is difficult to imagine it is on board a train. One of the most attractive compartments is the King’s smoking-room, a favourite with the late King George. Panelled in fiddle-black mahogany, it is furnished with four armchairs upholstered in apple-green Morocco leather. The King’s bed is silverplated and the Queen’s bathroom contains a rose-pink marble washstand. The baths were fitted during the war, when the late King George and Queen Mary were often on board for many days at a time as they travelled around the countryside visiting workshops, ammunition factories, and the great hospitals. When King George V visited Cowes, it was his custom to use the Southern Railway Royal train, which took him as far as Portsmouth.