44-598: The Belmond Grand Hibernian was a luxury train service in Ireland . The service was operated by Belmond , the operator of several other luxury trains including the Venice Simplon Orient Express . It was officially launched on 30 August 2016 and ceased on 18 February 2021. The carriages were transferred to England, and after a complete redesign, will enter to service again as Britannic Explorer from July 2025. The planned routes took in some of
88-844: A 6,000-mile (9,656 km) trip (the world's longest train journey) across two continents and eight time zones . It follows the Trans-Siberian Railway , which connects Moscow and European Russia with the Russian Far East , Mongolia, China, and the Sea of Japan . Rocky Mountaineer is a Canadian company that operates trains touring the Canadian Rockies and the northwestern U.S. Via Rail sold off its Rockies by Daylight scenic train to Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (which became Rocky Mountaineer) in 1990. The company operates four routes. The Royal Canadian Pacific
132-518: A black stripe. The reason for this is that they are assigned for Enterprise duties and as part of the refurbishment of the Enterprise service, in 2015-2016, only six were given the full livery. Prior to this, some of those given the current livery had previously had the InterCity livery. As part of Iarnród Éireann's logo change, all InterCity 201's carry the new Iarnród Éireann logo, which includes
176-540: A completely new version of the 201, with all wheel drive, centre can motor and preinstalled speaker. This was released in IÉ orange (original and revised), Green Intercity and NIR blue as well as NIR Enterprise original and revised. Railtec Transfers and Studio Scale Models [1] make transfers for the full range of 201 liveries, No's 201-234, original and updated Orange, original and updated Enterprise and Green Intercity. The 201 Class has also been released in virtual form as
220-666: A crew room, shower rooms, and toilets. It offers two- and four-day round trips, departing from Hakata Station . The two-day tour visits Nagasaki , Aso , and Yufuin , and the four-day journey visits Yufuin, Miyazaki , Miyakonojō , Hayato , Kagoshima-Chuo , Kagoshima , Aso, and Bungo-Mori . Luxury trains in India include the Palace on Wheels , Deccan Odyssey , Golden Chariot , Maharajas' Express , and Royal Rajasthan on Wheels . The Blue Train , covering about 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) between Pretoria and Cape Town ,
264-783: A fire in the HEP system in 2013. The loco has been in storage since. It is worth noting that they cannot operate on the Larne line due to weight clearance. In the late 1990s, Model Irish Railways produced a resin bodyshell kit with nameplates , numbering, brass grills and the standard yellow / black livery line transfers. Marks Models also released a resin kit for these locomotives in 00 gauge in c.2000. In 2001, Murphy Models commissioned LIMA to produce an '00' gauge 201 model loco. They were produced in IÉ orange (201, 216, 217, 219, 230) and Enterprise (206, 207, 208, 209) liveries, in batches of 300 (except 500 of #207). In 2011 Murphy Models launched
308-404: A long train of 15 HOBS ballast wagons plus one un-powered loco, possibly assessing the loco's capabilities for future freight services. In October 2016 Iarnród Éireann expressed an interest in seeking solutions to re-power most of the fleet during a mid-life refurbishment. The requirement was for floor-up engine and control gear solutions, which kept the existing cab controls and compatibility with
352-705: A maximum speed of 102 mph (164 km/h). By the early 1990s, the locomotives operating passenger services in Ireland were becoming increasingly obsolete, with the newest type in service being the 071 Class introduced in 1976. The economic boom in Ireland in the mid-1990s allowed Iarnród Éireann to begin significant investment in the infrastructure of the railways, which began with an order for 32 brand new express locomotives from GM-EMD . Northern Ireland Railways also purchased 2. The first were delivered in 1994, with deliveries continuing until 1995. To allow clearance tests and driver training to commence in advance of
396-488: A passenger service with HEP in operation. 201 Class locomotives also operate some freight services as required. There is a container flow between Dublin Port and Ballina. Since 2016, some 201 Class locomotives have operated increased freight services, as the weight and length of some freight services was increased, due to customer demand. Locomotives 231 and 233 are painted in a common livery, which consists of light grey with
440-436: A push-pull system and rolling stock on other InterCity routes was replaced by 22000 Class DMUs. The only other locomotive-hauled service (also push-pull) is the Enterprise cross-border service to Belfast which is detailed below. The Enterprise is a cross-border passenger service between Dublin and Belfast operated by Iarnród Éireann and Northern Ireland Railways . This is also a locomotive-hauled service and operates
484-420: A return trial from Dundalk to Belfast York Road. The final trial occurred on Monday 29 August 2016 with 216, which ran from Dublin to Portarlington and back. The Grand Hibernian was officially launched on Tuesday 30 August 2016, with Irish Rail Intercity-liveried 226 hauling the inaugural train out of Heuston station at 14:20. The final train of the season operated on Monday 24 October, and on Wednesday 26 October
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#1732772300688528-586: A return trip from Dublin to Thurles was arranged for the Irish Rail staff involved. On 15 April 2017, the Grand Hibernian was trialled south of Connolly station as far as Gorey. The 2017 season began on Tuesday 25 April. On 29 April the train ran to Gorey instead of Belfast as normally scheduled due to engineering works on the Belfast - Dublin line. On 18 February 2021 the ceasing of the operation
572-459: A similar push-pull system like services to Cork . As this is a jointly operated service, it is marketed as the "Enterprise" and the coaching stock and locomotives carry a separate livery to either operator's own services. It consists of light grey with a purple and red strip. Locomotives also have full yellow ends to enhance visibility. As the service is shared, locomotives (8)208 and (8)209 are owned by Northern Ireland Railways . The coaching stock
616-570: Is South Africa's oldest and best-known luxury train service. Transnet Freight Rail runs the Blue Train , also between Pretoria and Cape Town. Rovos Rail operates the Pride of Africa service, which runs between South Africa, Zimbabwe , Zambia , and Tanzania . The Ghan , a luxury train, runs 2,979 kilometres (1,851 miles) through the heart of the Australian continent, from Darwin in
660-602: Is a luxury overnight passenger train based in Calgary , Canada. The train has a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth . It makes charter runs along CP tracks in summer and fall, taking passengers into the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia . A typical six-day, five-night round trip runs through the Columbia River valley and Crowsnest Pass . The train halts at night to enable passengers to enjoy
704-563: Is credited with beginning the age of luxury trains and grand hotels. The Orient Express , setting of Agatha Christie 's Murder on the Orient Express , was Europe's first luxury train. It began its maiden journey on 5 June 1883 from Paris' Gare de l'Est . Although the original Orient Express ceased operation in 2009, private operators and public–private joint ventures provide luxury train travel in several countries. According to Belmond (formerly known as Orient Express Hotels),
748-785: Is operated by Renfe Viajeros and runs from March to October on scheduled and charter trips. The main routes cross northern Spain and Andalusia , with special tours throughout the peninsula. The oldest tourist train in Spain (operating since 1983), the Transcantábrico , uses original 1923 Pullman coaches . Between 1950 and 1969, Swedish State Railways operated the luxury train service Sunlit Nights Land Cruises , which ran from Stockholm to northern Sweden and primarily targeted foreign tourists. The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express began operation in April 2007 and takes passengers on
792-652: Is owned by operators, Iarnród Éireann own the odd numbered coaches and NIR own the even numbered coaches. In addition, Iarnród Éireann introduced four former Mark 3 generator vans, in September 2012, to operate this route, in a bid to improve reliability of the service and reduce maintenance costs. Previously, the service operated with head end power and this caused regular locomotive failures, increased wear and tear and also contributed to locomotive 230 being removed from service in June 2013 after an engine fire, while operating
836-650: The Brighton Belle 's British Pullman coaches. Buffet cars are British Rail Mark 1 coaches. Although the train primarily operates in Northern England and Scotland, it also serves London and Bristol . The train has two British Rail Mark 3 sleeper coaches for its crew. It departs from a number of northern cities, including Liverpool , Edinburgh , Glasgow , and Manchester . The Northern Belle has six dining cars, named after historic British houses. Spain's state-owned network of luxury trains
880-399: The history of rail transport in Ireland and were centred around Dublin. The service was timetabled to operate on a weekly schedule: a four-night tour of the south-west of Ireland during the week, then a two-night weekend tour to Northern Ireland . The Taste of Ireland two-night trip was to travel from Dublin to Belfast, Belfast to Waterford and back to Dublin, while the "Legends and Loughs"
924-445: The provinces of Ireland . Each carriage bore a dark blue livery, 'Grand Hibernian' lettering, an enamel nameplate, and a 'Celtic knot' logo. IE 201 Class number 216 River Dodder has been overhauled specifically for use on the Grand Hibernian, having been repainted into the same dark blue livery as the coaches. It was built in 1994 by General Motors Diesel but placed in storage at Inchicore in 2010 following an accident. However, it
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#1732772300688968-611: The Class 201: Today push-pull equipped members of the 201 class operate the only passenger locomotive hauled services in the Republic of Ireland between Dublin and Cork. They operate with Mark 4 carriages which were introduced to the route in 2006/2007. The current livery, which primarily consists of green and silver, was introduced in 2006. All locomotives have full yellow ends to enhance visibility. Non push-pull locomotives were withdrawn from service because Mark 4 carriages operate
1012-597: The Grand Hibernian in the event that 216 fails or is unavailable. On 24 June 2017, 201 Class locomotive 209 River Foyle operated The Belmond Grand Hibernian run to Belfast. In December 2014, IÉ 201 Class locomotive number 229 moved the rake of eleven vehicles from Dublin Heuston Inchicore Works to Dublin North Wall sidings. The Mark 3 carriages in the rake were ordered as 7601, 7149, 7104, 7129, 7169, 7158, 7171, 7122, 7130, 7116 and 7137. Ten of
1056-537: The Irish flag, and for operational and safety reasons they do not operate cross border services, so a common colour scheme was adopted. After the cancellation of the Belmond Grand Hibernian in Ireland, locomotive 216 has been used on both Enterprise and Intercity services, it remains in the blue livery of the Belmond Grand Hibernian as of April 2024. The entire class is named after Irish rivers , with
1100-594: The IÉ locomotives carrying two nameplates, one in Irish and one in English , on each side of the locomotive. As 208 and 209 are owned by Northern Ireland Railways, they carry English language only nameplates. The nameplates are trapezium shaped, with the names in upper case. Some of the class have had long periods out of service, some of these are outlined below. All of the non push-pull capable locomotives (201–205 and 210–214) were placed in storage at Inchicore during 2009,
1144-823: The Peruvian cities of Arequipa to Cusco in vice versa and the Belmond Hiram Bingham , named after the explorer who rediscovered the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu , runs from the Sacred Valley to the landmark. British Pullman cars were formerly used on the Brighton Belle out of London Victoria station . Northern Belle is a privately owned luxury train introduced in 2000. It consists primarily of British Rail Mark 2 coach stock, refurbished internally and painted externally to resemble
1188-777: The Pioneer, was introduced in 1865 in the United States and was followed two years later by "hotel cars". It was the first railway carriage with dining and sleeping areas. Georges Nagelmackers founded the French Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits , creator of the Orient Express . Inspired by Pullman trains in the US, Nagelmackers returned to Europe and built a fleet of over 30 luxury trains that traveled to several European destinations. He
1232-479: The Saturday of each week. The Grand Hibernian carriages were heavily renovated Mark 3s , originally built by British Rail Engineering Limited at Derby Litchurch Lane Works for Córas Iompair Éireann between 1980 and 1989, and withdrawn in 2009. The carriages underwent extensive engineering redesign and overhaul by Assenta Rail and were refurbished by the company in 2015 at a cost of £7 million. Internal fitting
1276-582: The carriages were transported by road to Scotland in 2015 for refurbishment and painting. However, 7122 remained in Dublin and as of December 2016 is to be used for spare parts for the other vehicles in the set. It remains in Irish Rail's orange livery, with no refurbishment having taken place, in spite of it being purchased by Belmond. By mid-2016, all of the coaches had returned to Ireland to be taken to Mivan Engineering, Antrim, to have their interiors fitted. After fitting out, they were all returned to Dublin, with
1320-459: The company operates the highest number of luxury train tours in the world. With service in Europe, Asia, and South America, Belmond is the only private luxury tour provider (with the exception of Russia's Golden Eagle Trans Siberian Express ) to offer continental or intercontinental service. The Venice-Simplon Orient Express , with service from London to Venice, was voted the top luxury train in
1364-747: The delivery of the main order of 201s, it was decided to transport the first locomotive, number 201, to Dublin by air. An Antonov An-124 was used to transport the locomotive from London, Ontario to Dublin Airport , arriving on Thursday 9 June 1994. The first light-engine test run operated from Inchicore works to Kildare on the Tuesday 14. Unfortunately, the locomotives have had a chequered service history. The authors of Jane's Train Recognition Guide noted that IÉ had had problems with engine fires and bogie cracks. There are three versions within
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1408-462: The existing GM fleet and push/pull equipment. The body, cab controls, bogies, and traction motors would remain unchanged. 201 and 205 were brought in from storage for internal and external inspection, possibly in relation to this re-powering. The re-powering project was originally scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2017, but was cancelled in early 2019. In July 2017, 230 received some bodywork repairs after it suffered significant damage, due to
1452-475: The extra traffic generated by Belmond operation. In May 2016, 216 returned to service in Belmond livery, and has operated the Grand Hibernian almost exclusively since that time. In October 2011 233 suffered bearing failure en route to Connolly station from Belfast. It was transported by road to Inchicore Railway Works On 15 February 2016 two 201 Class locomotives (226 & 209) operated freight trials with
1496-610: The last being 214 in July 2009. This was due to the withdrawal of the Mark 3 fleet and their replacement with 22000 Class DMUs on the vast majority of passenger services. This left only the Mark 4 Dublin–Cork services and the cross-border Enterprise service (with De Dietrich rolling stock) as the only locomotive hauled passenger services operated by Iarnród Éireann. The reduction in the number of locomotive hauled passenger workings, combined with
1540-591: The last coach (No. 7149 ''Down'') leaving Antrim on 30 July 2016. All carriages were unloaded at North Wall sidings and taken by rail to Inchicore, where they were assembled into a complete train in preparation for test runs. Throughout the summer of 2016, several test runs took place prior to the train entering service. The first of these took place on Wednesday 10 August 2016 behind 216, which ran from Dublin to Thurles and back. The first test runs to reach Northern Ireland took place on Sunday 28 August 2016, when 201 Class No. 233 (In common user livery) stood in for 216 for
1584-566: The north to Adelaide in the south. The Indian Pacific is a long-distance train connecting Sydney on the east coast, with Perth on the west coast. IE 201 Class The Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) / Northern Ireland Railways 201 Class locomotives are the newest and most powerful diesel locomotives operating in Ireland and were built between 1994 and 1995 by General Motors Diesel . They are model type JT42HCW, fitted with an EMD 12-710G3B engine of 3,200 hp (2,400 kW), weigh 108.862 tonnes (107.1 long tons; 120.0 short tons) and have
1628-467: The scenery. It consists of up to ten luxury passenger cars (built between 1916 and 1931), two fully restored 1950s locomotives, and a booster unit . Seven Stars in Kyushu is a deluxe sleeping-car excursion train that has toured the island of Kyushu since October 2013. Its name derives from Kyushu's seven prefectures and the train's seven cars. The train has a piano, bar, suites, a mini-kitchen,
1672-580: The train will be refitted with Grand Suite compartments (as known also from Venice Simplon-Orient-Express ) and a room for wellness treatments. Luxury train A luxury train is a premium passenger rail service. Some luxury trains promote tourism in destinations across a region, while others (such as the Maharajas' Express ) take passengers on a ride through a single country. Luxury trains include restaurants, bars, bathrooms, and sleeping and seating areas. George Pullman 's first sleeping car,
1716-625: The withdrawal of older GM locomotives, has seen 201 Class locomotives used on freight workings, whilst four push-pull capable units were transferred to join the original four dedicated locomotives in use on the Enterprise. In 2010 Iarnród Éireann planned to store some of its remaining push-pull capable Mark 3 coaches, which could potentially have been used with 201 Class locomotives to enhance Enterprise's service. However, most Mark 3 carriages were scrapped during 2013 and 2014. A fleet of 10 Mark 3 coaches were sold to Belmond Grand Hibernian , while 216 and 225 were earmarked be returned to service to handle
1760-495: The world in 2009. The Royal Scotsman offers service across Scotland and, occasionally, the rest of Britain. The Belmond Grand Hibernian began operations in Ireland on 30 August 2016. The Eastern and Oriental Express runs from Bangkok to Singapore (via Kuala Lumpur ) and to Vientiane . Covering over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) of peninsular Southeast Asia, its two-day journey includes frequent stops at scenic locations. The Belmond Andean Explorer services
1804-469: Was announced due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The carriages have left Ireland in 2022, and Belmond planned to relocate the train to a new place inside Europe. It has been realized in shape of the new service Britannic Explorer , which will have its first ride in July 2025, featuring round trips from London to Cornwall , Wales and The Lake District . Similar to the latest improvements of Royal Scotsman
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1848-595: Was carried out in Antrim , by Mivan. From the eleven Mark 3 carriages purchased, the train included five sleeping cars , two restaurant cars for dining and an observation car . The train composition and the carriage layouts were inspired by Belmond's other overnight luxury train on the British Islands: the Royal Scotsman . Carriage names were based on the counties of Ireland , several taken from each of
1892-424: Was decided between Irish Rail and Belmond that 216 was the most suitable candidate to become the Grand Hibernian's dedicated locomotive, and as such it was brought back into service. In a green undercoat, it worked several test runs and freight trains in 2016 before being repainted into the Grand Hibernian's blue livery. A second 201 class locomotive – presumedly 225 River Deel – was due to be converted for use with
1936-439: Was to go from Dublin-Cork-Killarney-Galway-Westport and back over four nights. One night per week was planned to be available for maintenance and other activities. For the 2016 season, full six-night Grand Tour of Ireland journeys were scheduled to run Tuesday-to-Monday, as these would consist of both the south-westerly Legends and Loughs and northerly "Taste of Ireland" segments with a change-over for some passengers in Dublin on
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