Keeping the Steam Dream Green

The Steam Dreams Rail Co. was the first rail charter to be carbon neutral and we are proud of our commitment to ensure our trains do not damage the environment.

Every time Steam Dreams Rail Co. run a steam charter (around 60 times a year) they make a donation to an organisation called Eco-Act, which invests in carbon reduction projects, to offset the carbon emissions that steam engines produce.

So for example, if trips produced 100 tonnes of carbon emissions through the use of coal, this can be can offset this by purchasing 100 tonnes of carbon credits to reduce the carbon impact to zero (to become carbon neutral).

Eco-Act’s carbon reduction projects usually take place in developing countries, in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry. Each of their projects removes a measurable amount of greenhouse gasses or prevents the emissions in the first place, to reduce the total concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that contribute to climate change.

Projects are carefully monitored and verified so that each tonne of greenhouse gas reduction can be certified as a carbon offset credit, giving total peace of mind that offsetting is transparent and effective.

In 2019, Steam Dreams are investing in a solar power project in India. This project provides the following positive impacts:

• Provision of jobs in local communities across India for the construction and operation of solar plants;
• Improvement to the livelihoods of families employed by the projects;
• Awareness-raising of the impacts of climate change and how to mitigate them;
• Reducing the reliance on energy generation from fossil assisting communities across India to gain access fuels to renewable and sustainable sources of electricity.

If you are interested in learning more about Steam Dreams Rail Co. UK journeys, please call Cruise Express today on 1300 766 537 or visit our website today.

Whilst travelling 120km/hour

 

Stream Dreams – For over fifteen years, The Cathedrals Express steam train has been taking passengers on day trips to beautiful cathedral cities in the UK including Salisbury, Bath, Canterbury and York.

As soon as they board the train, passengers travelling in the Premier Dining or Pullman Style Dining classes are treated to a full English breakfast and a glass of champagne, with a four or five-course meal on the return journey – all cooked on the train in a renovated 1960’s kitchen car.

Serving up to five courses to almost 250 diners, The Cathedrals Express kitchen was specifically designed for Steam Dreams by a Michelin starred chef, bringing it up to date with modern restaurant requirements within the confines of a vintage carriage. 

The modernisation was completed in June 2013 and the Head Chef, Tony Keene, is delighted with the result; “Since our kitchen car entered service, the modern bespoke facilities have enabled us to raise our food offering to a whole new level. The new space allows food to be cooked and presented as close to modern restaurant-style as possible, with all dishes plated and finished off at the last minute.”

“On most of our day trips, we serve over 200 diners across our Pullman and Premier Dining coaches as well as 30 members of staff. All meals are prepared on board, so preparing and serving this number of meals whilst moving at high speeds and often working to very tight deadlines can be very challenging.

Unlike any other kitchens I have worked in, we don’t have unlimited supplies, with finite amounts of cooking gas, water and electricity but the new onboard facilities have made a huge difference. The extensive new storage and preparation space has enabled us to develop our dishes to offer a modern British menu with a nod to the glory days of the British Pullman cars,” said Tony.

Tickets for Steam Dreams tours are available in four different classes, ranging from Premium Standard through to the top class of Pullman Style Dining. Passengers travelling in Pullman Style will enjoy a two-course champagne breakfast on the outward journey and a five-course dinner on the return, whilst those opting for Premium Standard will be seated at tables of four in open carriages and served with complimentary tea and coffee at their seats.

For further information on travelling to the UK onboard any Steam Dreams journey please call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537.

Sample Pullman Style Dining menu onboard The Cathedrals Express

Breakfast

Fresh Croissant with Preserves

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Fruit Compote with Granola & Yoghurt

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Porridge or Cornflakes

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Fresh Bread

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Full English Breakfast with Free Range Scrambled Egg,

Lincolnshire Sausage, Sussex Bacon, Hash Browns, Tomato,

Mushrooms, Black Pudding & an English Muffin

(v) Vegetarian Sausages, Roasted Portabello Mushroom

with Free Range Scrambled Egg, Tomatoes,

Hash Browns & an English Muffin

 

Dinner

Canapés

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Amuse Bouche

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Smoked Mackerel Pâté,

Cucumber Pickle & Herby Leaves

(v) Chickpea Falafel with Beetroot Tzatziki

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Sage Roasted Guinea Fowl, Crushed Sweet & New Potato,

Petit Pois & Wilted Baby Chard, Red Wine Jus

(v) Goat’s Cheese & Red Onion Marmalade Tartlet

with Thyme, Crushed Sweet & New Potato,

Petit Pois & Wilted Baby Chard

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Lemon Mousse

with Raspberry Coulis & Blueberries

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Selection of English Cheeses with Grapes,

Celery & Biscuits

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Coffee & Biscotti

 

Thank you to Claire Newton of Steam Dreams Co. UK for sharing this article. 

 

Tokomaru – a Pahiatua rail car

Still with her traditional art deco charm, a gem in New Zealand’s heritage rail scene is ‘Tokomaru’, or RM31, a railcar built in 1938 and now managed by Pahiatua Railcar Society at Pahiatua, in New Zealand’s North Island. 

This unique style of railcar was one of only six built by NZ Hutt Workshops for the New Zealand Government Railways in 1938/39 as an innovative way to compete with the rise of motor vehicles, and to replace slower and expensive steam trains, while providing comfortable and fast local rail services.  

RM31 is 30 tonnes and 21 metres long, and while only one carriage, she was built with two compartments, the larger ‘second-class’ seated 36 passengers, and the smaller ‘first-class’ area seated 16 passengers. As with all these standard railcars, Tokomaru was named after famous Māori canoes and was used for North Island passenger rail services for more than 30 years until withdrawn from service in 1972.  

While the railcars are now red with white stripes and grey roofs, they were originally a sleek silver body with a green stripe. Initially, they were used to run a fast return service between Wellington and New Plymouth and later Hawkes Bay between Wairoa and Napier and a Sunday service from Napier to Wellington return. This was of course extended over the years, but they never operated in the South Island.

RM31 is the Society’s only operating railcar and is one of four preserved railcars of the Standard class but the only one in operation of the national lines. Being stored for a time at Masterton, RM31 was bequeathed to the Pahiatua Railcar Society in 2001, an organisation dedicated to the restoration of heritage railcars, locomotives and rolling stock formerly owned and operated by the railways department.

Cruise Express is chartering Tokomaru in October 2019 for a panoramic, 4-day journey from Auckland to Wellington, visiting boutique vineyards in the famous Martinborough wine region – home to the Pinot Noir-flaunting Escarpment winery, now owned by Barossa Valley’s Torbreck. Passengers on this incredible journey will also stay in the grand, Chateau Tongariro, back-dropped by sacred, lofty peaks in the heart of the North Island and the quirky capital of Wellington with a visit to the incredible Te Papa National Museum.  

To secure your seat on New Zealand’s heritage rail or for more information click here or call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537