A group of British businessmen, whose flights out of Edinburgh were grounded thanks to the ash cloud from that annoying volcano whose name nobody can pronounce, went back to London the way it used to be done – by steam-hauled express train.

The train, a special excursion orgainsed by UK tour train operator Steam Dreams, took nine hours longer to do the 630km journey (535km as the jet flies) than it would have taken by plane – excluding, of course, the time spent schlepping to and from the airport and the hours wasted when you get there.

The Telegraph newspaper reported that Steam Dreams had 50 extra seats for sale on the excursion train and punted them on local radio. Business travellers eager to get home snapped them up.

The train fare was quite steep at £299 but at least it was a comfortable ride with proper food. Meanwhile, the any ash cloud generated by the locomotive is part of the normal operating experience.

The train was hauled for much of the way by a streamlined A4 “Pacific” steam locomotive named Bittern, which used to haul the crack Flying Scotsman fast expresses on the same route from the late 1930s onwards. The A4s were fast: in 1938, the journey, took 7 hours 20 minutes.

Come back, steam, all is forgiven.

ILLUSTRATION: A London and North Eastern Railway publicity poster from the 1930s shows the “Night Scotsman” running at speed in the Highlands.

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