Granny is the Belle of the train on way to Ascot
AN elegant granny in a second-hand frock who boarded one of the world’s poshest trains at Crewe on Thursday ended up being voted the best dressed passenger on board.
Jeanine Murtagh, 54, was travelling to Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot on the 1930s Pullman-style Northern Belle when she was presented with a surprise bottle of champagne.
She said: “It was a wonderful surprise – the icing on the cake of a wonderful day out at the races with my husband Nick.
“We saw the King and Queen arrive in their carriage during the Royal Procession – and even managed to back a couple of winning horses!”
Office manager Jeanine, from St Helens, told how she originally tried to buy the “Secret Garden” dress by top designer Ian Stuart for her daughter’s wedding four years ago.
But the exclusive boutique shop didn’t have her size in stock.
Then she spotted it being advertised on the Vintner pre-loved clothes website and realised it would be perfect for her trip to Ascot.
“Even second hand it was still expensive,” she said. “But it was worth every penny. And at the racecourse, I was still getting loads of compliments about it.
“Nick and I last went to Royal Ascot 30 years ago shortly before we got married, so it was lovely to repeat the trip as an advance 30th anniversary present.”
The platform at Crewe Station looked like a fashion show as excited passengers waited for the train at breakfast time on Thursday morning.
And they were handed their first glass of champagne by liveried stewards as they boarded over a red carpet
The Northern Belle, once part of the iconic Belmond Orient Express group, was described on TV by actor Bill Nighy as the Grand Dame of luxury travel”.
It even had its own band to serenade passengers as they tucked into a six-course banquet during the return journey to Crewe in the evening.
The train will be back in Crewe next Thursday (June 27) for a slap-up trip to Bath, with the opportunity to visit the historic Roman baths.
Then on July 26 there will be a steam-hauled excursion over the picturesque Settle-Carlisle line through the Yorkshire Dales.
There are also several other trips later in the year, culminating with a Christmas Lunch special in December.
Fares start at £365. For more details and to book, see www.northernbelle.co.uk