Trainspotters crowded on the station platform in a scenic west Highland village yesterday to welcome a prestigious steam train on its UK tour.
About 175 people flocked to Kyle station to witness The Great Britain IX grounding to a halt as the sun broke through the clouds in the middle of the afternoon.
It is the first time a steam engine has visited the village in about two years, according to local railway enthusiasts.
Each of the 170 passengers on board has paid upwards of £2,200 for a ticket and, in return, receives a luxury service which includes the full lamp lit carriage dining experience and top notch cuisine.
The nine-day rail tour began in London last week and the steam engine has already visited Cornwall, Wales and Cumbria, as well as Thurso on Sunday – and will be returning to London today.
Yesterday photographers could be seen standing along the line and a large crowd welcomed the “Black Five” locomotive and passengers within six Pullman-style carriages.
The mighty steam engine had travelled from Inverness to Kyle, arriving at about 3.15pm.
Rupert Allison, treasurer of the Friends of the Kyle Line, was on the platform and said it was the first time a steam train had been to the village for a “couple of years”, adding: “”It’s always a big event when a steam train comes to Kyle. The line is world-famous and it would be a real boost to have regular steam trips. The phone’s been ringing all week with people wanting to go out and see the train”.
Mr Allison, who sells maps and gives advice to tourists travelling by train to Kyle, said that his phone had been “ringing all week with people wanting to go out and see the train.”
The Great Britain IX railway left London on April 26 and returns there today.
Each year the steam engine visits several scenic locations dotted around the UK.
