T  here’s a reason why it’s so easy to think of great films about rail travel – Brief Encounter, Murder on the Orient Express – something about boarding a train, and having the hours roll ahead of you like a red carpet, still manages to evoke the Golden Age of Travel. A hazy, romantic time when The Blue Train first traversed South Africa; when the Flying Scotsman charged full steam ahead to break the British speed record. A time when The Railway Children befriended an Old Gentleman who took the 9:15 near their home in Yorkshire. Rewind to Britain 20 years ago, and it looked like the railways – and journeys like these – were all but lost. Yet it seems as though the UK sleeper routes are undergoing something of a renaissance after the devastation wrought by budget airlines in the 90s. Whether it’s down to environmental concerns, or simply frustration with flying, figures for rail passengers are on the rise, and one loyal carrier between London and Scotland is upping its game in response. Pulling out of London Euston under the cover of night, the Caledonian Sleeper chugs its way up to the Scottish Highlands while guests enjoy a wee dram in the whisky car. Returning passengers will soon find themselves pleasantly disorientated when a brand new £150m fleet of trains takes to the tracks this autumn. The carpeted walls and 80s-style furnishings are replaced by contemporary interiors, restaurant-quality food and hotel-standard service, complete with double beds and en-suite rooms. The double beds – something of a first for the UK rail industry – are topped with a bespoke, pocket-sprung mattress hand- crafted in Scotland by Glencraft. Established in 1843, Glencraft’s beds have served four generations of the Royal Family and the company still holds a Royal Warrant by appointment to Her Majesty The Queen. Main image: a sleeper train winds its way through the Highlands. Left: views of the Cairngorms across Glen Feshie – 7 3 – T H E C A R N E G I E C L U B pic credit CHANGING TR ACK As the new Caledonian Sleeper trains prepare for their introduction later this year, Theresa Harold discovers an evocative way to travel – 7 2 – T R A V E L