The Scottish Railway Preservation Society (S.R.P.S.) and the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust (R.S.G.T) have announced a new long-term partnership for running heritage trains in Scotland on both the mainline and the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway (B.&K.R.)

The S.R.P.S. operates the B.&K.R. and is Britain's longest established operator of scenic railway excursions, having started running railtours in 1970. The R.S.G.T is part of Crewe based Locomotive Services Group (L.S.L.) which operates luxury railtours throughout the UK with its Railtour brands Saphos Trains, Steam Dreams, Midland Pullman Statesman Rail and InterCity.

S.R.P.S. and R.S.G.T. are delighted to announce that they have entered into an exciting, long-term and mutually beneficial partnership that will see L.S.L. offer traditional style railway carriage accommodation and ensures the long-term deployment of S.R.P.S.’s mainline-capable fleet of carriages.

S.R.P.S. has invested significantly in terms of volunteer and financial resources in overhauling its carriage collection to meet the latest safety standards required. This has recently been boosted by arrangements with third parties to expedite this work, with some carriages recently travelling to Barrow Hill. The first of the overhauled carriages is expected to return in July, with R.S.G.T. having generously supported some of this work.

As part of the partnership, L.S.L. will stable locomotives and rolling stock on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, and visiting locomotives will feature on B.&K.R. services. Visiting locomotives and special services will be advertised in due course. L.S.L. will also provide locomotives and support services for the S.R.P.S.'s own day excursion railtours around Scotland.

Speaking on completion of the partnership, Andrew Wells, Finance Director of the S.R.P.S. said, “As we approach our 55th year of operation, the partnership with the Royal Scot and General Trust is an exciting one for the S.R.P.S. and we look forward to our passengers being able to enjoy the experience of historic railway journeys on the mainline once again in our newly overhauled carriages. The R.S.G.T. has an impressive fleet of beautifully restored locomotives that have deep connections to Scotland and we look forward to hosting them on services on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway. The arrangement also provides vital funds to assist in the S.R.P.S.’s prime purpose of restoring and preserving its significant Scottish Railway collection for future generations.”

Jeremy Hosking, chair of the Royal Scot & General Trust and the wider L.S.L. Group added: “It is a pleasure to be partnering with, and to be invited to operate, these S.R.P.S. heritage assets on the British mainline railway. Railworthy carriages of the ‘Mark One’ design remain un-failingly popular with travellers and the upgraded features they require to operate on the mainline in 2024 and beyond requires external finance. We are pleased to be in a position to provide this. The carriages will now be seen in operation on the mainline many years into the future”.

The Scottish Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1961 and is the operator of the Museum of Scottish Railways and the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway. S.R.P.S. Railtours is the longest established operator of day excursions by heritage train, since 1970.