Luxury train is brought to book
Local businessman David Pitts invited best-selling Barnsley author Milly Johnson and members of the prestigious Yorkshire Society aboard his luxury train on Friday.
They boarded the 1930s Pullman-style train – once part of the iconic Orient Express group – over a red carpet laid across the platform at Wakefield station.
Then they sipped champagne before tucking into a slap-up six-course lunch with wine during a five-hour trip aboard through the sun-kissed Yorkshire countryside.
Milly, 61, has a new book called Let the Bells Ring Out, out in October which tells how seven passengers are stranded when a luxury train gets stuck in an unexpected snowdrift.
She got inspiration for the fictional train, called The Yorkshire Belle, following a trip upon the real-life Northern Belle last year.
Mr Pitts, who runs DP Publicity in Wakefield, said: “It was lovely to welcome Milly on board again.
“She is a delightful passenger and we look forward to her book coming out this autumn. We’re sure it will be a great read.”
The Yorkshire Belle returns to Wakefield next Saturday, August 23, for a trip to Edinburgh and the Fringe Festival. It will also pick up passengers from Brighouse and York.
Fares on the train start at £365. For more details, see www.northernbelle.co.uk