# Vintage Trains

Vintage Trains is a charitably-controlled train operating company established in 1964. Based at Tyseley Locomotive Works, Birmingham, they provide heritage railtours in the United Kingdom over the UK rail network.

## Organisation

Vintage Trains is made up of four different companies:
* Vintage Trains Charitable Trust ("VTCT") (formerly Birmingham Railway Museum Trust), the parent charitable organisation which manages the subsidiaries below.
* Tyseley Locomotive Works Limited: a wholly owned subsidiary of Vintage Trains Charitable Trust, responsible for general and mechanical engineering and hire of locomotives and rolling stock.
* Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society: a publicly owned Community Benefit Society established to raise funds, controlled by Vintage Trains Charitable Trust through its ability to control the Board.
* Vintage Trains Ltd: a wholly owned subsidiary of the Community Benefit Society, Vintage Trains Ltd holds the licence to operate trains over UK rails. They are also responsible for the operation of express steam and heritage diesel railtours.
Vintage Trains is supported by a volunteer-run support organisation, the Friends of Vintage Trains.

## Railtours
### Shakespeare Express

As part of its educational programme, Vintage Trains runs the Shakespeare Express between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon. The service is an integral part of the company's mission, as it provides a regular steam-hauled service to the English public on select Sundays in the summer. It has been run by the company since 1999.
Pickups are offered at Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham Moor Street, Tyseley and Stratford-upon-Avon. From 2007, an additional stop was made at Henley-in-Arden to offer passengers a round trip journey travelling via Stratford upon Avon and Birmingham Snow Hill, this was discontinued at the end of the 2021 season.
In 2024, the programme of "Shakespeare Express" trains was expanded to include additional departures from Derby, Worcester and Leicester on individual trips, alongside the regular trips from Birmingham.

### Steam Excursions

Vintage Trains operates a number of Steam Excursion trains across the United Kingdom. Services include 'The Shap Mountaineer' to Carlisle, 'The North Wales Coast Express' to Llandudno, and 'The Whistling Ghost to Minehead'. All services are hauled by either steam and/or heritage diesel locomotives. Trains consist of Vintage Trains' heritage rolling stock.

### Polar Express

As a Christmas special event, four return trips between Birmingham Moor Street and a siding in Dorridge are run per day which take place every Friday to Sunday in November and December. The journey consists of actors re-enacting and guiding passengers through the story of the The Polar Express, with the journey of the train being alikened to the journey within the story.

## Mainline locomotives

Vintage Trains operates many steam and diesel locomotives on its mainline railtours.

### Steam locomotives

Locomotives listed here are not all owned by Tyseley Locomotive Works as some are owned by private societies, but are made available to operate on the mainline by their respective owners (assuming they have the appropriate mainline certification).
All engines used on VT's tours are operated under vacuum braking, engines which do have dual/air braking fitted can be used on VT tours but only operated under vacuum braking.
| Number | Name | Class | Livery | Owner | TOPS No | Max Speed | Location | Present Status | Mainline Certified | Notes |
| 4936 | Kinlet Hall | GWR "Hall" 4-6-0 | BR Green, Late Crest (on completion) | Jon Jones Pratt | 98536 | 60 mph | Tyseley | Under Overhaul | No, to be certified | |
| 4965 | Rood Ashton Hall | GWR "Hall" 4-6-0 | GWR Green (on completion) | Tyseley Locomotive Works | 98565 | 60 mph | Tyseley | Stored | No | Withdrawn from service in September 2019 Overhaul due to commence in March 2024 with conversion from coal to oil-burning being undertook. |
| 5043 | Earl of Mount Edgcumbe | GWR "Castle" 4-6-0 | BR Green, Early Emblem (on completion) | Tyseley Locomotive Works | 98743 | 75 mph | Tyseley | Operational | Yes (2023 - ongoing) | Fitted with double chimney. |
| 5080 | Defiant | GWR "Castle" 4-6-0 | GWR Green | Tyseley Locomotive Works | 98780 | 75 mph | Tyseley | Stored | No | Funding for overhaul underway by "The Defiant Club". 5080's tender is undergoing overhaul with completion expected before the end of 2024. The engines boiler is due to be assessed in 2024 to ascertain how much it will cost to overhaul. |
| 5952 | Cogan Hall | GWR "Hall" 4-6-0 | N/A | Tyseley Locomotive Works | 985## | 60 mph | Tyseley | Stored | No | Undergoing Cosmetic Restoration from scrapyard condition. Restoration to commence on completion of 6880. |
| 7029 | Clun Castle | GWR "Castle" 4-6-0 | BR Green, Late Crest | Tyseley Locomotive Works | 98729 | 75 mph | Tyseley | Operational | Yes (2017 - ongoing) | Fitted with double chimney. |
| 7752 | - | GWR "5700 Pannier Tank" 0-6-0 | GWR Unlined Green, Great Western lettering | Tyseley Locomotive Works | 98452 | 45 mph | Tyseley | Stored | No | Boiler ticket expired 2021 |
| 9600 | - | GWR "8750 Pannier Tank" 0-6-0 | BR Black, Early Emblem | Tyseley Locomotive Works | 98457 | 45 mph | Tyseley | Stored | No | |
| 45305 | Alderman A.E. Draper | LMS "Black 5" 4-6-0 | BR Black, Late Crest | 5305 Locomotive Association | 98505 | 60 mph | Loughborough | Under Overhaul | No | |
| 45596 | Bahamas | LMS "Jubilee" 4-6-0 | BR Green, Late Crest | Bahamas Locomotive Society | 98696 | 75 mph | Haworth | Operational | Yes (2019 - ongoing) | Only surviving Jubilee with double chimney. Returned to mainline on 15 January 2019. |
| 6233 | Duchess of Sutherland | LMS "Princess Coronation" 4-6-0 | LMS Crimson Lake | Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust | 98834 | 75 mph | Butterley | Operational | Yes | |

### Diesel locomotives

Loco numbers in bold mean their current number.
| Pre-TOPS Number | TOPS Number | Class | Name | Livery | Owner | Status | Mainline Certified | Location | Notes |
| D6940 | 37240 | 37 | - | Transrail Grey | Tyseley Locomotive Works | Operational | Yes | Tyseley | Acquired in 2022. |
| D1755 | 47773 | 47 | - | BR Two-Tone Green | Tyseley Locomotive Works | Operational | Yes | Tyseley | Repainted in May 2021. |
| D433 | 50033 | 50 | Glorious | BR Blue Large Logo | Tyseley Locomotive Works | Operational | No | Kidderminster | On three year loan to the Fifty Fund. |
| D8142 | 20142 | 20 | Sir John Betjeman | London Transport | Michael Owen Railtours | Operational | Yes | Tyseley | On hire to Vintage Trains from July 2019 onwards. |
| D8189 | 20189 | 20 | - | BR Blue | Michael Owen Railtours | Operational | Yes | Tyseley | On hire to Vintage Trains from September 2019 onwards. |
Also, in previous years, Vintage Trains has operated charters using electric and diesel traction that has not already been mentioned above, now back at other locations, including Class 86 86259 Les Ross, Class 47 47580 County of Essex, Class 50 50049 Defiance, Class 50 50007 Hercules and Class 20 20007. The company has also used various other diesels, such as West Coast Railways' own Class 33 and Class 47 diesels.

## Mainline rolling stock

Rolling stock listed here is not all owned by Tyseley Locomotive Works as some is owned by private societies, but is made available to operate on the mainline by their respective owners (assuming they have the appropriate mainline certification).
| Number | Description | Current Status | Livery | Notes |
| No. W96100 | BR GUV | Operational | Brown | General Utility van. Now converted as a water carrier for mainline steam railtours. |
| No. W35470 | BR Mk1 BSK | Operational | Chocolate & Cream | Support coach for Vintage Trains Locomotives. |
| No. W17018 | BR Mk1 BFK | Operational | Chocolate & Cream | |
| No. 335 | BR Mk1 Pullman Kitchen Second | Operational | Umber & Cream | |
| No. 349 | BR Mk1 Pullman Parlour Second | Operational | Umber & Cream | |
| No. 353 | BR Mk1 Pullman Parlour Second | Operational | Umber & Cream | |
| No. 311 | BR Mk1 Pullman Kitchen First | Operational | Umber & Cream | Named Eagle. Restored in 2018. Restoration featured on Channel 4 TV series 'Great Rail Restorations with Peter Snow'. |
| No. W5157 | BR Mk2a TSO | Operational | Chocolate & Cream | |
| No. W5177 | BR Mk2a TSO | Operational | Chocolate & Cream | |
| No. W5191 | BR Mk2a TSO | Operational | Chocolate & Cream | |
| No. W5198 | BR Mk2a TSO | Operational | Chocolate & Cream | |
| No. W5212 | BR Mk2a TSO | Operational | Chocolate & Cream | |
| No. W9101 | BR Mk2a BSO | Operational | Chocolate & Cream | |

## Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society

Until late 2017, Vintage Trains operated its railtours with West Coast Railways providing the crews, WCRC being the only charter operator available who would operate vacuum braked trains as none of the engines based at Tyseley are fitted with air brakes. But from 2018, it was announced that due to a falling number of crews being available, WCR said they were unable to provide footplate crews to operate VT's trains and as a result of this, the early 2018 railtour programme which had been planned including the planned debut run of 7029 Clun Castle had to be cancelled.
In late 2016, Vintage Trains lodged an application with the Office of Rail & Road to operate trains in its own right. To come up with the £800,000 required for the licence, a share float was launched with Adrian Shooter named as chairman. Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society was set up in late 2017 as a publicly owned company and in order to fund the company began recruiting members of the public to become shareholders in the company by purchasing shares (minimum available for purchase being £500 per share). The licence was granted with its first train being a test of a Class 230 between Bedford and Bletchley on 27 September 2018 for Vivarail.