RAIL history is set to be made at Carlisle next week when famous steam locomotive Tangmere, which once hauled legendary expresses like the Golden Arrows and the Bournemouth, pulls one of the world’s most luxurious trains into the Citadel station.

The green engine – named after Spitfire ace Douglas Bader’s world war two RAF fighter base in Sussex – is teaming up with the Northern Belle’s 1930-style Pullman coaches for the first time to steam over the spectacular route to Settle.

The 260 tickets for next Thursday’s full-day excursion – which includes a champagne brunch followed by a slap-up five-course dinner with wine in the evening – sold out within days of going on sale despite a £395 price tag.

Yorkshire advertising tycoon David Pitts, who bought the Northern Belle from the iconic Orient Express group for an undisclosed sum, was amazed at the response.

He said: “We were taken by surprise by demand for tickets but it seems people are desperate to get out and enjoy themselves after being cooped up at home with all the Covid lockdowns.

“Of course part of the attraction of this trip is to see the magnificent engine Tangmere in action.

"This will be the first time that it has pulled the Belle and we are all excited at the prospect.”

The same journey with a different steam locomotive featured on Channel 5’s “World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys” programme last year when actor Bill Nighy described the Northern Belle as “the Grand Duchess of luxury rail travel”.

He raved over the individually-designed, hand-decorated carriages, the gourmet food and the spectacular scenery through Lancashire, Cumbria and the Dales.

Tangmere is a Battle of Britain Class locomotive originally built at Brighton in 1947 for the old Southern Railway.

It was withdrawn from service in 1963 and sent to a Welsh scrapyard after covering 588,269 miles as diesel power began to take over from steam.

But rail enthusiasts rescued the engine from being turned into pots and pans and painstakingly restored the engine so it can now pull heritage trains on the mainline network.

The Northern Belle will operate to different destinations around the country from various stations during the year. Fares start at £295.

For further details phone 01270 899681 or see northernbelle.co.uk.