“The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.”
― Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express
When is the Orient Express not the Orient Express?
Now this is a conundrum that might even be worthy of Hercule Poirot’s little grey cells… On a trip up to the Lake District in the northwest of England this summer my husband and I enjoyed a dining experience on the Orient Express. The small village of Bassenthwaite isn’t a regular stop for the world famous train that has a reputation of glamour and sophistication. It doesn’t even have a functioning railway line. Yet we were able to go on board the luxurious train and have a pot of tea and a scone with fellow diners enjoying breakfast. How was that possible?
I’ll give you a clue…it may not be the actual Orient Express but it is the Orient Express that potentially millions of people will have seen big screen. Given the film location theme of this blog I think you might have been able to deduce that this wasn’t a real train but actually a film set. I don’t think many people will be aware that the replica of the Orient Express that was built for Kenneth Branagh’s 2017 version of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ is now located in a very small town in the Lake District.
How the replica of the train made famous by Agatha Christie’s novel ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ ended up at disused railway station in the village of Bassenthwaite is a great story. I think I first became aware of it when I caught a short feature on either the national or regional television news. The derelict train station buildings at Bassenthwaite had been restored and the new owners wanted to purchase a train carriage to go on the disused track to provide extra seating area for their cafe. They went on eBay and almost accidently bought what is surely one of the biggest film props you can buy!
The French SNCF Class 241 steam engine that is now a permanent fixture on the track is in fact a replica – the very train that appears in the Kenneth Branagh 2017 film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ starring Dame Judi Dench and Johnny Depp. Built a little bit wider than a ‘real life’ train in order to fit in camera crews, nowadays the 36-seater Restaurant carriage serves as seating for both menu meals and Afternoon Teas whereas the Salon carriage is reserved for Afternoon Teas and can seat up to 40 guests.
After a few days enjoying the Lake District in June this year my husband Andy and I headed further north to spend a couple of nights in southern Scotland – an area we’d not explored before. On the way from our accommodation in Keswick I wanted to stop off at the Bassenthwaite Lake Station to see the replica of the Orient Express functioning as a cafe. The plan was to just grab a coffee and take a look around. It was a dull and drizzly morning when we parked up in a small car park that ran along the roadside. Stone buildings and a vintage double decker bus greeted us, a black locomotive could be seen behind a white gate. There was a small shop you passed through to get to the train and we asked a member of staff if there were any tables free. We hadn’t booked as it was early morning and we hadn’t expected it to be that busy. As it turned out I think we were lucky to get seated as the carriage filled up quite quickly. I’d highly recommend booking in advance if you’re making a special trip.
The train is positioned on the disused railway line by the station and it is fully accessible by steps and a ramp if needed. You board the train just behind the engine and we were led to a table in the ‘standard’ class. There’s a sign you pass before you go in that says “You are Welcome to look around the station and platform but please don’t enter the carriages to avoid disturbing our diners. Thank you”.
Our carriage had wood panelling, art deco lamps and was set out with tables and chairs for groups of four or two diners. We took our seats by the window and were given a menu, though having recently had breakfast we explained we just wanted drinks and asked for a coffee and a tea, but we were easily persuaded to share a fresh scone with jam and cream.
While we were waiting for our order to arrive I couldn’t resist taking sneaky walk further down the train. There was no-one in the next carriage and it held a well stocked bar and a couple more tables. At the end were luggage shelves with vintage cases as decoration. There was another doorway beyond but I went back to the table a little worried I’d end up somewhere I shouldn’t!
The cafe menu has a couple of pages explaining the origin of the venue and it was very informative. The station first opened to passengers in 1865 and was closed in 1966. It was sadly a victim of the restructuring of the railway system across Great Britain which saw many local lines closed to improve ‘economic efficiency’ Beeching cuts – Wikipedia What really interested me was the owners explanation of how the Orient Express ended up as part of their regeneration of the site.
“The replica loco was the result of an Ebay search for a train carriage to increase the quantity of seating for the new business. During a visit to a specialist haulier, Simon and Di were offered the Salon carriage from the Murder on the Orient Express. Whilst not in the business plan, it was a choice of either extend the station or buy a carriage and the latter won the day! A few months later, the same haulier said the rest of the filmset train had become unexpectedly available and would we like it? After an initial and emphatic ‘No’ due to its eye-watering price tag, a large and very special bottle of wine moved the conversation from ‘Definitely Not’ to ‘It would be good though’ and finally ‘It’s too unique to miss’ so the following morning, Simon and Di committed their life savings and put their home in Bassethwaite village on the market. In January 2020, Simon, Di and Poppy the station Labrador moved into the Station Master’s house just before the first Covid lockdown.”
I have so much respect for the vision Simon & Di had and the courage it must have taken financially and personally to go through with the plans (throwing in Covid as well). They’ve created something that is certainly unique. They have essentially the full train from the 2017 version of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ with the exception of the sleeper carriage. It’s in great condition and has some, but not all of the interior furnishings.
I’m happy to report that our hot drinks and scone were excellent and when we’d finished and was paying the bill I asked if it would be okay to wander through the other train carriages. We were lucky our visit was shortly after opening time and the main salon carriage was still empty – so we had permission to go through, have a good nosy around and take pictures.
The cafe celebrates the origins of the train – on one wall there is a film poster, showing the full cast in the luxurious salon carriage we walked through. There is also a screen in the middle carriage playing some clips from the film. We took so many photos and it was lovely to get time on our own in the empty carriages.
We braved the the rain to walk along the platform and check out the exterior and for all intents and purposes it looks like a genuine train – complete with Orient Express livery in French. Given that the film takes place, almost exclusively, either onboard or beside the titular train you can understand why they built such a sturdy replica.
We rewatched the film shortly after our visit – so we could compare how it looks now with how it appears in the film. It’s not exactly the same but they’ve done a really good job of making it functional as a café whilst being sympathetic to its original layout. There was obviously no point buying the ‘Orient Express’ and making it unrecognisable. Also… can we take a moment to appreciate the impressive cast who appeared in the film and in whose footsteps we walked (and may have sat in their seats!). The film poster below has twelve names on the billing, and that’s not even including the future Oscar winning Oliva Coleman!
I was surprised to notice that there are original film used chairs and tables amongst some modern additions. The film’s ‘screen used’ ones have a distinct grey pattern and there are two types – just fabric and then some bucket seats with a wooden surround. There are tables with cut off corners that you can spot in the film, even with the table cloths on them.
In the main salon the bar seems reduced in length – it appears to be missing the long straight section, so appears truncated. The glass in the partitions has also been replaced.
There are distinctive art deco lamps on the walls and tables that can be spotted in many of the scenes. Several are still in place, though I’ve noticed the table ones are missing a decorative top piece.
The section at the very end of the train is featured quite prominently in the film as Poirot walks through it several times and it’s also used to interview some of the suspects. Today there’s a large circular table surrounded by original chairs that were in other sections of the train.
On the outside of the salon carriage is raised brass lettering saying ‘Voiture-Salon-Bar No. 4160’ which matches clearly to scenes with characters outside the train. I could easily go on and on as I notice something new every time I go through my pictures!
If we’re ever in that part of the country again we would certainly want to go back, especially being more familiar with the film now. I’ve read really good reviews about the food and there’s more to explore in the surrounding area.
If this blog has inspired you to visit check out their website for more information Cafe and Special Events Venue | Bassenthwaite Lake Station | England It’s open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Booking is strongly advised.
Thanks to Image Gallery of Murder on the Orient Express (2017) | Fancaps for the reference screenshots – an incredibly useful resource.
From scene to seen 