Stars, producers and writers of ‘Skyfall’, one of the most successful films in cinema history, met at London King’s Cross station to unveil East Coast’s latest named train – SKYFALL.
East Coast managing director Karen Boswell joined one of the film’s stars, actresses Naomi Harris pictured left (Moneypenny), producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, to name the train. Class 91 locomotive, 91107, was renumbered 91007 to mark the event.
The locomotive, coupled with nine Mark IV carriages and a Driving Van Trailer (set BN29) was unveiled with a specially-designed livery featuring stars of the film and the iconic 007 insignia. The design includes Daniel Craig’s James Bond sliding on his back firing his infamous Walter PPK pistol, the SKYFALL and 007 insignia, and East Coast’s magenta stripe.
Railways feature regularly in Bond novels and movies including From Russia With Love, the Orient Express, The Man With the Golden Gun, Octopussy, The Spy Who Loved Me and Casino Royale. The film was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on Monday 18 February. The Mark IV carriages feature the 007 insignia on both sides and this design has also been replicated in the cafe-bar within the train’s catering vehicle.
Says Karen Boswell, ‘East Coast is delighted to have worked on such an exciting project and to have renamed – and renumbered – locomotive 91007 as SKYFALL. We’re thrilled that actors, producers and writers from the latest Bond film joined us to launch the train at a specially designated Platform 007.
‘They then travelled First Class on-board SKYFALL as it made its way on our prestigious London to Edinburgh route, following in the footsteps of Bond during the film as he travels north to his family home. It’s really exciting to launch an East Coast train as SKYFALL and I am sure our customers will look forward to travelling on it too.’
During its journey, which began at 08.33, 91007 completed a reduced speed crossing over the Royal Border Bridge pictured above, at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Champagne corks were popped to celebrate a scene in the film where Bond crosses the Varda Bridge in Kiralan, Turkey, which bears a passing resemblance to Robert Stephenson’s bridge across the River Tweed.
