The Cotton Mill Express steam-hauled tourist train resumes operation on September 27 – with a new ‘silver service’ on-board dining option.

The 100-mile Pennine circular tour is offering a four-course ‘silver service’ dinner, and afternoon clotted cream tea, in first class dining cars, for £119, including the train fare.

Organisers Past-Time Rail say there will also be the £45 standard class fare, which, as before, will allow passengers to their own ‘picnic’ lunch or buy a snack lunch from the train’s licensed buffet car.

August marked the 40th anniversary since everyday steam came to an end in the north of England, but the 21st century ‘Cotton Mill Express’ steam train has been running a series of excursions since the start of the year.

The train takes a nostalgic journey through many of Lancashire and Yorkshire’s former cotton and textile mills on the highly scenic circular route via Ashton-under-Lyne, Stalybridge, Diggle, Huddersfield, Hebden Bridge, Burnley, Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton.

Past-Time Rail partner Andy Staite: “Even though we don’t leave Manchester Victoria until just after 10am, it’s still quite a time to go without a decent meal, and since we started running the train passengers have consistently asked us to put on a dining car facility.

"There’s clearly a demand there, so the new ‘silver service dining’ will start with our first autumn season train on Saturday, September 27, and will be a feature of all the ‘Cotton Mill Express’ trains from now on."

Dates for six more ‘Cotton Mill Express’ trains – all on Saturdays - are: September 27, October 25, November 22, December 6, 13 and 20.

All ‘Cotton Mill Express’ trains so far have been hauled by steam locomotives native to Lancashire, which worked out the final days of steam back in the late 1960s – Stanier ‘Black 5’ No.45407, and BR Standard Class 4 No.76079.

The September 27 train however is expected to have a rather special ‘celebrity’ steam locomotive at the sharp end – red-liveried Stanier 4-6-0 No.5690 Leander – one of only four surviving examples of the powerful three-cylinder ‘Jubilee’ class locomotives which worked expresses over the famous ‘Settle & Carlisle’ line half a century ago.

Further information at Past-Time Rail Ltd on 01543-411971.