The vintage Swiss-style rail carriage offering spectacular views of scenic Highlands

It is an Art Deco-styled luxury train carriage whose large windows provide passengers with panoramic views of the Cairngorms - and which could help inspire a modern day equivalent for ScotRail.

The 1930s observation car, designed by Edinburgh-born Flying Scotsman locomotive builder Sir Nigel Gresley, has been wowing tourists since it arrived at the Strathspey Railway last year following restoration.

The carriage, replete with armchairs and coffee bar, was built for express trains between Edinburgh and London, but later switched to lines in the West Highlands in 1956 until being withdrawn in 1967.

The 1937 observation car at Broomhill station on the Strathspey Railway on June 20. (Photo by The Scotsman) | The Scotsman

The Aviemore-based heritage railway hopes to extend its two-year loan of the “beaver tail”-shaped coach beyond this year, where it will run until the beginning of November and at Christmas.

Senior rail industry figures have backed the inclusion of such “scenic trains” in the Scottish Government’s coming orders for new fleets for ScotRail by its 2035 deadline for scrapping diesel trains to meet emissions targets. They are a common sight in countries such as Switzerland and Canada.

Alex Hynes said last year while managing director of Scotland’s Railway, which includes ScotRail: “This is a massive opportunity. People are prepared to pay a premium for scenic trains with glazed body sides.” Mary Grant, chief executive of train leasing firm Porterbrook, which owns part of the ScotRail fleet, and is a former ScotRail managing director, said: “I think scenic trains are a very good idea for the north of Scotland. I’d be very happy to buy them because I think they have huge value.

“Scotland has some of the most beautiful rail journeys in the world and I believe the opportunity to see the landscape via a scenic train would be a huge success. I would be very supportive in financing this.”

The observation car preparing to depart from Aviemore for Boat of Garten and Broomhill on June 20. (Photo by The Scotsman) | The Scotsman

Railway historian Ian Lamb said the observation car was built in “the halcyon days before the Second World War when Britain seemed to be more affluent and everyone wanted more than just a local train journey”.

“Gresley decided to build these coaches in 1937 and connect them to an express service he called the Coronation, which went from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh twice a day, to create a ‘proper train’,” he said.

“They later ran between Glasgow Queen Street, Fort William and Mallaig, and were very, very popular. But the windows were far too low, so British Rail rebuilt them to what you see today.

“But once all the steam trains went, and there was only diesel, they got rid of all the turntables, so it was no longer possible to operate the observation cars because they had to be turned [at the end of the lines].”

Mr Lamb hoped new observation cars would be built for Scottish lines. He said: “People really love seeing from the rear of a train the scenery opening up.

“Compared with the car’s original route, it might have been wonderful rushing past the Berwickshire coastline at 90mph, but there’s something really fine to be going along sedately in such wonderful scenery on the Strathspey Railway.

“So I’m pretty sure if it’s reasonable [cost], so many lines would benefit from having a proper, modern observation car with glass right back, like on the Continent. Then, why appreciate the Alps when you’ve got the Cairngorms?

“But you’ve got to have the ambience like this one - the Art Deco styling, the feeling that you’re special and you’re doing a special journey.”

The observation car's Art Deco styling above its end windows with their view of the Cairngorms as it approached Broomhill station on June 20. (Photo by The Scotsman) | The Scotsman

David Childs, a volunteer on the Strathspey Railway whose jobs include running a museum at Boat of Garten station on the ten-mile line, said there had been a “very enthusiastic” reaction from passengers to travelling in the car.

Railway historian Ian Lamb and Strathspey Railway volunteer David Childs in the observation car en route to Aviemore on June 20. (Photo by The Scotsman) | The Scotsman

He said: “People look forward to riding on it and it seems to be getting more and more popular. It’s an extra attraction and very valuable - you’re riding on something a bit different.”

Mr Childs said there was “great potential” for modern-day observation cars on the Scottish network. He said: “With the increase in interest in railways, I think a modernised version would be very popular.”

Ukrainian Tamara Butko, a steward in the observation car, who serves passengers tea and coffee during the trips to Broomhill at the northern end of the line, said: “This is probably the best job I have ever had. The views are out of a fairy tale. I call this place paradise.”

Observation car steward Tamara Butko described the line as "paradise". (Photo by The Scotsman) | The Scotsman

Strathspey Railway general manager Gordon Kirk said: “We hope to be able to keep the car for longer as it has become an attraction. When people see it, many upgrade their tickets [for an extra £6.50].”

Railway author David Spaven, whose books include The Railway Atlas of Scotland, which features the observation cars, said they had been a high point of post-war train travel for visitors.

The observation car leaving Aviemore on June 20. (Photo by The Scotsman) | The Scotsman

He said: “The observation cars which operated on the routes to Oban, Fort William, Mallaig and Kyle between 1956 and 1967 represented the post-war pinnacle of catering for popular rail-based tourism in Scotland.

“A British Railways 1962 brochure invited passengers from Edinburgh to Oban - through Callander and Glen Ogle - to ‘see the bens and glens in armchair comfort from the Observation Car’.

“Such delights will be beyond the budget for any future bespoke trains for ScotRail's scenic routes, although folk with deep pockets may get a feel for luxury in the Royal Scotsman land cruise’ train.

“But we can learn a lot from the likes of Swiss Railways. In some ways, it's quite simple - you need big windows and low seatbacks to make the most of these wonderful views."

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said this month that plans for ScotRail’s new train fleets “remain under development”.

She said the Scottish Government’s rail services decarbonisation action plan, which includes the 2035 deadline for replacing diesel trains, was still being “refreshed”, including consideration of that timescale.