This is John Batchel, a conversation with my good colleague Gregory Copley about something I had never focused on.

The Royal Train. That's right. Many countries have one.

Charles, King Charles III, has chosen to forego his Royal Train.

It's three luxury cars. One is a long, thin living room with big comfy chairs.

Only England has chairs that comfy and soft and huge.

And I imagine the other are sleeping quarters and dining quarters.

The three cars.

Pulled by a train, well, different engines.

Gregory tells me it has been pulled by the very famous Royal Scotsman engine.

In any event, it's retiring.

We can presume it's going to someplace far, far better than it's ever known,

amusement park or something equally wonderful.

In any event, it's retired after 156 years.

Here's Gregory.

The Royal Train, farewell.

No, he applies for that.

Although he has used those royal carriages to go up into the north of England.

He used it, I think, a year or so ago with the engine

from the flying Scotsman, the old engine from the Flying Scotsman, which is a beautiful historical

beast. But basically, the Royal Train has been used for shorter term things, and particularly to

take the Royal Family each summer to Balmoral Castle, which is not far from London.

But the costs were such that the king wanted to pare down the costs of running the monarchy.

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