Oxford News
Kidlington vicar imagines murder on the night train
What a difference if you are on an overnight sleeper train – a private sleeping compartment, a smart restaurant, a smooth journey to a far-flung destination and isolation from the outside world.
You pay a price, of course, but you can travel from London to Scotland or Scotland to London in luxury without the hassle of airport queues, motorway traffic and train changes.
Sleeper trains are often described as ‘boutiques on rails’ or ‘hotels on wheels’, but they have also served another purpose.
As David Meara, of Kidlington, describes in his latest book, they have been an inspiration to numerous authors, who have seen them as an ideal setting for committing a crime and unravelling a mystery.
The book, Murder on the Night Sleeper, takes the reader on a journey through the fictional world of sleeper train travel, examining many of the stories that have been woven around the trains.
As W H Auden wrote: “The overnight sleeper train affords the most promising setting for murder and mayhem to unfold.”
Mr Meara’s first experience of railways came in 1950 when his grandfather took him and his brother to Wolvercote bridge to see expresses heading from Oxford to Banbury and Birmingham.
He recalls: “I remember the smoke from the steam engines billowing up and over the bridge and enveloping us as we hid inside our grandfather’s overcoat.
“When we travelled to Scotland for family holidays from 1959, we always used the overnight sleeper train from Euston to Inverness, known as the Royal Highlander.
“There is something about an overnight train that is both romantic and slightly unnerving – the feeling that on such a long and complex journey things could easily go wrong during the hours of darkness.”
Certainly, over the years, authors have exploited that theory and have produced multiple stories of death, suspense, romance and mystery, many of which the book examines without giving too much away.
Not all stories were fiction. One writer included details of The Race to the North, reflecting the intense rivalry between railway companies in the late 19th century.
Two companies set out to prove that their service from London to Aberdeen – on the West Coast route via Carlisle (540 miles) and the East Coast line via Newcastle (523 miles) – was the best and fastest.
The competition continued until 1895 when an inspector, horrified that the speed limits over the recently-opened Forth and Tay bridges were being ignored, called a halt to the races.
The 1920s became known as the Golden Age of Detective Fiction when lesser-known writers as well as the big names featured railways prominently in their work.
As the age of steam ended in the 1960s, some of the glamour slipped away from the railways and this was reflected in the decline of novels set on trains.
But Mr Meara, a former Archdeacon of London and now a member of the clergy at St Mary’s Church, Kidlington, believes that “the link between murder/mystery fiction and the railways will remain a strong and fruitful one in the years to come”.
Murder on the Night Sleeper, which also describes sleeper services in the United States and Europe, is published by Amberley Books, price £15.99.
StarterMotor will support the event at the NEC in Birmingham from November 13 to 15.
The charity focuses on introducing young people to a wide range of career opportunities within the automotive sector.
Steve Cootes, general manager of StarterMotor, said: “We’re incredibly honoured to have been selected as the charity partner for the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show 2026.
“Together, we can ensure the knowledge, craftsmanship and passion that define this remarkable community continue to thrive through the next generation.”
Visitors will be able to donate between £3 and £10 when booking tickets.
This contribution is intended to support StarterMotor’s outreach and education initiatives for young people.
StarterMotor believes the classic vehicle community has an important role in engaging and supporting the next generation.
Bicester Motion is a 444‑acre former RAF Bicester airfield in Oxfordshire, redeveloped as a hub for past, present and future mobility, blending heritage with innovation.
Home to more than 50 specialist automotive and aviation businesses, it combines restored Grade II‑listed buildings with new ‘quarters’ for engineering, experiences and innovation, including the well-known Bicester Heritage site and public events like Scrambles that attract around 150,000 visitors a year.
Positioned as a world‑leading mobility campus, it promotes sustainable transport technology while preserving one of the UK’s best‑preserved pre‑1945 bomber bases.
Passengers will be able to use the new Freeflow system starting Sunday, July 26, making bus journeys faster and more convenient.
The move follows successful rollouts by sister operators Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel.
Luke Marion, managing director of Pulhams, said: “This is another important step in our ongoing investment in modern ticketing technology.
“We continue to embrace technology and ensure our services are fully accessible.
“With Freeflow, passengers simply tap on and tap off, and the system calculates the best possible fare for their journey.
“It removes the need to carry the right money or choose the correct ticket, and it helps speed up boarding, so journeys are faster and more convenient.”
Developed in partnership with Ticketer, the hardware has been funded by Gloucestershire County Council.
The system works with contactless bank cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Freeflow automatically calculates the correct fare based on distance travelled and supports daily and weekly fare capping.
Councillor Roger Whyborn, cabinet member for sustainable transport at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “We want to make using the bus as simple and convenient as possible, and this new tap on, tap off system is a great example of how technology can improve the passenger experience.
“It speeds up boarding and helps ensure people always get the best value for their journey.”
The scheme is part of Pulhams’ wider efforts to modernise its ticketing offer and will be available across most of its network.
This latest protest is happening on Sunday, July 19, and comes after the government announced that it is looking to use the redundant Ministry of Defence site located at site A of the Bicester Garrison, between Piddington and Upper Arncott, to house male asylum seekers.
It could be operational as early as the end of 2026 with Calum Miller MP for Bicester and Woodstock saying 1,250 men could be placed at the facility.
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The plan has caused outrage among locals and last weekend around 300 people turned up to protest against it.
This latest protest will begin at 11am, with participants encouraged to meet at Site A just off the B4011.
The last one was put on by Oxford Stand Up to Racism outside the Coventry Building Society on Sheep Street on Sunday morning, July 12.
Oxford Stand Up to Racism said ahead of the protest that refugees should not be housed in what it describes as “inhumane camps”, such as the proposed facility near Bicester.
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Other groups have also organised protests about the plans for the facility including Pink Ladies UK.
The women’s safety group group, who call themselves a “non-political movement for the safety of women and girls in the UK,” joined the Unite The Kingdom march in May, and recently held a “Pink Protest” in Dover against illegal migration.
Pink Ladies Oxford did its own protest last Sunday, stating on its Facebook that “enough is enough.”
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