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.

Author David Meara from Kidlington (Image: Rosemary Meara)

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.

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.

A photo from a protest against the ‘asylum centre’ plans (Image: Jamie Jessett, founder of Bicester Litter Pickers, Banbury & Kidlington)

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.”

Thames Valley Police issued the alert before England face France in the third-place play-off this evening (Saturday, July 18) at 10pm.

According to the force, research indicates that major football matches can lead to an increase in domestic abuse incidents.

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The force emphasised that “the football or other sport isn’t to blame” but that “the abusers are”.

They reassured the public that they are available “24/7 to support victims and bring offenders to justice”.

In emergencies, individuals are urged to call 999 (press 55 if unable to speak), while non-emergencies can be reported via 101, or the force’s website.

For those watching the match away from home, planning the journey in advance is advised.

The police have stressed the importance of arranging a lift, booking a taxi, or using public transport. Those driving are advised to stick to soft drinks.

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Officers will be proactively targeting drink and drug drivers as part of safety measures and will be patrolling the Thames Valley area to ensure community safety during the match.

Thames Valley Police concluded its message with: “Enjoy the game, look after yourselves and each other.”

The spokesperson added: “For the last time this tournament, we say… come on England!”