Scotch on the rocks on the rails
Scotsman Ice Machines Help Virgin Trains Deliver Gourmet-Quality Drinks Service To Rail Passengers.
Scotsman machines are providing ice for drinks on Virgin's West Coast and Cross Country trains. The machines, from UK distributor Hubbard Ice Systems, were chosen for their thimble-shaped 'Supercubes' and were supplied to Rail Gourmet service centres, strategically located on stations around the UK, which supply the trains with all food and ancillary catering products.
The Service Centres, which vary in size from 65m2 to 400m2, are operated by Rail Gourmet UK Ltd. Rail Gourmet works with several rail companies as their logistical partner; with 15 centres, Virgin is its largest customer.
Quality is everything to a brand like Virgin. You might thank that the humble ice cube would hardly register on the company's radar, but not so. The specifiers knew that the quality of ice is integral to drinks service and that, in terms of catering for long train journeys, ice has one major weakness: it melts.
Virgin's Purchasing and Distribution Manager Nic Cuthbertson says that choosing the right ice, and the right ice machines, took time.
"We need hard, cold clear ice, and it has to look good and last for journeys that may take several hours. We also specified the size of cube 20ml, based on our glass's dimensions. The machines had to give a reliable supply, with consistent quality, they had to be economical to run and energy efficient. And the price had to be right."
Scotsman machines are renowned for reliability and the quality of their ice. Energy and cost-saving features, such as the sensor that automatically puts machines on standby when the storage bin is full, also helped win the Virgin contract for Hubbard.
Hubbard Ice Systems supplied two different Scotsman models, depending on the size of the Rail Gourmet centre. The MC 15, for larger Rail Gourmet centres, is a modular machine with a separate ice bin, capable of making up to 170Kg (8,500 cubes) per day. The smaller ACM 225 is an all-in-one machine with integral storage and makes up to 145kg (7,250 cubes) per day.
Both models make Scotsmans 'Supercubes', also known as gourmet cubes in the ice business. The cubes are formed by spraying water up into refrigerated cups, and besides giving the distinctive 'thimble' shape, the method means that impurities in the water tend to drop out, leaving the ice actually purer than the water input. So the ice itself is crystal clear and very long lasting.
