A special anniversary railtour run by the 125 Group called at Swindon station on Saturday, marking fifty years since British Rail's Inter-City 125 began regular service between London Paddington and Bristol in October 1976. The train, known as the High Speed Train, retraced the original route as part of celebrations for the half century.

On its inaugural run in 1976, the 125mph service reached Bristol four minutes early, completing the 118 mile journey in 92 minutes and cutting a quarter of an hour off the old timetable. At the time, retired Rolls-Royce engineer Fred Brown told the Evening Advertiser that the ride was so smooth you could put a cup of coffee on the table and it would not spill, something he said was simply not possible on the old trains. British Rail marketed the carriages heavily on comfort, pointing to the carpeting, air conditioning and armchair seating, alongside a buffet car serving hot and cold dishes in takeaway trays.

Fifty years on, it is understood that several passengers on Saturday's railtour attempted to recreate Mr Brown's experiment unprompted, with at least one flask of tea, a travel mug bearing the Great Western Railway crest, and, according to one onlooker, a small bowl of soup making an appearance on the Swindon platform.

A British Transport Police spokesperson confirmed no soup related incidents had been formally logged.

"I'm not one to gossip," said Brenda Pask, 72, of Old Town, who has lived there since before it was old, "but I hear the trains they run now couldn't carry a cup of tea from here to Chippenham without it ending up in somebody's lap. Ron always said the 125 ran like it was on rails, which it was, obviously, but you knew what he meant. Try doing that coffee trick on the rush hour one now and you'll have third degree burns and a complaint form."

Gary Tench, Area Manager at Tench Paper Solutions in Westlea, said the anniversary had given him a new benchmark for the office. "Smooth operation, zero spillage, that's basically our KPI for the trolley service at the Christmas do," he said. "I've asked Julie to run the stationery cart down the warehouse at speed with a full mug on it, purely as a stress test. We're calling it Project Intercity. She's not thrilled."

By mid afternoon, enthusiasts on the platform had reportedly moved from coffee to a small cafetiere, a pint of orange squash, and, briefly, a goldfish bowl, which organisers asked to be removed on welfare grounds. A 125 Group spokesperson said the day had been a fitting tribute to fifty years of engineering excellence, and asked that future tributes stick to hot drinks only.

The goldfish was said to be unharmed, unimpressed, and declined to comment.