2024 uk railtours dates

[WattWatt000]

A bargain day out which coincides with ASOS from the West Midlands on Saturday:

Retro High Speed Scot

Retro Railtours - aiming to provide tours for enthusiasts and daytrippers

retrorailtours.co.uk

The train will be hauled by a HST power car, with Mk2 rolling stock. There will be a buffet trolley available. Same Rail Adventure PCs as per the 15th March - a first for Class 43s with MK2s!?

 

[Forty29]

A bargain day out which coincides with ASOS from the West Midlands on Saturday:

Retro High Speed Scot

Retro Railtours - aiming to provide tours for enthusiasts and daytrippers

retrorailtours.co.uk

The train will be hauled by a HST power car, with Mk2 rolling stock. There will be a buffet trolley available. Same Rail Adventure PCs as per the 15th March - a first for Class 43s with MK2s!?

Be interesting to see if indeed they will be MK2 coaches, doesn't actually say so. The March 15th tour had MK3 stock.

 

[Sun Chariot]

A bargain day out which coincides with ASOS from the West Midlands on Saturday:

Retro High Speed Scot

Retro Railtours - aiming to provide tours for enthusiasts and daytrippers

retrorailtours.co.uk

The train will be hauled by a HST power car, with Mk2 rolling stock. There will be a buffet trolley available. Same Rail Adventure PCs as per the 15th March - a first for Class 43s with MK2s!?

Sounds a good trip.

Where did you see mention of specific traction and rolling stock? The linked listing merely states it'll be: "...formed of comfortable Inter City Standard and First Class carriages".

 

[WattWatt000]

Sounds a good trip.

Where did you see mention of specific traction and rolling stock? The linked listing merely states it'll be: "...formed of comfortable Inter City Standard and First Class carriages".

The rolling stock info is on the Facebook post.

 

[Sun Chariot]

The rolling stock info is on the Facebook post.

Thanks. Your post #61 mentions an HST power car? Surely that won't be electrically compatible with Mk2 aircons? HST Mk3s use a different electrical setup to loco-hauled Mk3a's (and also Mk2s).

 

[WattWatt000]

Thanks. Your post #61 mentions an HST power car? Surely that won't be electrically compatible with Mk2 aircons? HST Mk3s use a different electrical setup to loco-hauled Mk3a's (and also Mk2s).

Rail Adventure power car each end with the lead power car powering and a generator van for train supply.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Rail Adventure power car each end with the lead power car powering and a generator van for train supply.

It'll make quite a spectacle Shame I can't get that far up the country to enjoy it

 

[Townsend Hook]

A bargain day out which coincides with ASOS from the West Midlands on Saturday:

Retro High Speed Scot

Retro Railtours - aiming to provide tours for enthusiasts and daytrippers

retrorailtours.co.uk

The train will be hauled by a HST power car, with Mk2 rolling stock. There will be a buffet trolley available. Same Rail Adventure PCs as per the 15th March - a first for Class 43s with MK2s!?

Possibly a first for a passenger service, but Colas’ power cars run regularly with Network Rail Mk1s and Mk2s on infrastructure monitoring trains.

 

[renegademaster]

For the tour on Saturday is there a reason it's not starting from King's Cross?
Avoid having to run around the loco(is it even possible at kx?) or having to include a loco on the back ?

 

[Kite159]

For the tour on Saturday is there a reason it's not starting from King's Cross?
Avoid having to run around the loco(is it even possible at kx?) or having to include a loco on the back ?

Most likely it avoids needing to have a loco on the rear and also to save time as the empty coaches can arrive from the Wembley area (?) via the connection from the North London line and carry on along the ECML rather than going to the Hornsey reversing siding and to Kings Cross. Likewise in the evening, finishing at Finsbury allows the empties to go direct to wembley(?) via the NLL connection.

Not the first time UKR have started/finished tours at Finsbury Park. I'm pretty sure they have used Watford Junction/Wembley Central in the past for similar reasons for WCML tours.

 

[renegademaster]

Tour on the 10th August to Sims Metal in Newport, quite a steep price for adult standard (£149).

 

[31160]

Tour on the 10th August to Sims Metal in Newport, quite a steep price for adult standard (£149).

Yep things are definitely creeping up, but how far before peeps say no too much? £150 for two sheds and about a mile of interesting track, it's a firm no from me

 

[Iskra]

By comparison a recent trip with Vintage Trains that I did with a Castle and 47 involved was £40 return in standard. Admittedly, it wasn’t a full day tour, but it shows what can be done.

I also have no interest in this one for a few miles around a scrapyard behind a 66. 66’s mean it will be a painful crawl too.

 

[ExRes]

Tour on the 10th August to Sims Metal in Newport, quite a steep price for adult standard (£149).

Is it a return or do the loco and coaches get cut at Sims and you find your own way home?

 

[Trainlog]

By comparison a recent trip with Vintage Trains that I did with a Castle and 47 involved was £40 return in standard. Admittedly, it wasn’t a full day tour, but it shows what can be done.

I also have no interest in this one for a few miles around a scrapyard behind a 66. 66’s mean it will be a painful crawl too.

Which tbf, that's only slightly more than some heritage railway gala prices.

 

[31160]

Is it a return or do the loco and coaches get cut at Sims and you find your own way home?

Now that is funny

 

[50002Superb]

Tour on the 10th August to Sims Metal in Newport, quite a steep price for adult standard (£149).

Who is this with please?

 

[renegademaster]

Who is this with please?

Uk Railtours

----- Automerged ---------

Are the steelworks charging a lot for access fees? Some kind of physical restriction like they can only run 4 coaches due to a size of a loop. Considering I just paid 115 for them to take me to Newcastle I'm scratching my head thinking why it jumped up so much

 

[Kite159]

Part of me is thinking UKR have increased the cost for the Sims Metals tour to cover any losses they made with running a couple of the tours this month, knowing that it will likely sell out due to the track.

As for me, it's not worth the ching, even saving on the cost of accommodation, as I could easily pick it up in Reading. £150 for ~ 9 hours isn't the best value for money, better value for those living in the East Midlands, when I can put that £150 towards the expected loss in wages in August due to potentially changing jobs.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Is it a return or do the loco and coaches get cut at Sims and you find your own way home?

That rare track through the firing tunnel? I think I'll give it a miss....

 

[778]

Is it a return or do the loco and coaches get cut at Sims and you find your own way home?

Now that is funny

If that actually was the case then a lot of people would still do it. Being on the last jouney of a loco before it was scrapped would appeal to a lot of enthusiasts.

 

[50002Superb]

It’s an interesting trip in my opinion and residing in Nottinghamshire it’s nice to not have to worry about hotels or 2am starts.

 

[ExRes]

Hmm being very vague with the traction there

It's been suggested elsewhere that 57306 & 57310 are possibilities

 

[31160]

New tour announced 14th September from Watford Jun ( GBRF class 57) up to Carlisle, via Northampton, trent valley and the freight lines at Carnforth (i assume these to be the loops immediately south of the platforms) then t&t with a GBRF 66 up to the sidings at the former MOD site at Eastriggs with a break at Carlisle to visit the chippy, seams a long day for a small amount of 'excitement' but there you are

 

[Watershed]

New tour announced 14th September from Watford Jun ( GBRF class 57) up to Carlisle, via Northampton, trent valley and the freight lines at Carnforth (i assume these to be the loops immediately south of the platforms) then t&t with a GBRF 66 up to the sidings at the former MOD site at Eastriggs with a break at Carlisle to visit the chippy, seams a long day for a small amount of 'excitement' but there you are

Saw that too - sounds interesting but no way am I paying £159 for a one-day standard class tour.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I really want to do this but I'm struggling to find the necessary finance

 

[31160]

I was on the tour last weekend and in the brochure in the future dates bit it has a Blackpool tour on 9th November with heritage traction, my first thought was class 50s but I've been told that the chingfinder effort to Inverness SHOULD be the last of the year so what does that leave...? Maybe something Western region

 

[JonathanH]

a long day for a small amount of 'excitement' but there you are

Yes, a hefty trek from the South East to visit a siding complex, but does seem to tick people's box for rarity.

Guessing that the train only has six or seven coaches, but not sure what the constraint is, perhaps the condition of the track on the entry headshunt.

EDIT - Eastriggs website says headshunt is 270 metres, so that still leaves room for a reasonable length train?

https://railsidings.com/eastriggs

Reception Sidings
Recently refurbished Network Rail external siding (270 metres) for entry to site

 

[12LDA28C]

Statesman Dorridge to Penzance tomorrow should be 37521 and 37667 in a pair. Still some seats available for anyone interested in tractors along the sea wall.

 

[peteb]

Statesman Dorridge to Penzance tomorrow should be 37521 and 37667 in a pair. Still some seats available for anyone interested in tractors along the sea wall.

Hmm...Website says sold out? £195 not bad for Dorridge to Penzance first class. An anytime return is £500.......