Railtours in the south?

[5872]

Lets see if we can have some down south tours...

 

[Ben]

Why? theres already loads?

 

[EE Type 3]

Lets see if we can have some down south tours...

How many do you want?

You get the VSOE and all these tours starting from London Termini, and passing through London, but we don't get enough tours covering places like the north west or anglia.

 

[87015]

How many do you want?

You get the VSOE and all these tours starting from London Termini, and passing through London, but we don't get enough tours covering places like the north west or anglia.

Really? List all the enthusiast tours out of London recently. Apart from a couple with 47 or 73 dross i can't think of many - yes spitfire have one coming up but thats hardly loads compared to Brum/Crewe/Manchester pickups. Been YEARS since I was able to get on a tour locally down here.

About the only regular ones are 1015 out of Padd.

The VSOE hardly counts if you want to travel on a train rather than just take a photo btw.

 

[devon_metro]

I don't have any chance to get tours down my way :?

 

[Mintona]

I don't have any chance to get tours down my way :?

Yeah, they all go to you, rather than starting at you!

 

[Galvanize]

Really? List all the enthusiast tours out of London recently. Apart from a couple with 47 or 73 dross i can't think of many - yes spitfire have one coming up but thats hardly loads compared to Brum/Crewe/Manchester pickups. Been YEARS since I was able to get on a tour locally down here.

About the only regular ones are 1015 out of Padd.

The VSOE hardly counts if you want to travel on a train rather than just take a photo btw.

On another forum (I think it was PD forum), people were complaining that the north (west) and midlands are getting all the tours with 40145, while 55022 which IIRC is owned by a member of the CFPS can and often does go down south for tours! They narrowed down the potential operators, all seemed to be negative (Debtfinder tried it once and "burnt their fingers"), UKRailtours ("seem to of lost interest in heritage traction") etc. Wish it would come down south for more tours, although the people in the north are probably complaining that isn't getting any action there!

If it weren't caped early, I was gonna book on Spitfire's "Royal Duchy" from Paddington to Penzance, and you've got the 33/73 tour in September to Weymouth! But need more affordable tours with decent traction from London and the South East.

But as I was told, RR will cater for the north of england!

 

[theblackwatch]

Really? List all the enthusiast tours out of London recently. Apart from a couple with 47 or 73 dross i can't think of many - yes spitfire have one coming up but thats hardly loads compared to Brum/Crewe/Manchester pickups. Been YEARS since I was able to get on a tour locally down here.

About the only regular ones are 1015 out of Padd.

The VSOE hardly counts if you want to travel on a train rather than just take a photo btw.

2x Buffer Puffer with 37s, 92/2x37 to Carlisle, Spin and Win to Blyth, a spinner out of Clapham coming up - all this year.

 

[Galvanize]

a spinner out of Clapham coming up - all this year.

True say. Nothing more interesting than 73s, but I suppose, "you get what your given!"

 

[87015]

2x Buffer Puffer with 37s, 92/2x37 to Carlisle, Spin and Win to Blyth, a spinner out of Clapham coming up - all this year.

Still not much (IMO at least) compared to Brum/Crewe/Manchester. Although I'll agree there are places South West / North East that are even worse of - but London and surrounding areas must be by far the biggest single catchment available for a tour.

Farrow was filling dayouts with dross engines for years, so surely Spitfire style tours with enthusiast friendly traction could be filled.

 

[Galvanize]

Farrow was filling dayouts with dross engines for years, so surely Spitfire style tours with enthusiast friendly traction could be filled.

He's possibly lost interest in enthusiast friendly traction, after he had a spate of basher trouble on such tours (basher hurting arm on D345 was one of his tours? and on one of the deltic tours IIRC a basher caused excessive trouble).

If he could combine the two, no need to worry about cancelling due to lack of interest Enough bums on seats!

 

[theblackwatch]

If he could combine the two, no need to worry about cancelling due to lack of interest Enough bums on seats!

A large proportion of his trains are fully booked anyway, and the rest seem well loaded, there is never a problem with lack of bookings for Mr Farrow - so why bother with the hassle of specific traction?

 

[alex57601]

A large proportion of his trains are fully booked anyway, and the rest seem well loaded, there is never a problem with lack of bookings for Mr Farrow - so why bother with the hassle of specific traction?

Goes without saying...if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

And my view is that John Farrow is doing a sterling job as it is, so I can't see why he should diversify as half the time the enthusiast market can potentially be more trouble than it's actually worth! If he wants to he will do.

 

[87015]

A large proportion of his trains are fully booked anyway, and the rest seem well loaded, there is never a problem with lack of bookings for Mr Farrow - so why bother with the hassle of specific traction?

I didn't mean I wanted or expected Farrow to run such tours :? Be nice if someone did though, was using Farrow as an example that the customer base is there

 

[alex57601]

I didn't mean I wanted or expected Farrow to run such tours :? Be nice if someone did though, was using Farrow as an example that the customer base is there

.
Well James decided to start his own tour company. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink!

 

[87015]

.
Well James decided to start his own tour company. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink!

What WCRC were quoting for a simple out and back charter even a few years back was somewhat beyond my financial means I'm afraid.

 

[5872]

Hold on, I didn't make this thread. It was a post in the chat forum, another thing to add :roll:.

 

[theblackwatch]

Hold on, I didn't make this thread. It was a post in the chat forum, another thing to add :roll:.

No it wasn't - you posted it in the Retro Railtours thread, and it was separated because you had, just for a change, gone off topic.

 

[5872]

No it wasn't - you posted it in the Retro Railtours thread, and it was separated because you had, just for a change, gone off topic.

Yes, I said why couldn't some northern operaters have some differn't ones in the SE/SW/SC, not make a new thread on it... .

 

[theblackwatch]

It was irrelevant to the thread concerned, hence being split. If you don't want that to happen in future, stay on topic.

 

[class 313]

I myself have noticed a lack of tours down south this year compared to other years. A reason why I haven't really done many!

 

[CraigS]

There should be more tours running down this way when Hastings Diesels resume their railtour operations once they secure the services of an appropriately-licenced railway operating company in order to run outings again.

 

[EE Type 3]

There should be more tours running down this way when Hastings Diesels resume their railtour operations once they secure the services of an appropriately-licenced railway operating company in order to run outings again.

FGBRf??

 

[theblackwatch]

FGBRf??

Unfortunately, this company doesn't have a licence to operate passenger trains.

 

[class 313]

Unfortunately, this company doesn't have a licence to operate passenger trains.

Who operated the FGBRf tour with the unit then?

 

[devon_metro]

It was a private charter

 

[CraigS]

I'm assuming that either EWS or WCR would be the appropriately-licenced railway operating company. Southern could be another contenter as 1001 may be required to cover for a 171 on the Ashford-Brighton services. I'm lead to believe that this was the reason why unit 1001 had Central Door Locking fitted, so it could be hired out to TOCs such as Southern.

Who operated the FGBRf tour with the unit then?

FGBRf did but because it was a private charter, it didn't matter whether FGBRf had a licence to operate passenger trains or not.

 

[EE Type 3]

I'm assuming that either EWS or WCR would be the appropriately-licenced railway operating company. Southern could be another contenter as 1001 may be required to cover for a 171 on the Ashford-Brighton services. I'm lead to believe that this was the reason why unit 1001 had Central Door Locking fitted, so it could be hired out to TOCs such as Southern.



FGBRf did but because it was a private charter, it didn't matter whether FGBRf had a licence to operate passenger trains or not.

1st generation units need CDL to run on the mainline, hence ATW fitting the bubble with it.

 

[class 313]

1st generation units need CDL to run on the mainline, hence ATW fitting the bubble with it.

And Chiltern with their bubble.

 

[37412]

1st generation units need CDL to run on the mainline, hence ATW fitting the bubble with it.

Don't know if they do if only for charter use (if someone else knows otherwise then feel free to correct me) as alot (all?) charter Mk1's have door bolts inside as opposed to CDL!