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Railway Touring Company's 2017 Programme

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by Bulleid Pacific, Oct 29, 2016.

  1. charterboy

    charterboy New Member

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    So punters who book well in advance such as myself who booked on black Friday in November and got a tenner off get shafted !!!

    Had I booked it on 14th Feb I'd have got £30 off, now they're offering £15 off

    If they hadn't put the prices up this season they wouldn't need to offer varying discounts and annoy already booked customers

    Also adding an additional coach is surely to gain extra revenue? Yet if you're having to discount it to fill it, then surely partially counter productive ?

    Thankfully I've only got 18th Mar Whitby and 25th Mar CCE booked with RTC

    Think I'll wait until future tours are confirmed as runners and discounts offered before booking going forward

    I wonder how many others may feel the same ?
     
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  2. andalfi1

    andalfi1 Well-Known Member

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    A case of 'killing the Goose' ?
     
  3. Dobbs0054

    Dobbs0054 Member

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    That's why in my earlier post I suggested incentives for early bookers in the form of potential up grades from Standard to First and First to Premier when there was spare capacity in those coaches. Discounted tickets could fill up the slack in standard. As it stands, there will now be a stand off as people wait till the last minute to book in anticipation of savings. That means tours could be cancelled due to lack of bookings. Law of Unintended Consequences?
     
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  4. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Are we not used to varying prices for other 'products'? That said, I have to say that the more general practice of the price of travel increasing as you approach the time of travel (or early booking discounts) is not the practice that the RTC seems comfortable with or adopts consistently. Of course, normal trains and planes tend not to be cancelled if there are insufficient travellers and you do have to sit that beside another company like UKRT that says it will never cancel due to insufficient numbers. Neither does it change its pricing.

    So the market has all possibilities out there and I guess it's up to individuals to decide how to play it. I personally wouldn't blame the RTC for trying different strategies as, in my view, their prices are still pretty reasonable compared with other providers.
     
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  5. railrover

    railrover Member

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    In terms of customers having inside knowledge I think enthusiasts have a considerable advantage over what might be described as routine travellers and the specifics of the market means that the normal laws of supply and demand are somewhat skewed. Charterboy makes an extremely valid point in saying that discounting advertised fares discourages advance booking and, given the numerous other problems in the railtour market, any additional factors that increase the trend of wait and see could be extremely harmful.

    I do have some sympathy for RTC in the current situation in that they need to run near capacity trains just to break even and every unfilled seat is a drain on potential profit, but surely it would be better to adopt a scheme similar to that suggested by Dobbs 054 (in his excellent post slightly up thread) where the incentive lies in booking early rather than late.

    A normal passenger on a cruise or aircraft might well compare the price they paid with fellow travellers and come up with multiple answers, but in doing so they would probably attribute differences to the type of package deal, to their travel agent, airports or specific travel options. In the very small world of railtouring such differentials will always be the "fault" of the tour operator and late booking will thrive to the detriment of all.
     
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  6. lil Bear

    lil Bear Part of the furniture

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    If it stays as 48151 solo, there could be a group booking in the making!
     
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  7. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    I might book on it as well, since I have not managed to do one yet. Either clashed with something else I was doing or cancelled.
     
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  8. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    I wonder what will haul the The Peak Forester 4/6 and the Swanage Belle 8/6 ?
    61306 is listed but its return has been delayed, and it is only due to undergo testing during June, and will not be available for the Charity Railtours trip later in month.
     
  9. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    Some updates to RTC website :


    18/3 The Bath and Bristol Steam Express now states Black Five instead of Braunton.

    Note The Royal Wessex 8/4 still states Braunton but this trip is not on Icons of Steam site see http://www.iconsofsteam.com/travel/

    17/6 The Cotswold Venturer now has 60009 rostered in instead of 6201.

    Dorset Coast Express various dates 45305 and 60009 in the pool of locos instead of 70000 and 35018.

    30/8 The Pembroke Coast Express has disappeared from the webiste.

    9/9 The West Somerset Steam Express ditto, but not a surprise since this would clash with the visit of 60103 to the railway, which was announced after the trip was proposed.

    60009 and 46100 are now listed in the pool for the West Somerset Steam Express pool instead of 6201.

    46100 is now listed in the pool for the Royal Duchy .

    2/9 Cumbrain Coast Express is now the 30/9.
     
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  10. Bulleid Pacific

    Bulleid Pacific Part of the furniture

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    Pembroke Coast Express has probably fallen foul of the Bristol stabling issue, which following 60163's use of Canton and the Leckwith triange (evidently it still exists) during the St. David on 1 March, suggests that there is indeed an Arriva (a DB company)-WCRC relationship issue when it comes to use of some depots. In some respects its understandable, but in others it seems petty.
     
  11. 1020 Shireman

    1020 Shireman Part of the furniture Friend

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    We used Canton Sidings yesterday on Red Dragon though like the 1st The Earl turned on Maindee Triangle. Looks like loco turns on Leckwith and Penarth roads are well and truly gone.
     
  12. gwr4090

    gwr4090 Part of the furniture

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    I don't think your assumptions are correct. The Pembroke Coast Express has almost certainly fallen foul of the lack of WCRC rfesources route knowledge in West Wales. Also I think Tornado turned at Maindee rather than Leckwith/Cadoxton in a late change of plan on 1 March ?
     
  13. Bulleid Pacific

    Bulleid Pacific Part of the furniture

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    I didn't stick around to see which direction it went, so I went by your website. Route knowledge or lack thereof is plausible as I believe it was frequently a Ray Churchill turn. Sad if true, and this might also have ramifications for the Heart of Wales route.
     
  14. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

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    Yes, I'm pretty sure Ray Churchill did all the Pembroke trips.
     
  15. maureen

    maureen Member

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    Yes Ray Churchill was the only one who signed the route for Pembroke and also Fishguard, so unless someone else learns and sign these routes there will be no more trips on these routes, and the Heart of Wales routes could also be under threat, not really sure but think Ray may have been the only one to sign these too.
     
  16. Where's Mazeppa?

    Where's Mazeppa? Member

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    As far as the Central Wales Line is concerned, Ray Poole as well ? The two Ray's seen here on Newport's Platform 1 in May 2012 prior to departure of RTC's Central Wales Explorer, with Ray Poole leading on 45407 as the pilot engine and Ray Churchill on 44871. A fond memory. And a great day..... I hope and pray that we will once again see the like of such outings again at some stage in the future.
     

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  17. Where's Mazeppa?

    Where's Mazeppa? Member

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    Video confirmation of Tornado turning at the Maindee triangle on 1st March via You Tube

    The relevant sequence is from 0' 58" to 3' 03".
     
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  18. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

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    Thanks for the update Paul.
    I would imagine that the trips behind 60009 will be popular with us enthusiasts as she is now entering her final years of operation before she is stuffed and mounted in the new museum. I intend to book a DCE.

    Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
     
  19. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    Hopefully RTC will advise in due course which DCE'S and WSSE'S 60009 is booked for. I would like a run behind nr 9, my last was in 2012 on a CME from Crewe during the Olympics.

    The Royal Wessex is now on the Icons of Steam site.
     
  20. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    The UKsteam site doesn't yet mention it even as one of a pool for anything except GBX.
     

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