Saphos Trains 2026

My apologies if there is a thread somewhere which has already answered this question, but when you consider that Steam Dreams and Saphos are both owned by the same person, both use the same pool of locos and carriages and in some cases run over similar routes (60007 is running from Taunton to Kingswear next year for both companies and 71000 ran from the South of England to Bath twice last week, once for Saphos and once for SD), why have the two companies not been combined as one? Was there some sort of clause when David Buck sold Steam Dreams to Jeremy Hosking insisting that it was kept separate from Saphos? I'd love to know,

 

John. I did not think anything has been said, but when I was on SD Emerald Island Explorer after they had been taken over, and Marcus was on board since he still had an involvement ( even after being sold twice ); he mentioned he had known Jeremy over 20 years, so assumed Jeremy was a regular with SD before starting his own. The train manger Holyhead to Euston ( who has worked on the various brand the group from the early days ) was under the impression from what he heard that SD was considered worth keeping as a separate brand, although we were told there would be no plans for further Holidays to Ireland and Europe.

 

Looking forward to 2026, it looks like the most interesting year for mainline steam enthusiasts for many years. Having been deprived of unassisted class 8 steam over Shap since the onset of the CDL issue, I believe 35018 was the last on 27/8/22, we have four tours in quick succession. LSL / Saphos kicked off the sequence with 71000 and we now have the exciting prospect of 60532 and 60007 in Feb and Mar respectively. Both trains are expected to have a 10-coach load, the same as 71000. Now we have VT joining the party with 60163 in April (I guess with a similar load). I do not think there is any year in the preservation era that three LNER ‘pacifics’ have run unassisted over Shap northbound.

Only 4 LNER locomotives have run over Shap in preservation: 60007 / 60009 / 60163 and 60532. As far as I can see 4472/60103 and 60019 have never run a train over Shap.


Total runs are:

60007 – 5 (including 2 in 1967)

60009 – 8

60163 – 5

60532 – 4 (possibly 5)

Only three years have featured two LNER locomotives in one year 1997 (60007 & 60532), 1998 (60007 & 60532) and 2015 (60009 & 60163).

The most runs in any year came in 2013 (5 runs, all 60009).

 

2nd class sold out now on both 60532 & 60007 trips

 

60103 has done a fair few in recent years - Christmas Specials come to mind, but I think all with a diesel on the rear.

 

If VT were to promote an unassisted run over Shap and the S&C with Scotsman I would have to give that serious consideration...maybe one for 2027...anyone else? Over to you @Michael Whitehouse !!

 

A sa mater of interest 60152/60/61 were transferred to 66A Polamadie in the early 1950s .I noted all three on a visits to 66A .On enquiring what trains they worked ,one was a evening parcels to Crewe returning the next day on a Birmingham to Glasgow .