Saphos Trains 2026

One of the problems with charter trains is that they regularly stand for long periods so the flow through toplights is lost and you're effectively in a hot house.

 

A surprise move by Saphos to consider trialing air con on mk1s which i feel is disappointing. If you don't want to be hot, then travelling on a train in the peak of summer probably isn't advisable....even if it has been the norm on a mk1 for years

We travelled on the duke in December with Saphos for the first time and loved every moment of the day primarily as they are the only TOC using mk1s and you can hear and smell the loco as has already been mentioned.

I'm afraid like with West coasts current arrangements on using mk2s in sealed coffins you'd get more enjoyment having a coal bbq in the back yard and watching the days tour on YouTube at zero expense !!!

Yes there's probably reasons why its being considered by Crewe, but when up against their competition people are booking Saphos for the experience or at least we did and they have to be careful that they dont kill the goose for those happy to pay their higher prices

 

You would think that LSL knows what sells the Saphos brand and maybe feedback has been that aircon would be an improvement. Most modern trains are supposed to have it, as do most cars, although it has to get real hot before I stop just opening the windows on my car.
It was far from unusual in the RTC Mk1 one days to have diners shutting the sliding windows or asking the steward to do it for them and complaining about the debris coming in on their table from the loco. Also common in winter months for complaints about windows being open.

 

A great day out yesterday as usual. Coaching stock, loco and on board service all up to Saphos' usual high standards. The A4 really does look fantastic in that blue. Unlike The Lakelander of the week before, which had a number of empty tables, this one was fully booked - every single table occupied. The English Riviera Expresses are always popular. A surprise on the way back was that once the A4 had been detached at Taunton the Class 47 at the rear was also detached as well. Apparently the A4 was off to Darlington for an event so the Class 47 was going to help it get there. This meant that the single Class 47 at the front was hauling all 11 coaches back to Wolverhampton, quite a load for a Class 47 surely? I got off at Worcester but I imagine going up Old Hill must have been quite an experience! As for the aircon, I admire from an engineering perspective the achievement of fitting aircon to a Mk1 and I dread to think how much money it must have cost them. I liked how they had taken efforts to make it blend into the existing decor. The vents for the aircon were wood-lined, the hinged bolts on the sliding windows were wood instead of metal - it did actually blend in quite well. I wish them success with the experiment - as mentioned yesterday, it's just 3091 which has it at the moment, which was Coach H on yesterday's train (the one immediately behind the A4s support coach).