Vintage Trains 2026

Email received from VT this morning confirming that 13268 is still planned to debut Worcester Shakespeare 8th Nov.

 

Indeed, the advance notification & offer to VT shareholders was gratefully received and acted upon!
Looking forward to the 8th November as never did get behind the Stanier Mogul on the mainline in its previous stint.

 

Question for passengers like myself booked on the Mayflower tour on 12th September, advertised as unassisted double-headed Castles...

Perhaps I am being pessimistic, but unless we have rain of biblical proportions in the next few weeks, I cannot see this being able to operate with the advertised motive power, which for me is the main attraction. In this eventuality, would you prefer the tour to be postponed until it can operate with unassisted double-headed steam, or for diesel haulage to be substituted, perhaps a pair of Class 37s? I'm not even sure what VTs diesel options would be with 47 773 apparently not being in the best of health.

Personally I am a bit torn - if the date is pushed back significantly then much of the return from Plymouth will be in darkness. On the other hand, the tour loses much of its attraction if it is diesel hauled.

What do you think?

Nick M.

 

If it was D1015 substituting all the way I wouldn’t be too dismayed…

 

Hey all,

For the grand finale for my journey to England, two steam-hauled special trains travelled along the Mainline to the coast on the 30th of May 2026. The first train (“English Riviera Express”), hauled by LNER 60007 “Sir Nigel Gresley”, travelled to England’s south coast to Kingswear. Due to the intense heat and the associated high risk of lineside fires, the train was mainly pushed by the diesel locomotive on Wellington Bank. The second train (“The Whistling Ghost”) was hauled by GWR 5043 “Earl of Mount Edgecumbe” along the Mainline as far as Bishops Lydeard. For the subsequent gradients on the West Somerset Railway, the Castle was replaced by two Manors. Accordingly, the journey continued with GWR 7812 “Erlestoke Manor” and GWR 7828 “Odney Manor” thundering to Minehead. Enjoy watching the video!

(Sorry for the german video title.)

 

This is one tour that is so obviously aimed at steam enthusiasts, not just "normals" or day trippers. To not use the castles on this should be unthinkable. Needs postponing, even if it has to be next year.

 

Also

5043 was going to be withdrawn straight after this trip as it needs new tyres as mentioned previously, just out of curiosity how long does it take to fit the new tyres, from removing them at Tyseley shipping down to SDR then refitting wheels to 5043 at Tyseley?

 

Email received from Vintage Trains:

Thank you for booking on The Mayflower.

You may be aware that, due to the recent heatwaves and lack of rain, there is currently a national ban on steam locomotives operating on the main line. If the steam ban is lifted by Saturday 12th September, then we fully intend to operate The Mayflower as planned with both of our Castles.

We will contact you again at the beginning of September with a further update. At that point we will either confirm that the train will run as planned with double-headed Castles or reschedule the tour for a later date to guarantee that it can operate as intended. In the meantime, please remain patient, and we will be back in contact with you shortly.

 

I’d imagine the communication issued will have hopefully at least put some minds at rest - certainly for those wondering if it was going to be a substituted with a diesel or two - so kudos to VT for issuing.

 

Seems to me like wasted effort given Test cricket starts on Wednesday!

 

I am not booked so have no dog in this fight. But it does not say what would happen if the status is Red, that would need diesel assistance would it not?

 

Confirmed: Change of date for the Mayflower.

Correct decision and well handled IMO.

 

Yes indeed, very well handled by their new MD, and will certainly help to sustain customer loyalty.

 

Today would have been the Mayflower had it gone ahead. I decided to make a virtual version of the tour back in 2024 featuring both Castles. I hope you enjoy it.