Murder Mysteries with RTC

Here's something novel
http://www.railwaytouring.co.uk/index.php/murder-mysteries-with-rtc.html
Saturday 2nd July - Tuesday 12th July

Neil

 

That looks fantastic!

 

Will watch with great interest!

 

Not for me thank you. I travel on steam trains as a timer and to enjoy the ambience of travel from days gone by and would find such activity a distraction. One must hope RTC restrict it to one or two carriages. Whilst it may be appropriate to a diesel hauled train surely people pay premium prices to go on steam specials to hear and see the spectacle of steam. If it takes this to sell seats then something somewhere is wrong.

 

As 6:05 special says above he travels as a timer etc, I like to chat with freinds, have a pint or two and do a bit of window hanging/video so it would not be particularly for me either but it is specifically for those in prem dining looking at the advert.

On the other hand as my missus is not really into railtours this sort of thing would interest her and she would probably want to travel on one of these trips in the future. I hope that it catches on and is popular with the general public.

Neil.

 

I completely disagree.
I know there are a lot of people in all 3 classes that are on the trains for very different reasons and we welcome them all! I do believe a large number of our passengers, especially in Dining and 1st Classes are on the train for the "romance" of a trip back in time and a period murder mystery fits in perfectly. I applaud RTC for doing it first (on the mainline). I don’t think it would be appropriate on Diesel tours - the time period is all wrong! The only thing that got murdered in a Mk3 was the BR Sandwiches! Agatha Christie’s "Murder on the 16:40 Paddington to Bristol HST" just seems to be missing something......

Remember, the preserved railways have been doing these trains for years.

If we were to do this on our trains we would restrict it one or two Pullmans and the Lounge Car, but that would be based on the audience being able to see the action.

I applaud RTC for trying this and cannot wait to see how it works for them. And yes - it is getting harder and harder to sell the seats. Next time you book a trip - book a second as well!

 

The Watercress Line have been doing this for a long time now:

http://www.watercressline.co.uk/Events/71

 

LOL! From the comments made about certain railtour operators on this forum, maybe the management should check the passenger lists to make sure they don't become the next victim.

Richard

 

It is not a case of not wishing to participate, it is a matter of not having the pleasure by those that don't want it, spoiled. Maybe an extra item being included on the booking form to the effect whether or not you wish to be included / excluded from the murder mystery event may solve a looming problem. However if it drives more people off the trains than it brings in then it would not have been a success. I shall now be cancelling my booking on the Coast to Coast.

 

When you buy a ticket on a steam tour, what class do you typically purchase? Dining, 1st or Standard?

I assume your reason for traveling is more "steam-enthusiast" than "day out/romantic experience"?

 

I'm 100% with you there Neil.

 

If you read the info on the RTC website, it sounds like the Murder Mystery stuff will be confined to Premier class (and at an extra cost), so unless you are travelling Premier (and maybe not even then), I don't see the problem.

 

I really don't understand your problem with this. Surely the promoter has the right to target whosoever they like with their tours? They need to make a profit or else it's goodbye steam on the mainline. Are you saying ALL mainline excursions should appeal to enthusiast/timers? Do you travel on the VSOE for instance? If there's something about a product I don't like or need then I don't buy it. It's that simple isn't it? Iain

 

I spend quite alot of my journey on a tour 'window hanging' so whats going off inside wouldn't bother me, more interested whats going on outside up front ! I too read the performance as being in 'posh class' so no conflict as far as i'm concerned.
brian

 

I can purchase first class or steerage dependent on distance to be travelled and number in my party including seats on some of Vintage Trains tours! It does however seem this activity is to be restricted to premier dining which I never book. I've aired my views and will have to agree to disagree with you [and others]. I will now put the matter to bed, there is no point keep going on about it.

 

Before anyone abandons booking with VT because of the fear of being over-run by a band of amateur thesps popping by occasionally to update you with the latest bit of their plot, please bear in mind that Ben is merely expressing his opinion and this is far from being a Vintage Trains Proposal.

Personally I have only ever managed to endure two of these events and have to confess that they left me cold. It is bad enough watching murder on the Orient Express on TV with real professional actors, but some of the performances by the am dram band can be totally toe curling and I confess that it is not for me, but to each his own and I wish Nigel well in his venture, but whether the expense of hiring a band of itinerant artistes and feeding them is matched by considerable extra revenue is a moot point.

regards
Bob

 

As I said earlier, I will be watching these trips with great interest.

I can assure you that IF we were to run a Murder-Mystery train, the action would be limited to one or two Dining coaches. We would make sure that anyone who did not want to participate was not disturbed in any way.

This sort of thing will not appeal to everyone, whereas some might find it adds something on the long trips, such as our returns from Carlisle or Llandudno.

Something to think about for the future.