RTC 2024

I feel sorry for RCT, and it's customers, the firm are likely going to fold , due to West Coast not being able to supply any stock, and don't have any plan to fit CDL, Its a pity there isn't another operator, who can step in and fill the gap, unless West coast throw in the towel, and sell their coaches, and get out of the tour hire business, and another operator can buy up, and fits these coaches, I can't see RTC, surviving into 2025

 

It’s in memory of long standing BLS engineer Steve Peach who sadly passed away last year. The point of running it is lost if 5596 doesn’t haul it. Either they know something we don’t or it’s just a hope that something will be resolved by then

 

Back on this planet, RTC report healthy loadings on both their day trips and overseas trips in a recent interview with Steam Railway..
You do get very excitable occasionally..

Whilst some trips have been postponed I am not aware of any cancellations (yet).
However, as I suggested earlier, it would not hurt RTC to see if there are options away from West Coast, even if it is speculative.

 

It's also worth bearing in mind that the UK day trips are just a small part of RTCs business. The multi-day holidays they organise in this country, as well as Europe and further afield, are entirely unaffected by the WCR situation and, I suspect, where a significant amount of their revenue comes from. So chatter about they might go under is, I think, somewhat wide of the mark...

 

A double dose of the 1930s this morning, just 3 miles from home.

As we waited for 44871, just a couple of minutes before the train arrived, I heard an aircraft engine droning overhead and I looked up.

A Tiger Moth biplane was passing over our heads.

 

44871 was built in 1945 but let’s not argue over a decade

 

The original text of that, which I posted first on my personal facebook, said;


'A double dose of the 1930s this morning, just 3 miles from home.

As we waited for Black 5 44871 (built in 1945, to a 1934 design), just a couple of minutes before the train arrived, I heard an aircraft engine droning overhead and I looked up.

A Tiger Moth biplane was passing above us. '

I modified it for posting on here because I thought that the original might be thought patronising on a site where people would know better.

 

There are a lot of heathens on here who follow the Great Western so maybe not !!

 

On the return this evening, with the expected evening yellow sunlight replaced by a typical North Sea coast sea fret that threatened to close down visibility altogether.

Easing through Alnmouth towards a loop stop at Wooden, just south of the station.

 

Video of yesterday's Edinburgh Flyer just uploaded.

 

Some of the Autumn/Winter programme is now up.

The Armistice Steam Express interestingly includes the Hastings to Ashford line en route to Canterbury West, with the option for passengers to spend time in Rye or Canterbury.

 

Seems to be focusing on the Edinburgh Christmas market tours this year with 3 of them advertised .

 

The Swanage to Bath & Bristol trip has been removed from the RTC programme of tours.
Shame though as would probably been 44871 (my favourite Black 5) and although I have stewarded inbound tours to Swanage, and gone home for lunch, it would have been the first time I would have only had to walk for 5 minutes both to join a tour and to get back home in the evening.

 

It's a shame, Was looking forward to a trip from the south with 44781.

 

Do I recall correctly that West Coast were quoted a while back as saying something about not running with some of their coaches in the hot weather? How does that apply to RTC's trips? Assuming a diesel on the back, can we expect it to power the air conditioning?

 

I think what was quoted by WCRC is they don’t trust the A/C on their own coaches

 

I have heard that only around 100 tickets had been sold.
Whether this is true or merely a rumour I don't know but, in any event, it's a shame that it was cancelled - I was booked on it!

 

I was considering going on the 9th July trip to Weymouth hauled by 35028 but I am wondering which stock is actually going to be used if it is going to be hot? I had an email about this trip recently from The RTC. Does this mean it is not selling very well?

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