RTC TRIPS 2009.

RTC have updated their website with several trips for next year. The one I was most interested in on 4th April with 5029+6024 to Penzance is £92.00 std class :smt085 Can we expect prices for other operators to go up too when doubleheaders are involved? The other trips featuring 5690, 70013 and 850 have more reasonable prices.

 

Haven't double headers traditionally been quite chingy though ?.

 

Last double header I booked up was £82.00 but it was cancelled in the end anyway!


This has got me thinking about the prices for railtours behind 60163. When I was browsing the A1 website a couple of weeks ago footplate courses on the GCR were shown (can't find them now) and were priced a couple of grand per person for one day. Okay she is a very special locomotive but is that asking too much? What will her hire charges be for ML work if this is what they charge for footplate courses?

 

Don't forget doubleheaders mean double the hire fees, two drivers and two firemen for the charter company. So you should expect to pay a premium.
By the way there is a double header on Nov 8th with a certain Birmingham based operator that is only £72.00 std class. ;-)
And it's a Castle and Hall not a Castle and KIng.

 

rtc website says there is going to be a great britain 2 next april.

 

Ah so the 6024/5029 is balancing movement.

That said tours from Westbury don't have a good track record, any bets it'll end up at Temple Meads?

 

Yes, this was talked about on The Royal Scot last thursday. I understand one of the highlights is to be double-headed black 5's over the highland line to Inverness and then onto to Aberdeen but there will no steam to the Far North viz. Wick and / or Thurso. It was also mentioned that network Rail has given permission for the two fives to then run south from Aberdeen but whether this is correct or not I couldn't say.

 

Now I might just have to save up for that..............

 

you better hurry then =D> =D>

 

ill be on the Easterling for sure, booking on monday

 

Two fives on the HML. Hmmm what a sight. I wonder if the owner (s) would renumber them to be Perth or Inverness based engines...

 

tour information now on rtc website, its expensive so i think i will be spectating.

 

Includes locos, though I guess it's all subject to change nearer the time:
Mo 6th, London - Newbury - Bath – Bristol, 34067 Tangmere
Tu 7th, Penzance – Bristol, 70013 Oliver Cromwell and 5029 Nunney Castle.
We 8th, Bristol - Hereford - Shrewsbury - Crewe - Preston, 70013 Oliver Cromwell
Th 9th, Preston - Shap - Beattock - Glasgow, 46115 Scots Guardsman
Fr 10th, Glasgow - Perth - Aviemore - Inverness, 2 x Black Five
Sa 11th, Inverness - Kyle, either Black Five 45231 or LNER K4 2-6-0 61994
Su 12th, Inverness - Aberdeen - Edinburgh, loco not mentioned (2 x Black Five I guess)
Mo 13th, Edinburgh - York, 60009 Union of South Africa

Interesting that The Royal Duchy on 4th April is booked for 6024+5029 but the Penzance - Bristol leg of GB2 is 70013+5029. I wonder if that's a typo on the RTC website? Surely it would make more sense logistically to use 6024 for both, saving two unnecessary LE moves?

£1245 for 7 days of steam-hauled trains and all accommodation is not cheap, I grant you, but it's not bad...

 

The main line is closed south of Bristol, and also west of St Austell on Saturday 4th April, I believe.

David

 

As steam is planned to come on at Westbury and the rain run direct to Cogload Jn I doubt the Bristol works would have any affect. However works west of St Austell would be a problem. Maybe Newquay could be an acceptable alternative destination.

 

70013 has replaced 6024 on the Royal Duchy 4th April according to UKsteam.

 

I'm on the verge of booking the GB2 - anyone else on here booked yet? Looks like a great line up, and for me the rail trip of a lifetime. Do many groups / couples book, or mostly single people? My wife's not interested, so I'll be going on my own :-D

 

I note from the RTC website there are already some loco changes on their day trips programme next year and we are still only in December :_
14 Feb: 34067 replaces 30850 on "The Somerset Explorer". Not too surprising I suppose but at the moment 30850 is still showing as booked for the following weeks "South Western Express". This could of course change.
28 Mar: 6233 replaces 5690 on "The Cumbrian Mountain Express".
However they are still showing 6024 double heading with 5029 to Penzance on 4 April but according to uksteam.info 6024 is replaced by 70013.

These are of course in addition to the changes they have made to their rostered locos for their Christmas programme. It has now reached a stage where most RTC trips run with an engine different to that first advertised You a book a trip for a particular engine and then its changed for another. I consider it to be unacceptable the extent to which this is now happeneing.