Steam Dreams 2024

I have seen that and it is tempting! Vintage Trains should be applauded for promoting trips at a variety of price points.

 

Interesting!

https://steamdreams.co.uk/journey/london-to-exeter/

Andrew

 

Steam on at Taunton, return from Exeter up the LSWR but dropping off at Swindon and Maidenhead. I guess that means turning north at Yeovil Junction, Westbury and Thingly Junction? Let's hope Braunton is available for this trip

Edit: Belay that last remark
"Scheduled locomotive: Blue Peter 60532" Woohoo!

 

As far as I understand BP/Mayflower are the “Taunton Pool” of locos this year. So anything down that way is likely to have one of those pair on the top end.

 

Seems that is the case as Mayflower is currently booked for the Kingswear trip in June.

 

Even with diesel assistance inevitable, steam up the bank from St David's to Central is a rare treat.

Any thoughts as to how far steam will go on the return?

 

That's what I was wondering, the website doesn't state anything about the steam coming off on the return.
If it is, then given the route it's got to take to get back to Swindon (Exeter - Axminster - Yeovil PM - Westbury - Melksham), likely places are either Yeovil or Westbury.

 

Why not Paddington? Estimated timings longer than Bahamas on the ACE last year back from Exeter.

 

It could well be, my location choices were on the assumption that 60532 wouldn't haul the entire return. @2857Harry has stated that she and 61306 are to be the Taunton based locos, so would LSL want to send 60532 all the way to London just to send it back to Taunton again for the rest of the Riviera's?

It would still be impressive if 60532 could do the entire return and there's nothing on the website to say it does or doesn't

 

Steam section is Taunton-Exeter-Bristol TM (I assume Yeovil-Castle Cary-Westbury)

Andrew

 

A friend of mine has just drawn my attention to a priceless article in Surrey Live advertising two SD trips - one form Windsor to Norwich, the other from Haywards Heath to Oxford. Below the picture of Britannia is a paragraph including the words "Passengers should be sitting on a 7000 Britannia". Quite apart from getting the loco number wrong, the mind boggles! I know that some passengers in India used to sit on the roof of the carriages, but sitting on the loco is rather a novelty. Anyone on top of the cab had better watch the 25kv overhead wires once they get on to the GE section!

The rest of this particular paragraph and the following one are not quite so amusing but still unbelievably poor English:- "This locomotive was built to take riders from London to Norwich in 1951. Passengers on this year's trip will therefore complete a journey that was being run in a similar way 71 years ago. After leaving enough time to explore, the train will then circle back and drop passengers back to where they came from." It's also poor maths: 1951 was 73 years ago, not 71.

Moving on to the Haywards Heath-Oxford train, the writer informs us that the "journey will be taken by the 46100 Royal Scot" which was "part of a static exhibit" What was the other part, I wonder??

Later on. the article informs us that "Premium Standard (from £165) is the cheapest and includes complimentary tea and coffee and a trip on a beautifully restored carriage in tables of four. Well, the roof-sitters in India never had these luxuries!

 

Like most news articles on local news websites these days, it was probably created in 30 seconds using an AI tool like ChatGPT, with an actual person casting a cursory and inexpert eye over it before publishing it.

 

Several tours have disappeared from the website. At least with regards 60007, they've lost 6th March London - Bath, 23rd April London - Lincoln, and 27th April London - Cardiff.

 

I know the Cardiff has been cancelled (I was booked) but no real reason was offered as to why it had been.

Andrew

 

Logic would say that if you have not reached a critical mass of bookings at a specific time then you bin it. I have no idea what the critical mass or the time would be.
However based on the diesel and electric brigade on wnxx the enthusiast community appear to think that once announced a tour should run regardless of the bookings and hence the economics.
To me if you did that it would be a bizarre way to run a business.

 

Hilarious - that made me laugh out loud!

 

Well I remember that the late John Farrow always used to promise that no UK Railtours trips would be cancelled due to a lack of bookings. I don't know if that still applies.

It's a shame if some trips are being cancelled but there probably is a limit to what the clientele can spend these days - even the wine and dine folks. Interesting that it's the Steam Dreams trips that are suffering though. I just took a look at Saphos' web-site and some of their trips are fully booked already or have "limited places."

 

Yes UK Railtours still say this

 

Some of the Steam Dreams tours that have now disappeared also said 'limited availability'.