Vintage Trains 2023

I thought it worth starting a new thread for 2023 as details of the double-headed double-chimney Castle hauled Welsh Marches Express on 13th May are now on the website:

https://vintagetrains.co.uk/train-rides/welsh-marches-express/

Nick M.

 

It's a bit muddled for the average layperson isn't it? The "Joining Arrangements" and "Timetable" sections both say return to New Street, whereas the description says returns to Snow Hill. We here all know it's Snow Hill, but I can see that being confusing for some people. No Club Class either, which I guess is to make it easier for the catering staff. On the Cardiff trip earlier this year the Club class coach was part Tourist class as well, so people who hadn't paid for Club kept having sandwiches given to them, only to have them removed a few minutes later when the mistake was realised!

 

The double-headed Castle special train for Shareholders who invested in the CBS is scheduled for Saturday 4 March 2023, running from Birmingham Moor Street to Didcot Railway Centre and back via Hatton Bank on the return. Posted here for information only, as tickets for the train are not on sale to the public.

While at Didcot Railway Centre, there is planned to be a line-up of four Castles to celebrate the centenary of the Castle class design with Pendennis Castle also expected to be in steam.

 

Thought I'd book on this one. It's also a bit confusing that the web timetable page says approximate departure times are New Street 07:00 and Wolverhampton 07:50, but the booking confirmation says approximate departure time 07:00, meet us at Tyselely. No doubt all will become clear in due course.

 

I'm afraid I am in agreement here. The current website is a mess. The last issue of Heritage Railway hinted at several new trips being advertised from the start of December so I took a look earlier today. It is very difficult to find what is running when. The previous offering was simpler.

When you consider they are currently carrying a large number of potentially new to steam customers with their Christmas operation, it doesn't make it easy for people to find out what else they can book. A simple website, which can be easily navigated by smart phone with a couple of taps or swipes, is a must these days.

They would do well to take a look at their competitors.

 

2023 Vintage Trains Programme

Available to book online here: https://vintagetrains.co.uk/

Saturday 11th March 2023: The South Wales Explorer. Diesel Explorer.
Pick up/ Set down: Dorridge, Widney Manor, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Kidderminster, Worcester and Cheltenham.

Saturday 18th March 2023: Castles up the Lickey. Express Steam.
Pick up: Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill and Stourbridge Junction. Set down: Birmingham New Street.

Saturday 22nd April 2022: The Cumbrian Mountaineer Express. Express Steam.
Pick up/ Set Down: Tyseley Warwick Road, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe.

Saturday 29th April 2023: The North Wales Coast Express and Llandudno Steam Festival. Express Steam.
Pick up/ Set down: Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe.

Saturday 13th May 2023: The Welsh Marches Express. Express Steam: Castle Centenarian.
Pick up: Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton. Set down: Birmingham Snow Hill.

Saturday 20th May 2023: The Whistling Ghost to Minehead. Express Steam.
Pick up/ Set down: Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham Moor Street, Widney Manor and Banbury.

Saturday 3rd June 2023: The Cumbrian Coast Explorer to Ravenglass and Carlisle. Diesel Explorer.
Pick up/ Set down: Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe.

Saturday 24th June 2023: The Red Dragon to Cardiff. Express Steam.
Pick up/ Set down: Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill and Worcester (Pick up only).

Wednesday 19th July 2023: The East Anglian Explorer to Norwich and Great Yarmouth. Diesel Explorer.
Pick up/ Set down: Birmingham Moor Street, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton, Leicester and Peterborough.

Saturday 29th July 2023: The Jolly Fisherman to Skegness. Diesel Explorer.
Pick up/ Set down: Birmingham Moor Street, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton, Leicester and East Midlands Parkway

Saturday 23rd September 2023: The Melton Pieman to Melton Mowbray. Express Steam.
Pick up/ Set down: Birmingham New Street, Coleshill Parkway and Nuneaton.

Saturday 23rd September 2023: The Harringworth Lunchtime Shuttle. Express Steam.
Pick up/ Set down: Melton Mowbray.

Saturday 11th November 2023: The Blackpool Illuminations Explorer. Diesel Explorer.
Pick up/ Set down: Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe.

Tuesday 28th November 2023: The Christmas White Rose to York. Express Steam.
Pick up/ Set down: Birmingham New Street, Coleshill Parkway, Tamworth, Burton-upon-Trent, and Derby.

The Shakespeare Express:
Sunday 12th February 2023
Sunday 26th March 2023
Sunday 23rd April 2023
Sunday 28th May 2023
Sunday 18th June 2023
Sundays 16/23/30 July 2023
Sundays 6/13/20/27 August 2023
Sunday 3rd September 2023
Sunday 22nd October 2023

 

And it would also help if the destination and route were included on the tour pages. The South Wales Explorer doesn't actually say where it is going or what the loco is (elsewhere it is said to be 37240)

 

Yes indeed, many of the tours don't even list the destination. I assume the South Wales Explorer is going to Cardiff, as the picture is of the Millennium Centre.
Also, several of the tours (such as the Minehead and Harringworth ones) only have Tourist Seat Child available and not Tourist Seat! So, what, the adults travel Pullman and the children all travel in a separate Tourist coach?

Still a work in progress I think. I'll hold off on booking anything until it's all been tweaked.

 

Also the page listing all the tours shows only the months, and those in small print, so you have to go to the details of each tour to find the date in the month.

 

Re. the Welsh Marches Express, I did query this confusion about the return station with VT and received the following reply:

"We are currently waiting for the clarification on the return journey. But as it currently stands, the Birmingham new street (Return) is just meaning that it returns to Birmingham."​

I am quite fancying this trip - hopefully with two Castles there is sufficient resiliency to not require any diesel in the consist, and presumably with the second engine available, parking the train at Hereford will not require a diesel either.

I can't seem to find any recent update on progress with Earl of Mount Edgcumbe's overhaul - anyone have any news?

Nick M.

 

In the programme handed out on the Polars before Christmas the Shakespeares, Lickey Incline and double headed Marches trips were all explicitly stated to be steam only with no diesel assistance, unlike other tours.

It's a nature of the beast these days that diesels are required for operational purposes and resilience. Hopefully those trips will be well supported by people who don't want a diesel in the consist.

 

Hang on - has this thread just had a load of posts removed before my very eyes?