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RTC 2015

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by Paul42, Dec 22, 2014.

  1. Enterprise

    Enterprise Part of the furniture

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    There has been considerable criticism of the RTC website. Unsurprisingly, it appears that the criticised features will endure but with a new livery.
     
  2. D7076

    D7076 Well-Known Member

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    All fur coat and no knickers.
    Amend the bit that worked, but not touch the glaring errors in the substance. Just look at tomorrow's tour....

    The train will be hauled by two steam locomotives, the former London Midland & Scottish Railway Jubilee class No. 45690 Leander and No. 45699 Galatea

    Our special train will leave Manchester Victoria at around 07:00 and stop at Bolton, Wigan and Preston to collect more passengers. We can expect some fast running as we travel along the West Coast Main Line (WCML) to Lancaster and Carnforth, where we stop for our locomotives to take on water

    After crossing the Cumbrian Fells we descend to Penrith, and then head for Carlisle. We stay in the Border City for more than two hours

    We leave Carlisle soon after 14:00

    Manchester Victoria 07:15 20:39
    Bolton* 07:01 21:15
    Wigan 07:55 21:35
    Preston 08:15 22:13
    Carlisle 10:56 12:36

    So I can expect 2 Jubilees throughout ,get on at Bolton for the fast run to Carnforth, be in Carlisle for lunch from around 1200-1400 and not miss the return .....?
     
    Waterbuck likes this.
  3. mike1522

    mike1522 Long Time Member Friend

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    Boy am I glad that I ordered my tickets before they revamped their site. Having the line up of the tours like they did on the left side before made it easier.
     
  4. D1002

    D1002 Resident of Nat Pres

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  5. BrillTramway

    BrillTramway New Member

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    The new look site is a right mess, far easier to see at a glance the tours listed, I dont want to have to trawl through pages and pages to get to something that might be of interest. At least before if a tour caught your eye, you could just click on it not waste hours trying to find something, also, why do we need the pics etc on main link, that could be once you have clicked on it, not very user friendly thats for sure. Marks out of 10, 1/10.
     
  6. spicer21

    spicer21 Guest

    One of the strengths of the original design I thought was it lent itself very well to RTC's repeat itineraries. If you knew you wanted to do a Royal Duchy, Hadrian, CME or whatever, it was easy and straightforward to find the dates on which these were likely to run. Now they are listed individually, it's not so easy. I guess you can still search Hadrian, Royal Duchy etc and get the same dates, I just liked that full Bill of Fare design, and also IMO, was more likely to tempt you to try something new, or different. I just cannot believe anyone could have seen this as progress. I hate to think what the changes may have cost RTC as well. Hopefully they'll be short lived, : )
     
  7. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    I've just tried looking at the RTC website on my mobile (Android phone using Firefox) and it is completely unusable! I can't get a single link to open. The previous website was a little clunky on a smartphone, but this one is beyond useless.
     
  8. Enterprise

    Enterprise Part of the furniture

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    Just tried the website on my Xperia Z Compact, Android Kit Kat. No problems.
     
  9. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Whilst I don't think the changes are an improvement, the site is navigable with iOS7 on an iPhone 4S.
     
  10. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    The East Yorkshireman on the 30th May 2015 will now start at Preston ( Diesel hauled to Manchester Piccadilly ). It will return via the Aire Valley to Carnforth and then be diesel hauled backed to Manchester. Revised return route is due to diffculty obtaining pathing for full return journey.Leander will haul the trip Manchester - Scarborough - Carnforth. All from letter I received today since I am booked on this trip.
     
  11. Bulleid Pacific

    Bulleid Pacific Part of the furniture

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    That's actually not a bad compromise...
     
  12. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    Peak Forester 10th May - POSTPONED

    With regards to your booking on The Peak Forester on Sunday 10th May 2015 please be advised that this tour is being postponed. The postponement is due to operational restrictions which were put in place recently by Network Rail on West Coast Railways, and despite our own and West Coast Railways best efforts to arrange an alternative option, we have no choice but to postpone the Peak Forester tour which was scheduled for next Sunday. Please accept our apologies for any disappointment or inconvenience this postponement may cause.

    We will contact you within twenty one days to inform you ofthe revised date for the tour, if we are unable to secure a revised date within that time scale we will cancel your booking at that stage and issue you with a full refund. If you are unable to make the revised date you will also be entitled to a full refund of monies paid to us.

    Once again, please accept our sincere apologies for the late notification of this postponement, due to a situation beyond our control, we hope that it will not cause you too much inconvenience and disappointment.
     
  13. JDTTRAINS

    JDTTRAINS Member

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    I was booked on the tour myself, such a shame that they are all having to be postponed. Let's hope that West Coast are back soon.
     
  14. simon

    simon Resident of Nat Pres

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    One hopes so, but there is little in the public domain that supports the view that it will happen quickly. The ORR statement would tend to indicate a quick return is not on the cards.
     
  15. Dobbs0054

    Dobbs0054 Member

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    Following PR disaster of GB8, maybe time to reflect and put the customer first? If RTC cannot guarantee the running of a service fir say the next two weeks to put customers on notice of postponement or cancellation? Or just postpone all for two weeks and review on a weekly basis? The fact that RTC know that their provider can't guarantee to deliver puts their position at risk if a customer feels disgruntled. I think other tour operators are playing it safe with customers.
     
  16. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    We can only assume that the RTC was given poor information by WCRC about what was really possible. That in itself is strange as the impression has always been given that they seem to work very closely with each other. But at least the situation appears much clearer now given the reported NR statement. One thing is for certain. Even if things return to 'normal' there will almost certainly be many trips that just won't happen this year because you would not be able to compress the same programme into less time. Anyway, the market may well be cool after this debacle.
     
  17. guycarr360

    guycarr360 Part of the furniture

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    Which all sounds ideal, however, I would expect when a contract is signed with WCRC to run a tour, the windows of cancellation will be in excess of the time a workable solution is provided by NR for times.

    That is the probable answer to the ever increasing problems, with the tour not being as advertised.

    Feel sorry for RTC in this respect, they are in effect being strung along by a combination of TOC, and NR, to the detriment of there business.

    It only backs up my thoughts that NR want rid of steam, and are doing it in an underhand way to get their way.

    However, they are hardly covering themselves in glory at the moment, companies in glass houses should not throw stones.

    Unfortunately they hold all of the aces......
     
  18. simon

    simon Resident of Nat Pres

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    To equate the actions of NR with a desire to get rid of steam is conspiracy theories land and ignores the fact that the ORR are deeply involved in this matter.

    If it had been a diesel loco that had passed the signal at Wooten Bassett we would still be where we are today..
     
  19. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Agree with you about the 'rock and a hard place' that the RTC find themselves in. But how you reckon that this has anything to do with Network Rail is a rather bizarre view to take. They have been clear in what they have said when they have said it. Others have made assumptions that were probably incorrect. And then there is the ORR.
     
  20. threelinkdave

    threelinkdave Well-Known Member

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    What evidence have you that NR have strung anyone on. Its not NR who were making optomistic statements. It was ill informed speculators on this forum. NR have not made any statements untill recently and they were, as most realistic watchers expected, fairly negative. The only outfit not covering themselves in glory are WCR and their management style.

    I do however agree that RTC are caught in the crossfire
     

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