Torbay Express 2016

There has to be a better way! Bristol is not the centre of the known universe. To take an early morning tour starting at Bristol must mean many cutomers have significant travel and accommodation costs on top of the price of the tour. It looks like this year is short on mainline steam locos. But some contingency has to be built in. Will a £30 vouncher suffice? I don't think so. Will people risk such an investment in the future? I'm not sure. TBEL has a better track record than most BUT trust once lost is hard to recover. Trust in mainline steam is at a low. Will it be steam? Will it be steam at the front but pushed around? Worrying times for the future of profitable mainline steam.

 

We're only travelling because my wife didn't regard the refund system as sufficient to compensate for the loss of steam, so we might as well go to get some value out of the day. I appreciate that these things happen, but out of the 10 main line tours I have booked on in the last 5 years, only 4 have actually done what was booked to happen. Those 4, interestingly, all involved the shortest itineraries.

 

I see that Western Venturer likes this post.

Oh well. There's no accounting for taste. <BJ>

 

Why's it still stopped at TAUNTON? No water stop needed

 

Passenger pick up. More groans when that was announced! Managing a wander round Taunton at least.

 

It was a like for the reply and confirmation of what was on it Bill not the traction.. I think you know where my loyalties lie...

 

If it just ran through without the stops it would arrive early at Paignton and probably screw their timetable up.. so it has to aarrive on time to get right path..

Whats happeneing on PDSR?? is the 25 going to take it to Kingswear or is the 66 working through????

 

I have sympathy with everybody who booked on the train expecting steam.. as has been said before on here if I booked on a charter with 1015 and it was run with a 66 Id be unhappy but like most people I probably wouldnt have read the T&Cs.. even the compensation is given...

6.Every effort will be made to ensure that the advertised routing, locomotive(s), coaching stock, timings and other particulars will be as published. Please note that Torbay Express (’the Company’) reserves the right to alter these at any time due to circumstances outside the Company's control and as a consequence shall not incur any liability for any such alterations to any person who has bought, or contracted to buy, a boarding pass or passes, as a result of any such changes.

11. 11.The steam locomotive allocated to each train may vary and no guarantee can be given as to the availability of any individual locomotive. Should the designated locomotive be declared unfit to commence or continue the outward service, it may become necessary to substitute another locomotive. In such circumstances we would make a £15 per person refund or issue a £30 credit voucher to Standard Class passengers, £20 refund or £40 credit voucher for First Class passengers, and a £25 refund or £50 credit voucher for Premier Dining passengers. No other liability shall be incurred.

 

I do not have much luck with Scots on the mainline, of 4 trips booked a Scot has only turned up once and then only with a diesel on the back(no problems on preserved railways 4 out of 4). A least I didn't waste money on parking at Westbury. Now travelling behind Manston on the Swanage, and have just pasted the T9.

 

60163 worked the Belmond yesterday so was lit up and FTR'd for that. I suspect it was a crewing problem which prevented the move to Bristol last night. Pretty sure A1SLT would have been up for it.

 

I understand that the A1SLT were asked to go to west and immediately agreed to it but it was not possible for DBC to formulate a plan that enabled the loco to avoid engineering works and similar at such late notice.

Foxy.

 

As I explained, the like was for information given not for the shed....not that I was glad the 66 worked instead of steam.. but as you know I swing boths ways.. yes D1015 is my engine but I also spent yesterday painting and working on 6024s tender...

 

Hopefully braunton be okay next time

 

Don't hold your breath.

Braunton had two diesels on today and one of them evidently failed.
Leader had a 37 on the back on the NWCE as well.

Thinking of better value for my money than steam trips that are not what they say on the can...

 

The odds on travelling on a main line steam tour as advertised is about as probable as me filming the same train in full bore sunshine. About one in ten? <BJ>

 

I think I've suggested it to you before if you think you can Magic a loco not to fail its FTR or organise a tour round Kent to run over th closed Dover To Folkstone line then might I suggest you stop whinging on here and go and start your own tour operation or TOC and show us all how it should be done

 

It's a discussion forum. If you cannot respect an alternative view to your own you are in the wrong place. I respect your right to have a different opinion to mine and expect the same courtesy. Being an apologist for bad service is not a great place to be but I respect your right to be one.

Maybe you could imagine being in the shoes of someone who has saved a small fortune for travel, accommodation and a steam tour for a special occasion, maybe an anniversary or significant birthday. Then feel for the person who paid for the gift and how they feel about the failure to deliver. After that feel for the recipient who feels cheated of what should been a special event that may never be repeated.

It is Joe Public who keeps mainline steam viable, not enthusiasts. If we lose the public we lose everything. There has to be a better way.

 

The train ran people had the choice not to do the train with a 66,

They getting part of the fare back and got a trip on 7820 thrown in,out of pathfinders pocket,

I'd be disappointed but if you chose to ignore t &cs and took up the credit offer and did the shed, don't see why you should kick pathfinder for making most of a bad day for them, doubt many of you could do much better.but we will wait till you run your charters yeah..

 

I'm not an apologist for poor service but the loco failed its fitness to run, that's the fact of the matter. Try and imagine yourself in charge on the day, what would you have done?