Steam Dreams 2017

I reckon the diesel will be "hidden" in the middle of the train. WCRC will claim it's their new generator carriage

I was tempted by the Gloucester trip but the price is too much for me at the moment as my funds are required elsewhere. Plus, looking at the RTT schedule for the Gloucester trip it seems that you can board at Woking on the outward run but you can't get off at Woking on the return as the train is going straight through so you have to leave at Basingstoke I guess.

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http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/...ine-lookalike-for-bedford-excursion-1-7887584

Can this go down as one of the worst pieces of journalism ever?

 

A few extra trains hauled by 60103 have appeared on the SD website. They will run in October and largely involve East Anglia and the East Midlands.

 

If I remember correctly,when Steam Dreams started about 10 years ago, their aim was to provide reasonably priced railtours for enthusiasts. I travelled on the first 2, to Canturbury and Salisbury,and I think they were £29.50 each. Fantastic value, but how times change, as they were the first to breach the £100 barrier for standard class, and the true enthusiast seems to have largely been forgotten in favour of the wealthy wine and dine set. Such a shame, as I, and I suspect many others can only afford to travel on rare occasions now. I first travelled regularly by steam in 1978, on the CCE and The Yorkshireman tours from Carnforth. The trains were packed, and not a diner in site. Happy days

 

Please not the corny "true steam enthusiasts only travel in standard class" argument yet again. For anyone 6' 3" plus and/or on the "large"side then 12 hrs plus in a TSO bay of 4 is not a great experience. For that reason I will almost always travel in first, and if my wife comes along, I know she will enjoy it more in dining. From chatting to other passengers in first or dining there are loads of "true steam enthusiasts" there and I don't think the vast majority would probably consider themselves to be "wealthy" or part of a "set"! Obviously, the inflation of SD fares is not good, but they do seem to have a business model which works for them.

Much more important to me is whether there is a diesel on the back, which seems to be almost always on SD, hence my now very rare trips with them .

 

One can be both.

 

Looking ahead to SD's tours with FS in October, what are the chances of these not having a diesel on the back?

 

Depends on the stock and start location. Anything that starts from Victoria or Hanwell, would get my alarm bells ringing.

 

A number of these trips are Steam one way, so the diesel will almost certainly be on the back.

 

A few more changes to the SD loco roster (see here) Good to see Ollie back in the picture after a lengthy absence from the main line. 60009 and 45305 still feature too. My guess is that these three locos will handle most of the summer and autumn WCRC-operated steam trains in the south, including the RTC "Dorset Coast Expresses" to Weymouth.

 

Hopefully they'll all be ready in time as none are currently FTR, mostly in various states of dismantling. Not a long timescale to June for 70013. Perhaps someone can update on the superheater position? Yet again sadly the loco situation isn't improving very much over last year.

 

Superheaters are still currently away at the Tyseley Loco Works having contract welding done. Once delivered back to Loughborough, they'll be trial fitted and 'Cromwell' will be steam tested, before leaving the GC in early June, bound for Tyseley.

 

Thanks for that.

 

This thread has been quiet for several months. I'm reviving it to enquire why (and how long ago) today's Hampshire Hills lunchtime circular was cancelled, and whether there are any implications for other SD trips with 60009.

 

SD's two round trips on Tue 18th July are shown on UKsteam's timing sheets as being hauled by Flying Scotsman and not U of SA.
Is this correct or is it a typo?

 

I would think it's a copy and paste error from a previous run.
No mention of a LE move for Flying Scotsman on UKsteam.