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RTC 2020

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by RalphW, Sep 18, 2019.

  1. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    General RTC discussions etc including regular trips that do not warrant specific threads.
     
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  2. Waterbuck

    Waterbuck Member

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    not to be confused with the GB2020 tour lol :)
     
  3. Bulleid Pacific

    Bulleid Pacific Part of the furniture

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    New tours added to October. Highlights for me are the Buxton Spa Express (hoping it does what's on the tin and gets the LNWR route to Stockport via Whaley Bridge done) and The Tynesider (Cleethorpes to Newcastle with the B&T thrown in to turn the train). There's also an Easterling to Lowestoft and the usual Weymouth runs. Might give the latter a miss this year as there are about six other trips I'd like to do. Can't do everything!
     
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  4. Will RL

    Will RL Member

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    Worth noting these are to feature 31806 Weymouth - Southampton subject to fire risk.
     
  5. Bulleid Pacific

    Bulleid Pacific Part of the furniture

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    Good stuff, but still can't do everything! Maybe something to consider for 2021.
     
  6. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Will all of these really run? Add the Saphos trips and the 'yet to be clarified' VT trips plus all the other non steam tours not to mention the timetabled steam such as the Jacobite etc. Is the nation really going to be running around the country on charter trains in 2020. If @Bulleid Pacific is already thinking about budgets, won't everyone else be doing the same?

    I already sense that we may be heading for an oversaturated market.
     
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  7. 1020 Shireman

    1020 Shireman Part of the furniture Friend

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    Sadly only 2 Royal Duchys. Interesting that there are a couple of 'old fashioned' Weymouth Expresses with steam over Evershot.
     
  8. Bulleid Pacific

    Bulleid Pacific Part of the furniture

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    I suspect there will be a degree of 'attrition' if everyone else is thinking like me.

    Speaking purely for myself, I don't intend to do a repeat of this year, where I book 21 trips starting all over the place and then suddenly realise the full extent of their attendant overnight and travel costs when things like engineering work need to be factored in at the last minute. I'm consequently limiting myself to ten itineraries with rare or required track, with fewer overnighters.
     
  9. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    I also look for new track but fortunately have track that was 'banked' a long time ago. (It's an age thing!). The repeat itineraries tell us something about routes where TOCs know that it will work. Been there - done it already. It will be a brave TOC in 2020 that agrees to any proposed route that covers brand new territory or rare territory.

    However, as a general point I think it is sad that nobody is proposing top and tail steam along branches where the run round facility has gone and that's the only way you can do it without a diesel. You see the trips with diesel tnt but not steam. It's an untapped market.
     
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  10. 1020 Shireman

    1020 Shireman Part of the furniture Friend

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    Probably right Al. We're going a bit kamikaze and intend doing as many as we can from now on, as year on year it's going to become more difficult to path 'slow' steam hauled trains on the ever more crowded big railway. It's what we do. We don't do holidays and we don't do abroad. Hate boats and planes. We like the program and we'll do all the CMEs we can pick up at Crewe, already booked the first 4; and needless to say we'll book everything out of Bristol; so 2 'proper' Weymouth Expresses and both Royal Duchys - shame there are only 2 as it's the classic railtour.

    London starts double the cost per ticket for us; and to get there we have to travel on the Shitachi IETs. Still, in all probability we'll do both Cheshireman off Euston, and the Easterling off the Cross. (Expected our A1 Trust to do that one). We'll also drop down onto the Southern on the Kentish Belle as that one we can do without an overnighter; just an uncomfortable train from BTM. The Cotswold Venturers are 'must dos' now they are Sapperton both ways, though we really don't appreciate the premium for the June run with 60103. Might give that one a miss. Then we haven't done a Tin Bath or Buxton Spa for years. Hmmm, looks like an expensive year with RTC.

    What's not there for us are trains over the Welsh Marches out of Bristol. A Spring and Summer Cheshireman out of BTM would be perfect as the Marches is both a scenic and enthusiasts route; but it really needs to be done in daylight both ways. The Christmas Cheshireman and Ludlow trains are all well and good but the returns are in the dark. Could be anywhere.
     
  11. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    How often does steam out of Euston happen nowadays? I have done a few over the years, but my last one was VT's The Midlander in 2014 (for which I travelled to Brum the night before).
     
  12. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

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    What do you have in mind Al? The Whitby trip was good a couple of years ago but was obviously at the limit operationally. It seems to me there is a requirement for a destination these days which implies an ability to park up somewhere. Also in terms of route availability this sort of trip needs class 4 or 5s which possibly restricts it to the Jacobite off-season. Are you thinking something like Manchester to Morecambe and Barrow?
     
  13. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    I'm disappointed that West Coast hasn't tried to cover everything close to their base using two 5s or equivalent.

    For example:
    Kirkham to Blackpool South
    Lancaster to Morecambe to Heysham and then back up to Carnforth.
    Oxenholme to Windermere.
     
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  14. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

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    I looked at the first and third of these before posting. I don't think either of them would be possible at civilised hours.
     
  15. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Yes, that's the problem. On a Sunday you would have to go down from Oxenholme to Windermere at 0930 to be back to Oxenholme before the first service needed to get down. And nothing operates before that time out of, say Preston, or Lancaster even.

    Such is the downside of our much reduced system. That said, Windermere was singled nearly 50 years ago.
     
  16. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Pathfinder have done Windermere diesel hauled a couple of times, but usually on a Friday night/Saturday morning. No chance of doing it any other time.
     
  17. sgthompson

    sgthompson Part of the furniture Friend

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    All very well doing Oxenholme to Windermere but unless there’s a 47 on the rear it’s pointless as the stock would be then pushed back by the steam to the mainline but still facing the wrong way !!
     
  18. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

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    Steam t and t like the Whitby trip would be OK but a 45mph path on the WCML might be a no no.
     
  19. iancawthorne

    iancawthorne Well-Known Member

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    There is the Wensleydale, 28th March 2020 top and tail. I think this is essentially what replaced the Whitby tour RTC did.
     
  20. iancawthorne

    iancawthorne Well-Known Member

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    When was the last time steam left Buxton that way? Leander April 2006?
     

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