Bahamas 2021 Railtours

A word of thanks to the Bahamas support crew for the numerous tours that we have enjoyed in the south and west. The loco has been turned out in immaculate condition on each occasion. Well done.

We're all looking forward to seeing Bahamas powering over the Devon banks tomorrow. <BJ>

 

Oh for the days when Ropley provided motive power for the Main Line. We had two Bulleid Pacifics, a Standard Five, a U boat, Ivatt Tank and two Class 33's. Hopefully we will have a Bulleid Pacific available in the not too distant future with 34007.

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I wonder what the total cost is to get a steam loco, support crews, footplate crew(s) , food, etc, etc, from say, Keighley to the south of the country, AND RETURN is. Covering costs is one thing but finding skilled qualified men to do the job, must be a nightmare.
Be grateful we've still got some steam on the main line and people behind the scenes who try their best to make the whole caboodle work.

 

If we're allowed to broaden out a bit, there are the TOCs with their home bases in Birmingham, Crewe and Carnforth, plus the well-established out station at Fort William. As @RalphW says, their core strategy is to operate from their bases. Yes, LSL have gone down to Bristol and WCR to Southall. The interesting ones are the independents. The Bahamas Group, the A1 Trust, PRCLT. They need to operate via a TOC but doing things which add value. So the A1 Trust has strong coverage of the eastern side of the country and Scotland, while the Bahamas group has been willing to cover the south. It will be very interesting to see how the Duchess and 70013 are deployed next year assuming the market is fully reopened.

I've left out the MNLPS on the basis that their business model is tied in with Belmond plus a few trips for UKRT, so that Clan Line is not in the same position as the other independents.

 

plus one in September for Pathfinder.

 

I think there's a huge amount to be grateful for in the situation where we have relatively plentiful steam on the main line in 2021 (imagine what those in 1968 would have made of it!), wherever it is. The logistics and sheer effort involved, even with a commercial return, are phenomenal. I also think the loss of the 'UK Steam' web site is still to be mourned as it was the source of accurate and timely information in a way that has all but disappeared. Railway Herald and other sites may try, but they are sadly inaccurate and inconsistent within themselves.

 

All I can say to the moaners is, given what the world has been through in the past 18 months and continues to go through, just be thankful that we have steam on the main line and you're still around to see it. So the U has become available at the last moment. So what?

 

The LE paths are still there for the U on 5th, or will it be a 33?

 

You can’t take RTT at face value. If paths are there, there’s every chance they’ll be left redundant if they’re not taken off the system before.

If it’s been noted that 31806 won’t be running for operational reasons and instead a diesel will be replacing it, that’s the knowledge I’d take.

 

Yes but the diesel could a main line registered 33 from Swanage which would use the same paths as 31806. On the other hand it could be a WCRC diesel which is stuck on the back all day. The Swanage 33 option would be preferable for those who want a pure steam run for the most part.

 

33012 is currently having bodywork repairs at Eastleigh. The most recent photos on Carl Watson's website in March show they've converted it into the cabriolet version for the summer.

 

I have a friend who’d rather like it if they kept on trimming it… Then again he’s an EE man

 

I wonder if it'll be a fixed or sliding sun-roof.

 

Well said

 

Whilst the South is pretty grim, when I lived down there you could buy food

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I rang Steam Dreams about the pingdemic-affected trip last Saturday which was originally due to feature 3806 from Weymouth to Southampton before being re-routed to Swanage and then postponed. The gentleman I spoke to said they were hoping to come up with a new date later this year and to use 31806, but did not wish to promise anything at this stage, advising me to keep an eye on the SD website. Maybe for some people, 61306 + 31806 doesn't generate the same level of excitement as 45596 + 31806 would have done, but I guess may be a possible consolation for those of us who had wondered about making a late solo booking on tomorrow's trip and then changed our minds.

 

31806s non-appearance on the DCE tomorrow is nothing to do with Swanage Railway,