Steam Dreams 2023

Settle Junction, 15/7/23 (very lucky with the light)........

 

As Steve beat me to uploading a Settle Junction shot,here's an earlier one,again lucky with the sun !
45231 leaving Blackburn at Brownhill on 15/7/2023

David Price
Cop Lane on Flickr

 

Another mammoth long day again for the tour participants yesterday. I wonder how many there were from Colchester who invested 18 hours and 36 minutes in this trip?

 

That's a scene with much steam age infrastructure, including the jointed track - very good shot.

 

It was sold out and from my seat on the train I reckon about 95% got on at Colchester. Definitely a long day, I don't need to sit down for a week.

 

Welcome to the forum John. I know exactly what you mean. I have done 18+ hour railtours before and it has taken me 2-3 days to recover from them.

 

Fine effort, but Midland Pullman managed to just trump that on Saturday with an epic c.19 hour trip from Ulverston to Paignton and back....

 

I am waiting for the first 24 hour duration one.

Takes even longer as a steward to recover when the tour is full and you have to stand up most of the day.

 

Have a look at some of the diesel ones F&W and latterly Pathfinder have done!

 

Especially some of the Buffer Puffer ones they've done. Technically advertised as three tours (Saturday day, Saturday night and Sunday day) but essentially one tour. Some of the GBRf multi-day tours have included an overnight leg as well.

 

True. The latest Mazey Day necessitating a 3am get up and go, returning home at 2am the following day.

 

It's a funny old hobby we all have isn't it? Many times I've tried to explain to some of my work colleagues (non-railway) exactly what it is that attracts me to railtours. But the whole idea of getting up at silly o clock in the morning to spend 18 hours on a train is just completely unbelievable to normal people. In fact, they've told me many times it's their idea of hell on earth. They all think I'm absolutely mad!

 

I get the same and my answer is always the same; if you have to ask that question you wouldn’t understand the answer

 

Of course they are basically enthusiast tours rather than for the more "normal" in society just wanting a day out. I accept that to do something different, be it track or destination, or for a specific loco the enthusiasts will put up with a lot. I wonder at what point the "public" say "enough is enough" in terms of a long day, bearing in mind there is the get up time, the get home time and travel time to add to the length of the tour. Also if people are like me I can not then just roll into bed as I feel I am "still moving". I need a while, at least 30 minutes, sometimes and hour, before feeling ready to go to bed however tired I may feel.

 

I get that myself after a 12 hour shift and a 20/25 minute bike ride in from work, the endorphins are going, I need at least an hour to decompress.
The missus still doesn’t quite get why I want to sit down for a while rather than go straight to bed.

 

I can say there were at least two, a couple my parents know were catching it from here. Hopefully the trip was worth it for them, I will probably find out at some point.
If the passengers are mad I dread to think what that makes me, going out at 5:30 on a Saturday morning to photograph a diesel train! Not to mention going up to Norfolk later on to photograph the Class 50 railtour on the Wherry Lines.
Passing the site of Bentley station in Suffolk btw:

 

Don’t blame you for going out to phot the vac’s but a spoon?!
In all seriousness that’s not a bad photo mate.

 

Is anyone able to confirm the use of 70000 on today's Kent and Surrey trips?

 

Can confirm. Sounded good at Rainham looking good in the sunshine

 

Thanks. I intend to catch it at Gomshall this evening.