Steam Dreams Tours 2012

Surely if Steam Dreams were so worried about Carbon emission they would drop Steam & Diesel altogether and run purely with Electric power, just a ridiculous excuse to hide behind for putting the price up.

Anyway in a world of countless millions of cars and hundreds of thousands of factories, i think the pollution contributed by preserved steam would come to about 0.00000000000000000000001%

I've never booked with Steam Dreams due to them not picking up at stations round this way, and these dishonest antics are not likely to convince me to make the effort to try and get down south for one, especially when I have a Tour Promoter who isn't full of it on my doorstep.

 

I and a friend have used Steam Dreams many times in standard class we take a packed lunch and a couple of real ales.I understand now they are introducing Premium standard which pushes up the prices to £99 a trip just so you can have tea or coffee served at your table well thats us out then.The folks that travelled on standard class all came with packed lunches .I see they are catering for the upper class.Standard folks most of which are people who donated to the presevation of locomotives they use.Bad move. I will use less expensive companies now I think they may have shot themselves in the foot.

 

What if you dont drink tea and coffee, can you opt out, or get soft drinks instead.....

Thought not........

 

I wonder how many people who can't afford the dining options but want something more than just a basic seat etc will now start booking with Steam Dreams?

Probably not the hardened gricers who are using this thread. So we won't get a balanced view here.

Have to wait and see how it works out this year.

 

Yes, I'm certainly prepared to give the new Premium Standard a go once but may review that if I don't consider it value for money. What I'm most interested in is to see what the much heralded "new" Steam Dreams coaching stock is going to be like. Also, where is it going to be based and who is going to maintain it for them?

 

I suspect Steam Dreams will have no problem selling the £99 tickets given the areas they are targetting and the fact Premier dining and first class generally sell out first. Yesterday the train I was on was 3/4 dining with just 2 standard carriages. Unfortunately though, those in standard class are the ones where profits are marginal and a standard carriage costs just as much to drag around as a first. You can see the business sense for Steam Dreams here, but as is often in business, actions aren't always morally correct. The vast majority of us enthusiasts can not afford the up market seats and while we may now be in a minority, we are the ones who are loyal, have supported the movement for many years and come back year after year often several times a year. The people Steam Dreams price out here will be replaced by Joe public who won't care if mainline steam stops next year as they will spend their £100 on something else, I just hope RTC continue to cater for us folk so we can still enjoy our hobby.

 

I think it would be a good opportunity for Buffet cars to up their game in standard class.
there's much more can be offered in the 21st century as far as selection and presentation. I feel buffet cars are still in the 1970's in some instances and there's a good revenue opportunity and passenger satisfaction to be gained by improving the offering.
A small oven could work wonders (such as potato or pizza ovens, pie warmer, sandwich toaster, grill etc that don't take a world of space these days)...

who could do what with a hot potato on the CME's in the last few weeks ?

That said.. aren't steam dreams dropping the Standard class buffet for a trolley ?

 

Steam Dreams actually told me last week that they 'Do not earn any money from the catering side of full dining' (sic).

 

Im not disagreeing with what you say, but woulden't a genny van then be required to supply the sort of power your talking about to the Buffet ?.

 

Not sure,

whats the KW capacity of the power supply of a buffet car ? It boils a rather large hot water boiler already (which is quite old, so I'd imagine it's also less efficient than modern ones today).

Whilst this is a too larger version

http://www.victorianovens.co.uk/queen-victoria-potato-oven.htm

It's only 275w (.2 kw) in warming mode ..
There's a place near my office has a jacket potato spot less than 10 sq ft and he's rolling a fortune in this weather at lunchtime judging by the queues, pre-cooked he's just keeping them warm till lunch.

a sandwich toaster.. 1kw / £50

http://www.johnlewis.com/230562590/Product.aspx?s_kwcid=ps_pla

 

If you want to experience something like the ACE (with 'Braunton' up front), you're not going to get it on a preserved line. I'm a little puzzled though that a path has been created on the Salisbury-Exeter line when we were told that the regular hourly Waterloo -Exeter service since December 2009 would rule out future steam trips on that line.

Steam Dreams - operators of The Cathedrals Express steam train trips

 

I understand that some resignalling work now allows better usage of the double track sections west of Yeovil Jct. RTC are also planning to use this route a couple of times this year.

 

Not just resignalling - the passing loops have been extended and possibly extra ones added.

Regards,

Dan

 

Resignalling is the crucial investment. The "dynamic"loop has been completed at Axminster to enable the hourly service.
With signalling improvements further capacity can be provided which may enable FGW to divert via Yeovil without cancelling SWT. Possible extra Axm/Honiton - Exeter locals may also be provided. Oh,and steam/charters/freight become possible.
However the paths available for extras may prove "tight"+steam spls will need to keep to time to avoid delays to SWT trains on the long single line sections.

 

I believe that the crucial recent change which has allowed steam specials to run again has been the addition of signals near Crewkerne to split the long Yeovil Jc to Chard Jc section and to allow a westbound charter to leave Yeovil Jc close behind an SWT service train.

 

I just noticed that the assignments for the Green Train(WCGN) have been removed according to UK steam.
Has anyone else heard this?
Did they get a bunch of complaints about the train?

I think this is a good move on their part if so.

 

Try reading this thread and the thread on the Bath & Bristol trip on 12th. Feb.

 

I read about them getting that new train from the Scottish Railway Preservation Society(SRPS)

I think many will be glad about this development.