Saphos 2027

Saphos Trains | Luxury Steam Train Journeys

 

Looks to be a great lineup of trips. Major highlight in there is two double headed trips with 5029 and 6024 down to Plymouth which I'm sure will attract some attention. Interesting to see that the Golden Arrow, Lakelander and Welsh Marches trips aren't running for 2027 unless they are yet to be added. Looks like it'll be a busy year for the Great Western pair as I think half of these trips here all are steam hauled from Taunton.

 

In true railtour website style I see the Great Western shows a destination of Kingswear when it appears to be going to Plymouth.
Copy paste alive and well in Crewe as well as Kings Lynn.

 

Good to see Standard Class is available on the Fellsmans, too

 

I do hope the Marches Line has not been abandoned by Saphos, as Vintage Trains seem to have done.

 

They may be just taking a year off from doing them. The Edinburgh Summer Explorer didn't feature in 2026's lineup of tours but did in 2025. I think it might just be Saphos is rotating around which trips are the focal points for the year.

 

Similar to the Cotswold circuit. Worcester- Sapperton-Oxford .

 

If the 'King' and 'Castle' are the Taunton-based engines next year, are either gauged to operate the Welsh Marches route?

 

Yes I think so, although it's worth noting they've drastically reduced the tours which even pick up there. There is one Saphos, one Statesman and one Midland Pullman tour that picks up along the Welsh Marches next year. So across all their brands that's three tours picking up there. In previous years there's probably been a good dozen or so across the three brands.

 

That's the problem with the way LSG tours are currently being run. They've got a series of tours that work well for them operationally, but are they attractive enough for people to book on? They've got their fixed paths over the S&C or down to Kingswear and run tours from varying origins to meet those paths. But if you've done it once, are you going to want to do it again, especially for several hundreds of pounds, or would you rather go somewhere different?

Past-Time Rail found that out many years ago with the Eden Project trips. They'd sell out for the first couple of years then bookings would dry up as people didn't want to go to the same destination every year. Saphos have got Kingswear, Carlisle and Stratford-upon-Avon next year, plus a couple to Plymouth and a pair to Edinburgh. It's not the most exciting programme.

 

Tour days have got longer, steam legs shorter and the destinations seemingly restricted either due to the more intensive amount of service trains or "operational issues".
What seems to be missing from most tour operators are trips into London. I know RTC tried with Weymouth and Poole originators, but not sure they sold that well when you can get there in under 3 hours on an SWR 444.
But I guess if most people get there image for social media of or by the loco, does that matter to most. Plus how many these days go for "the destination" when it seems you get so little time there anyway.

 

That as well. Saphos have a lot of tours that are picking up at a dozen stations en route. That adds a considerable amount of time to a tour, and basically means they've picking up an average of 25-30 passengers at each stop.

 

Certainly Tyesely's castles have been down the Marches line pretty recently and im pretty sure Nunney has too.
Obviously it has been a long time for a King but 6024 is supposedly a lot more gauge friendly since its surgery!

 

6024 can go more places than 5029 now it's had modifications

 

I concur with the points made, but the Marches is scenic and seems to have been popular, the last was fully booked. The Crewe base of LSL and the shortish distance of Cardiff, with alternatives in both South Wales and SW England, seem to make it ideal even allowing for my bias!
AFAIK, VT have no problem with Castles on the Marches because they avoid the north end of Shrewsbury station.
I wouldn't say I'm disgruntled but I'm not entirely gruntled...with respects to Bertie Wooster.

 

The Lakelander not being advertised next year makes sense. The tunnel at Whitehaven isn’t going to open any time soon. I saw mention somewhere locally the bus company being used to bridge the gap has been asked to continue for three years.

 

What has surprised me most about the Saphos 2027 schedule is the complete lack of anything before 1st May thus far. What happens if we get another hot, dry summer and steam is banned again? There are six August departures. How many of them will end up with a 47 on the front? March and April are ideal month for running steam on the main line - not too hot and no leaf fall. Will further excursions be announced for this period? We will have to wait and see but I would have thought that the experience of this summer would have resulted in a re-think about which is the best time of year for such trains.

 

Recent years early Spring has been as bad for fire risk as the summers (Tangmere set fire to the west side of Cumbria on 5th April).

 

I agree it is puzzling. Especially as March is usually a very safe month in regards to lack of fire risk and leaf fall. April can be hit or miss. I did the Sussex Belle this year with Eddystone and that ran as normal, Diesel only helped when it needed to. In contrast the week following on the same route near enough I believe Braunton ran with heavy Diesel assistance.

I hope for Saphos' sake we have more rain next year than this year or it's looking like a good chunk of these will be hauled by Diesels or at the very least heavy assistance by Diesels if this year is anything to go by.

 

I can think of at least two Swanage Spring Galas held in March with lineside fires, so it cannot be guaranteed, depends on the type of vegetation adjacent to the line as well.