Steam Dreams 2018

A new brochure was handed out on yesterdays trip : -

14/2 White Cliff Luncheon Special 70013
14/2 Windsor Evening Film Special 70013
22/2 Liverpool Street - Norwich 70013
1/3 Paddington - Cardiff 70013
8/3 Horsham - Salisbury & Sherborne - Loco TBA
17/3 Euston - Carlisle - Loco West Coast Northern Pool
22/ 3 North Kent - Salisbury & Sherborne - Loco TBA
27/3 Southend - Salisbury & Sherborne - Loco TBA
5/4 Ipswich - Salisbury & Sherborne - Loco TBA
3/5 Waterloo - Salisbury, Bath and Bristol - Loco TBA
10/5 Peterborough - Winchester - Loco TBA
15/5/ Victoria - Cheltenham and Worcester - Loco TBA

 

Wishful thinking on my part, perhaps, but these Salisbury & Sherborne trains would be ideal for 35018's Southern début, assuming Carnforth is sufficiently confident in its performance by then.

Given that Ollie ran to Salisbury & Sherborne with no DL on the back last week, if SD wants to attract more enthusiasts onto its trains, 35018 running unaided along the LSWR West of England line ought to do the job. No fire risk or leaf fall at that time of year and plenty of scope for hill climbing and fast running.

 

Hmm. Every other trip going via Salisbury? Whilst making the train the destination is admirable, if I were a regular with Cath-Ex I'd probably start to feel bored after a while.

 

They ran 4 trains to Bath and Bristol earlier this year from outside London starts, so they must have sold well, to repeat it to a diferent destination next year.

 

These trips are likely to have a loco change at Hanwell, therefore the path given by Network Rail between there and Basingstoke might require a diesel to keep to time, and/or due to any speed restrictions due to gauging of the loco allocated could also have an effect.It is West Coast who decide if a Diesel is required, see post from 2011 at the bottom of this page http://www.national-preservation.co...ristmas-market-10-12.33829/page-2#post-450035

 

Duchess of Sutherland for the Salisbury & Sherborne trains plus the Bath and Worcester trips according to the SD website

 

Has it been down this way since the remodelling of TMC Station seeing as 777 was out of gauge through there, A Duchess seems a tad wider then that.

 

I don't know how the Brit to Norwich is selling but I'm tempted to book except that if it doesn't run with a Brit or doesn't run from Liverpool Street the reason to book is no longer there. Would Steam Dreams do a refund if that dream combination was not to happen after the booking was made? I somehow doubt it. The other reason for holding off making a booking is wondering what there is to do on a cold wet February afternoon in Norwich for 5 hours 35 minutes, there's a limit to how long you can sit in a pub, especially when with the wife.

 

Pretty much word for word my doubts and reservations about this too! On paper, if this trip happened as intended/ described , then this could be as good an authentic recreation of that fascinating decade in the 1950's when Britannia's ruled the roost on the GEML as it would be possible to get in this day and age.
And the prospect becomes even more compelling when you consider the (lack of) likelihood of any kind of repeat anytime in the near future - I think the last such outing with 70013 to Norwich was July 2011 and I can't see the interval to the next such occasion being much less, and possibly a lot more.

This outing, which has been on my wish-list/ short-list since announcement, would have been my first booking with Steam Dreams. But I'm just not confident to go ahead. I'm afraid this is what "Caveat Emptor" looks like in practise when you have become used to the dependability of UKRT/ A1SLT/ Vintage Trains. Maybe I will end up being the loser, and will never discover what might have been. But instead I am going to keep my powder dry until nearer the time to see whether all the gauging issues get sorted out and Rood Ashton Hall really does get to haul the "Red Dragon" on 10th March - there certainly seems to be better grounds for optimism now that it will see main line action on the former GW/ BR(W) network in the coming months. Lets hope!!

But if you do take the plunge and go for the trip, here's a suggestion for how to pass five hours or so in Norwich, based on my own experience of spending a cold and wet five hours in Norwich one afternoon in early August. There is a certain establishment on Pottergate called the "Belgian Monk" and I can promise you that if you are able to pass the time here sampling some of their more robust offerings, it certainly won't feel like five hours that have just passed you by. In fact, you might just not be feeling anything at all!! Just make sure that you have a plan to retrace your steps back down Prince of Wales Road in plenty of time for the return!

 

As my father drove this very loco on this very route in the 50's, I too would be interested if I could be sure the motive power would be a Brit and the route was Liverpool St > Norwich. Ok 5.5 hours in Norwich would be a bit of a drag, but bearable if the other ducks are lined up.

 

You could try to book on the basis of your required conditions and ask for prior confirmation in writing that should the principal terms not be met you will receive a refund.

 

I'm currently following the 'wait and see' approach with December 2's trip from Southend to Alresford. It's over-priced for what it is, but provided the stars align, it would most probably provide a blue-moon run on part of the LTSR, and a fairly uncommon run from Barking to Willesden High Level. Add to that the stretch to Alton and the MHR, and the one-way with steam up front is just about bearable.

Southend is also a difficult place to get to from York at a decent price, so to ensure that I have maximum flexibility, I've decided to drive it if the trip runs as planned, and the guest house can be cancelled up to two days before the off. I'm currently wrestling with booking another night in Southend, or making my own way back from the MHR before commencing the drive back north. It all depends on what happens over the next two weeks.

 

A Brit out of Liverpool Street to Norwich is for the enthusiast akin to travelling anywhere behind Flying Scotsman for Joe Public and it is interesting that Steam Dreams cancelled some recent tours when Scotsman was unavailable on the grounds an alternative would be unacceptable. Whether the eminent good sense of that decision could be applied on 22/2 I don't know, anything up to a week before would not be impractical but enthusiasts are not the majority who travel these days, although the percentage would be higher than on most trips. In 2013 I was booked with RTC for 70013 out of Liverpool Street to Kings Lynn and a week or so before the loco was changed to Tangmere. RTC allowed me to cancel and gave me a credit for a future trip, so I might well explore the possibility with Steam Dreams.

 

Holding back for the same reasons. Love to do it to complete our 'hat trick' as we did both Cromwell's 2008 Norfolkman and 2009 Cathedral Express from LST-NRW.

 

Been struggling with the temptation to book Cromwell's flit to Norwich for some time, going to resist some more until things start to become more concrete.

 

I might see you on it since considering doing it, but only one way and getting off at Alton ( due to stop for coaches to Winchester) and visit the http://www.fffrailwayarms.com/ before heading home.

 

My plan, if things fall into place, is to go through to Alresford, then bus it back to Alton and try and catch the 17:15 service train and subsequent connections to Southend to pick up the car, if not staying a second night. Haven't been to the Railway Arms for about three years...

 

Interesting that the SD summer programme has been published the same day as the WCRC announcement about scaling back its operations , particularly in the south. The West Coast announcement states that VT has already been told, suggesting that other operators like RTC and SD will also have known the news.

What is intriguing is that the 2018 SD schedule looks a bit more like the old SD in pre-Bunker days:- the itineraries are more straightforward with fewer regional starts and with more of a Southern Region slant, although there are also some multi-day tours and a few long trips up north. This change in focus was noticeable when the spring schedule was announced and has continued with yesterday's publication of the trains scheduled to run in the summer.

It will certainly be interesting to see how these trains will be resourced. No doubt more will be revealed in due course.

 

Just received a tours booklet today. Interested to see they are coming to Swanage on Sunday July 29. Whilst the Swanage Railway timetable for July is not out yet, it will be school holidays, so usually 2 x steam service to Norden, plus I would expect the Wareham service to be running as well. Not sure where you would path it, let alone platform and stable the stock.

 

Some more trips have been added to the website to Weymouth, Paignton & Dartmouth , and Stratford Upon Avon.