RTC 2014

I too was going to book on this until I saw that 34046 is working non stop Waterloo to Salisbury again the week after. Don't think I can justify spending money on both. Will have to see.

Don

 

Had email today warning of price increases for bookings from 1st Feb:

We have just completed work on our 2014 brochure and it should be dispatched within the next two weeks, the new tours will be added to our website over the next week and will then be available for booking.

Due to the ever rising costs of coal, steam locomotive hire and catering on our daytrips, we have unfortunately been forced to increase our prices with effect from close of business on 31st January for all our UK daytrips. This will not affect the price of bookings already placed by this date and will therefore be applicable to new bookings only.


Kind regards

The Railway Touring Company


doesnt say by how much,wonder how similiar to Steam Dreams prices they will get?

 

Just as well I booked the Peak Forester yesterday then. May book another tour before the deadline.

 

Same with me on the Welsh Borders. I think that the new tours are starting to be added. I don't recall there being two "Hadrian" tours before.

 

There was only one before . The May one starts at Kingscross hauled by Les Ross. It you try and book a tour and choose a tour you will see a number that will be added shorty including The Cumbrian Coast Express on the 14th June, and 7 nr Royal Duchy on Sundays in June, July and September.

 

All WCME's now scheduled for 45699 or 46115

I'm on the 15th February, hoping for Galatea if the Scot takes the Shrewsbury tour the same day.

 

Happy that there's a 'Cumbrian Coast' in the offing (although there looks like two, as there's one for April 12 as well). Will probably do that, and might take in the second Hadrian to finish with Carlisle as a destination and move my attention elsewhere on the railway map.

 

Hmm, even more handy is the cheaper version of the Hadrian from Newcastle in June, branded as the Cumbrian Mountain Express. Makes life for the wallet a bit easier, although having to get there from York, it will have probably cost me the same amount as getting on the earlier Hadrian at York. Cumbrian Coast is out via the coast and back over Shap. Wondering which date to do!

Other than that, quite a varied selection so far.

 

More trains announced on the RTC website this morning. One is the Sat 24 May West Somerset Explorer from Bridgnorth to Minehead, using 34067, with a WSR loco from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and return How easy will it be to run round at Kidderminster NR station I wonder ?

David

 

I think I will go for the June date, actual timings will be known ( should be as previous trip, although the class 86 leg is the same path as the WCME) and longer hours of daylight.

 

And from the booking page Dorest Coast Expresses, and July/August Cumbrian Mountain Expressses, Pembrokeshire Coast Express and The Scottish Lowlander ( I wonder what that is?) now listed

 

Looks like there is some different tours that the normal ones this year

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

Without upsetting the purists, it's quite interesting that No. 5972 'Olton Hall' is scheduled for a trip. The Scottish Lowlander could be an interesting one, a routes and branches tour with steam across the central belt? Or maybe just a standard Crewe-Glasgow run with steam between Carlisle and Scotland?

 

Could be a challenge, to say the least. I just hope it runs. There were three WSR explorers originally advertised for last year, but none actually ran.

I see that this year, RTC have given up the idea of a loco each way for the Swanage Belle trains. I'm pleased I was able to do it both ways behind steam a few years back. I wonder how long it will be before the new larger turntable is installed, enabling one loco to but used and no diesel.

 

Definitely up for a Royal Duchy. Just a matter of finding out when 5029 is rostered as I've yet to go behind her. Last year's Weymouth with a 33 on the front of her doesn't count.

 

5972 farewell according to the blub....

 

I guess the train will run top-and-tail, with DL leading over the SVR.

Credit where it's due, though - they've been up-front about the arrangements this year. It's still a good day out with a decent length of steam haulage, and cost are kept down by only using one steam loco. It would be nice if the DL was only on the train for the Swanage-Southampton section, but my guess is that it will stay on the back all day, for all the well-rehearsed reasons.

 

Looks like summer CME are out via shap this year and only 2 in number both 60009.