Kingfisher cancellations

As owner/operator of 5690 Leander, I have recieved no communication regarding the advertised railtour on 17th May. You would have thought that having gone to all the time/effort and expense of advertising the tour somebody would have thought of contacting the owner to see if the engine will be available. Leander is currently having an intermediate overhaul and no target date has been set for its return to traffic although this is anticipated sometime in May or June 2009.

 

Chris,
Many thanks for highlighting this.I was fancying booking on this tour,but with recent problems with Kingfisher etc,wary of booking too far in advance.
There seems to be a recent influx of new operators(mainly modern traction) and several have advertised motive power/routes which are unachievable/difficult at best,and owners have then confirmed their motive power has not been requested or declined.

Nothing would please me more than new operators succeeding,but in the current economic climate they need to do their homework first,and that would include route,traction and rolling stock availability prior to advertising.

Suspect this will now be book the week before at best,if 5690 is requested and confirmed.

 

This was actually a slight communications break-down between myself and Chris Beet (now corrected!), as the initial proposal came via WCR. This train is genuine, is not in any way affiliated to Kingfisher and, subject to the usual, will run. It is a 'one-off', promoted by a local individual, who has been a regular passenger on many S&C steam trips and who is hoping to donate any surplus funds for local charities.

Bookings are being handled by Spitfire Tours.

James Shuttleworth
WCR

 

how is this a slight problem if the engine is in bits?

 

Im sure everything will be alright on the day and an alternate loco could probably be found...

 

While I understand how you feel about booking in advance, this is exactly why so many trains are being cancelled due to lack of support.
Quite what we need to do to get round this reluctance is beyond me. Any ideas?

 

Promoters need to be careful not to advertise unrealistic trips as has happened over recent years - leading to late changes. Promoters should also be fairly sure of motive power. The Kingfisher refund farce has had a knock on affect over the whole industry with a lack of confidance in economically troubled times. A more generous "passenger charter" would not go amiss either with a bit more generosity when things go wrong.

 

In respect of 5690, I think both Chris Beet and ourselves are best placed to be quite comfortable with what work has to be done on the loco and by when.

James S
WCR

 

I believe that Statesman railtours which is hoping to operate its Wednesday trip from Lancaster to Carlisle via Preston, Blackburn & the S&C has indicated it will take a £20:00 deposit and NOT expect the remainder until 4 weeks before departure by which time all details should be confirmed and not subject to cancellation at the last minute due to NR "Emergency possessions".

 

That's good news. In this case, I think the combination of Leander and the Settle-Carlisle route is the main selling-point that makes this tour stand out in a crowded marketplace. Any other loco, with the possible exception of 46115, or a different route, might be seen as a bit of a let-down.

Within the same limited area, there are currently two other trips over the S&C, two over Shap and one along the Cumbrian coast being promoted in the same month. If I counted the entries in UKSteam correctly, there's a grand total of 23 steam tours during May, counting The Coronation as one tour and not counting The Jacobite at all! Now, I'm the last to complain about the quantity and variety of steam tours on offer, but it does make me wonder...

 

Did any of you with an "interest" in Kingfisher, so to speak, go to Eastleigh 100 at the weekend? Roger Hardingham was on the Urie Loco Society stand with a large array of Kingfisher books and DVDs for sale, including his latest publication, a profile of 850 Lord Nelson, in the same series as other NRM loco profiles. I didn't get the chance to talk to him myself, but then I've only had good experiences with Kingfisher, as a pay-on-the-day passenger on a couple of Dalesman trips.

 

Yes, I saw that book £8 for that at best poor printing quality! Was absolutely awful and in my opinion should not be offered for sale at that price!

 

Worked for Kingfisher for 2 years. Still owed £200, can't get in touch with Mr Hardingham.

 

I have this number, which may be quite an old one, but at least it's worth a try. Let the rest of us know how you get on.
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Edited by Ann Clark. Please PM the phone number