Torbay Express 2016

The dates for the 2016 season of the Torbay Express have been released. There are 7 dates currently listed which are the 3rd, 10th & 24th July, 7th & 21st August and the 4th & 11th September.

There will be two different routes for the express in 2016 like previous years:

3rd & 24th July, 21st August & 11th September:

Bristol TM - Bath Spa - Trowbridge - Westbury - Taunton - Kingswear

10th July, 7th August & 4th September:

Bristol TM - Weston - Taunton - Kingswear

Hopefully all of these date will go ahead and 2016 will be a good season!

 

Hope to do the Torbay Express one year but travel and accommodation's an issue

 

Great trips really enjoyed working on them with 5029 and 34046

 

How far away from Bristol are you? There are hotels / b&bs near Temple Meads e.g. Ibis, Holiday Inn. Book early (or sometimes v late) for best deals. Use trip advisor for reviews.

 

Yes indeed. I live in Bristol and lucky to have choice of Torbays, Duchys and Weymouths. All recommended though not many Weymouths last year and they ran with diesel attached after Tangers failed to get up Evershot in 2014 so now no go for me.
From a loco performance point of view the Duchys are your best bet. They haven't featured diesels except during fire risk, though Tangers failing to get up Hemerdon last year may change things. Not much to do in Par but RTC put on buses to Fowey and Charlestown.
Torbays via Bath are the more interesting trips. You get the views along the Avon valley then climb over Brewham, and of course more steam mileage. Have had diesel haulage couple of times due to loco failure and fire risk, but the aim is 100% steam haulage* so these trips have my keen support and there's enough to do in Dartmouth.
*except the Torbay & Dartmouth sometimes use their class 25 to bank the train up to Churston.

 

I Live in Southport

 

Get up early and you can drive there and back in a day.

 

After the mess up in Oct when I was up at around 5:00am for the Scarborough Spa Express and the drive which should have taken only 3hrs I was held up in traffic and ended up missing the Scarborough Spa at York, left just as I was arriving in York. And in the evening I had to stop off and rest as I was so tired I couldn't concentrate properly driving. Im not trying that again and future railtours when I have to travel long distance a stop off overnight will have to be done.

 

Airbnb is your friend. Cheaper than a hotel too.

 

.....or not. <BJ>
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ant-throws-New-Year-s-party-trashes-home.html

 

Try being support crew!

 

No locomotive allocations for the 2016 Torbay Expresses have been announced yet, but there is a fair chance that 34046 and 46100 will feature, and an outside possibility that 5029 will be back.

David

 

Just taken from the Torbay Express Facebook Page:

We are delighted to announce that we are expecting that on the first three dates (3, 10 & 24 July) the Torbay Express will be hauled by Royal Scot No. 46100 (subject to the locomotive passing the usual tests etc.)

 

Why am I not inspired? Wrong engine I suppose, anything running as the Torbay Express along the Devon sea wall is just wrong if it hasn't got a King or a Castle on the front. Let's hope 5029 makes it for this season

 

Isn't 46100 an improved castle?

 

34046 Braunton has also been announced to haul the last four Torbays. As just published on Facebook.

 

Didn't want to start an avalanche of abuse from bitter westernites