Railway Touring Company 2016

Almost always seats available for the Kyle. Usually it is advertised as an "option" for main tour participants some of whom choose to have a day of rest in Inverness. **EDIT** I've just had a look at their web page & Kyle can be booked in advance even this early. £135 or £199 depending whether you dine or not.

Wick I'm less sure about as until 2013 the train was generally fully booked. In 2014 I'm pretty sure they had some places available to sell as individual "legs".

Of 2015 the less said the better

 

Many thanks for that. I hadn't seen anything on their web page, must have missed it! I shall endeavour to remember to 'phone them. I suppose it will be interesting to see what the loadings are like for next years tour after the problems this year.

 

I think that applies to main line steam as a whole, certainly as far as the South of England is concerned.

 

http://www.railwaytouring.net/travel-tours/great-britain-ix

The Great Britain IX is now confirmed as running by RTC.

Some locomotive changes:

• 34067 vice 70000
• Jubilees no longer involved
• 46233 replaces 60009

 

I think 70013 will be a close run thing .

46115 not been seen since 2 failures on test runs .

 

I booked on last year's ill-fated GB8. After the fiasco that that turned into, I bailed out after three days. Thinking that lightning could could not possibly strike twice in the same place, I booked for GB9. Silly, silly me!

It is to be hoped that the RTC will not procrastinate and mislead in the way that they did last year, and will immediately pull the plug on GB9 and refund the thousands of pounds they are now holding in passengers fares.

This would mean that passengers would at least be gaining, or saving, interest as the case may be, on their own money. It would also mean that they could use that money on a tour that has a better chance of running - even an RTC overseas tour!

 

I hear plans for GB9 have been scaled down a bit ...

 

If you look at the loco allocation list (current list on UK Steam) most of them are air brake fitted already. The challenge will be covering the gaps (46115 and 70013, plus possibly 34067) and DBS providing crews to cover all the different legs. Then the replacement locos will need support crew to be sourced plus a host of other logistics issues.

No doubt these options will be looked at by the parties involved and a decision made on proceed or cancel.

Regards,

Dan

 

Hi Dan,

This was the sort of thing we were told last year and it ended in disaster. GB9 is such a complex operation that there is no way substitute operators etc. could fill the gap, which we found out to our cost last year. Final payments were only made a few days ago and likewise the formal confirmation that the tour would run. Therefore RTC should not be greatly financially committed yet.

What I am saying is that the RTC should act decisively, in a similar way to some other operators, and cancel GB9 so that those who have booked have certainty so that they can make alternative arrangements if needed, and at least get interest on their money!

Cheers,

John K

 

I hope that too, Al, but that requires several leopards to change their shorts...

 

Don't forget that RTC will have had a good idea that this was coming up for some time as VT did. Not nearly such a surprise as last year. They've got a lot more time to make alternative arrangements.

 

I just hope RTC don't get strung along like last year and what turned into the "Great Shed Farce" as promises from Carnforth to be running later in the tour failed to materialise and DBS didn't have the steam resources, the last thing anyone wants is a repeat of that shambles.

 

This is the key point. We were all sympathetic to RTC last year when they wre sideswiped. But this time round we hae all known that this situation could return ,as it has, since the last quarter of last year. This has given RTC several months to ring round etc and devise a Plan B or at least some sort of phased withdrawal. Yet it seems they are scrabbling around once again at the last minute.

 

DBS dont do double heading unles you want a 67 tucked in behind, not all the engines booked are on DBS's list, so unless suitable airbraked engines are added , then as i see it, its 60163, 60103, or the Dutchess of course if 70000 and 34046 are ready in time ,they might be an option, but GB9 If it has the same problems would best be cancelled, and instead smaller tours arranged using any of those 3, so at least some sort of programe can be kept going

 

GB9 is a long way away at this time. It is what happens in the next few weeks that matters. There are a few tours where RTC need to make rapid alternative arrangements or act decisively and return funds to customers.

 

to be honest, At the moment i dont see how any tour that uses WCRC as the TOC can advertise any tours no one knows when, or even if they will resume their operations, and what the scope will be, as i see it only tours already booked with DBS can with any certainty be said to be viable to book on, VT has so far been the only honest operator who has said openly they will not take any bookings whilst they can not guarantee they have an operator who can operate any of their charters.

 

Looking at the schedule, its going to be a bit of a lottery, but I think some trips may have the potential to be resourced by DBS this time round, which, I'm hoping, is why we've not heard much mood music from RTC yet. Presumably negotiations are ongoing to see what can be salvaged.

Man Vic to Edinburgh is probably one, as DBS cover most of the route, whilst it's the only one that week. Wansbeck will probably go the way of the dodo because it's too complex. Could do with the £92!

 

Of the steam engines, I'm just trying to remember what shall be available. 46100, 34046, 60163, what else for gb9


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