Welsh Marches Express - Cardiff: 27/11/16

Not to mention through the Malverns to Hereford

 

Not a common routing these days with the NR "tube loading gauge" expanding but some decent climbs and tunnels, it was the routing that got me to book, Black Fives at New St, X City, Lickey and Worcester - Hereford, more interesting than via Old Hill and Gloucester IMO.

 

Another offer for the Christmas Trains - including this one. £25 off in Standard Class.

Early Black Friday deal - £25 off per person in standard class on our Christmas daytrips 2016

We are emailing to offer you an early Black Friday deal of £25 off per person for any new bookings in standard class on our forthcoming Christmas daytrips. This offer will be open until close of business on Thursday 24th November.

In order to obtain your discount please quote code EBF when placing your booking.

 

Just seen the email and have booked on this one.

 

I didn't think I'd be awake at that time on a Sunday, but as I intend to drive down to International from York, I'll be up a little (ie. a lot) earlier. Suspect it'll end up being 07:00 departure.

 

I'm sure we can get a few people up to look after you.

 

Thanks for posting this. the discount just about brings the tour within my price range to treat my old man, so have booked on. I've never done Llanvihangel behind steam so very much looking forward to this! Hopefully friendly timings will allow us to get the service train from Wolverhampton to get to new Street in the morning.

 

That does seem unusually late, even for a Sunday. I'll put a fiver on the car being required now!

 

We heard on very good authority from WCRC guys on Saturday that there will be a diesel on the back to carryout the drag back from Cardiff to Newport Maindee triangle to turn the train. Arriva Traincare who own Canton Depot don't allow visiting steam engines and trains into their depots if Bristol Barton Hill is anything to go by and it seems as previously posted that Leckwith Triangle is out of commission.

The train will probably be serviced in Pengam Yard, east of Cardiff General Station, requiring a drag back into the station for the return. So no chance of unassisted climbs of Colwall (1 in 80) or probably Llanvihangel Southbound and most of the journey from Caerleon to Hereford and you can forget the Lickey. Hope they relent and make it a proper steam hauled train. Anyone from WCRC able to comment?

 

Could easily be resolved with a shadowing path. I've seen steam at Canton before, though.

 

Any comment from @RayMason who on the previous thread said that this trip was black 5s solo?

 

Indeed, booked this one on the strength of hearing it would be steam from a reliable source, now I find all the banks have become an irrelevance, and my early booking for this one has also been rewarded by the potential to be sitting opposite someone who payed £25 less for exactly the same product, can't help but feel somewhat shafted and probably won't be booking with RTC again as a result.

It's not so much the tailgunner that annoys me, I've been on tours with them before, it's the dishonesty, being told one way is likely then the opposite happens, and also paying £25 more than I actually needed to, that last one must even irk Joe Public booked on this one.

 

Ho ho ho... as the man in the red suit will say on the train.

 

I did read the previous thread (now deleted?), but did Ray not say it was Black 5s + diesel as far as Bromsgrove on the return then the Black 5s to Birmingham on their own?

Or it could just be my memory playing tricks on me after a bad day at work...

James

 

The original maths was one Class 7, as 70013 was supposed to do it. I recall having an argument with the Santa on last year's Christmas Cheshireman about the quality of his beard (which should have been Salopian is it never reached Chester due to line capacity issues and having to go the Great Way Round via Gloucester).