Railway Touring Company's 2017 Programme

You are right about good destinations and timings, and I suspect the relative rarity of Whitby compared to the more regular trips helps. Another factor may be steam top and tail.

With regard to Ray Mason's comments I'm sure he's right too. The situation at Southall may mean that the opportunities for WCR to operate steam in the South-East become more limited, but hopefully the reopening of Settle- Carlisle will help maintain a reasonable number of tours using Carnforth based locos.

 

A quick look at the Northern times suggests that RTC's provisional times between Middlesbrough and Whitby will need to change - 12:00 arrival is a minute after Northern (which turns round and sets off more or less straight back) and 15:00 return would produce an interesting situation somewhere between Sleights and Grosmont with the 15:36 Northern Arrival at Whitby!

I suspect both could be a little earlier - not sure what impact, if any, that will have on start time - York to Northallerton isn't usually over an hour, and there isn't really a 'loop' to lose the train in as such, just the slow line which is used by passenger trains!

Steven

 

Gutted!!! The Waverley tour behind Scotsman scheduled for 3rd September has been rescheduled to 9th July, now that's a clash of dates if ever there was one...just waiting to hear from the other members of my party as to if they can make any other dates available...I know who I'll be on the phone to first thing tomorrow.

Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh - as in the castle...

 

Oh, well. See you in Yeovil!

 

doesnt the NR service stay quarter of an hour in Whitby ?

 

About that - less than half the time it would take to get in from Glaisdale and safely into the other platform at Whitby.

I am guessing that this train will need to pass Northern at Nunthorpe on its way out of Whitby in the morning so as to have time to always be a section ahead of it - Battersby to Glaisdale and Glaisdale to Whitby are both a good 30, 35 minutes each for steam and the turn-round at Middlesbrough for Northern is again not that long.

Steven

 

Whilst it is always easy to criticise, it should be just as easy to be positive too.

All credit to @meltonnorth for his open and frank posting on the Buxton Spa Express thread. He has given a very realistic summary of the situation and at the same time let all know that the tour is to be pure steam if he gets a few more numbers. That openness is truly appreciated.

 

Today's offer £30 of any UK day trip with voucher code VDD valid till 11.30 am on the 15th.

 

Booked both of the Belles in October. Eventually I'll be booking 60163's trips, so it will be a busy month...

 

Offer extended to 11:30 today.

 

Thank you for code. Booked on first rail tour, Devon Belle in October for £69. Why not at that price.

 

Where was discount code posted? Need to read t&c. Hope it was okay to use for single person booking

 

Booking mine on Devon Belle in October. Look forward behind bulleid.

My last time rail tour 17th February 2007 to bristol by 34067 Tangmere. (10 year ago)

 

Same code as above, offer should have ended this morning.

 

Except for standard class on July 9, August 6,13 & 20 60103 tours are Sold out.

 

Well, it's more the fact that it's another trip on the Southern. My thoughts on the reality are a spin to Exeter, diesel on the back to drag it to Laverstock, turn, then back to London, unless by some miracle there's an engine change. Alternatively, they could surprise us all and pull something out of the hat.

 

6 Bells Junction shows the SD run to Cornwall on 17-9-2016 taking 1 hr 22 mins from Victoria via Kensington Olympia to Reading. Starting from Waterloo and taking the Sheepcote Lane Curve should be significantly quicker than that, so not much over an hour.

Which trip are you referring to? The advertised route for the Devon Belle on 28th October implies steam on the front all the way. Waterloo, West London Line, GW main line, Reading, Basingstoke, Yeovil Jn, Exeter St D, Westbury, Newbury, Reading and an unspecified route from there back to Waterloo.

 

I'm referring to a worst case scenario change on the day. Hope it runs as planned, though.