Saphos Trains 2018

Early bird discounts available on next years tours from £65.

 

Bargain fares are available in 2019 on all tours see website.

 

Interesting that there looks to be a change in their stock. First Class for 2019 must be First Opens as it's being advertised as seats around a table for four or at a table for two, £20 extra per seat. Friends who booked First in 2018 were in a First Compartment. Anyone know if they are MK1s?

 

Reply recieved from Saphos Trains on 13/11/18 in responce to my request for info in which class should be "non air conditioned" in 2019 .........................

"Based on our normal train formation, Premier Dining and First Class would usually provide for accommodation in a MkI carriage. However, we can not guarantee this as depending on operational requirements the rolling stock configuration can change meaning that a MkII carriage may be used.


Regards

Saphos Trains"

 

I asked a similar question about the stock and their advertising:
First Class – £145
Early booking discount price – £99*
Reserved seating is arranged around a table of four or table of two offering additional legroom, wide cushioned seats, curtains and large picture windows.
and also whether or not the Class 47 would be on the rear of their trains. Might be a bit of right hand/left hand there. The reply was:

"We plan to use the same carriages in 2019 although we do have an additional MK1 FO which will be used for Premier dining. We also still plan to use a diesel locomotive on the rear of the train formation".

Pity as we really would like to do some of their trains, particularly the Welsh Marches and the Rivieras; but not after the way the 47 ran on them this year.

 

This of course contradicts what was stated originally. I wont be booking on any of their trips

 

That's a pity.

 

Hopefully UK Railtours and Pathfinder can put on more steam tours and gain access to LSL's locos, otherwise their magnificence mainline fleet will succumb to future show pony status !

 

The Pathfinder trip to Chester on 15/12 will be using an LSL steam loco between Bescot yard and Chester both ways. DB-operated so diesel should hopefully be staying at Bescot all day.

 

At least the claim that passengers will travel in vintage carriages has been dropped for 2019. Suppose you could stretch "Comfort and Style" to travelling in AirCon Mk2s. No noisy sounds of steam engines or bits of coal dust coming through a toplight to ruin your Classic Steam Experience...

 

I find it hard to believe that the long-term strategy of Saphos will feature air conditioned Mark 2s and diesel shovage. As far as the former is concerned, even with the resources available at Crewe, they are still going to take a while to overhaul a full rake of Mk 1 stock but as more stock comes on stream, one can but hope that the Mark 2s will in due course be replaced and kept for non-steam tours. As for the diesels on the rear, hopefully this is part of a "learning curve" which will be discarded once the company is more established. OK, this may be wishful thinking on my part, but I find it hard to believe that an organisation set up by someone with the financial resources of Mr Hosking is prepared to settle long-term for second best. The standard of both the exterior and interior of the stock which has been used suggests that sights are aimed high. It is hard to square this with perpetual diesel shovage, especially when, in the case of the "English Riviera Express", they are competing with the Torbay Express which runs diesel-free. If Saphos wishes to carve out a place in what is rather a crowded market, it will have to offer something a bit special and given the people who have been recruited from other organisations, I am sure they must be aware of this and that replicating the worst of what is currently on offer will do their cause no favours.

 

The vast amount of passengers want a nice environment clean warm and draft free, so long as there is a steam loco on the front there happy the majority are just having a day out. The train will still run whether there is any so called enthusiasts on it.

 

Yet the long term strategy of the A1ST, lauded by many on here as the most far sighted of steam movements is Mk3's, I would suggest that those in the know have very differing views to enthusiasts?

 

I think the marketing side would note that enthusiasts form a very small portion of their custom hence directing their efforts at those who pay to travel rather than those who go lineside and criticise from the comfort of limited (if any) experience.

 

I thought this was their stated operational process when they were first launched on the basis they wanted to be a responsible operator and did not want to cause any delay to regular services by calling for a rescue loco if there was a failure.

Based on my experience of stewarding for a different company many passengers who are not enthusiasts, and board at the originating station, seem more surprised when they are told the diesel was left behind when it was a tour that was purely steam.

 

Makes sense somtimes running wi a diesel t and t formation if the excursions route isent near a heritage railway or maintenance depot to tow the kettle to. And also backup motive power extra carriage heat and lighting. But yes i think enthusiasts and passengers prefer without a diesel and steam only.

 

Anyone else getting a sense of deja vu?