RTC 2021

RYTC have already announced some railtours for the first half of 2021. Plenty of them rearranged from this year.
https://www.railwaytouring.net/uk-2021

 

Pretty much the usual program. Almost a shame that the Duchess is seemingly only working in the South again. Weird. Would love to see her on the CMEs over Shap and the S&C again.

 

...and it would be good to see 35018 down in her old stamping grounds a bit sooner than 3rd July.

What is interesting to note is that, as you and 61994 have pointed out, the tours are largely rearranged from 2020 and include a lot of long days out. I was hoping that we would start to see the marathon days out (like the CMEs) supplemented by some shorter tours as a result of the coronavirus. Evidently not, but I hope RTC is not going to get poor loadings on these very lengthy excursions due to people not wanting to be cooped up in a carriage for 12 hours of more. As someone who prefers shorter journeys of 2-3 hours maximum in each direction anyway, I am rather disappointed by what has been announced so far.

 

9th July 2021 trip itinerary says it will be hauled by a SR loco and then has 6201 Princess Elizabeth listed later in the text.

Sent from my I3312 using Tapatalk

 

Whilst understanding what you mean, especially in these masked up times 2 -3 hours really gets you nowhere on a steam tour from London except perhaps Basingstoke or Winchester, or other places with equally difficult operational issues.

 

I agree. If rail travel fails to return to pre-covid 19 levels, a path through Earlsfield and Surbiton might become a possibility once again.
Other worthwhile destinations which could be reached within two hours from London include Canterbury, Oxford, Cambridge, Chichester and Hastings, while three hours ought to get you to Stratford-on-Avon, Sherborne or Bath, especially if other operators take a leaf out of VT's book and use a water carrier.

I must add that I readily acknowledge there is clearly a market for marathon days out as is witnessed by the winter CME series which run year after year, but for those of us who like to take our wives with us, I can assure you that three hours on a train, even steam-hauled and including a good meal in Premier Dining is definitely long enough for my better half and I doubt if she is unique in this matter.

 

A couple of comments.

Maybe London is different in being large enough to fill the train up at one stop, possibly with second one at the M25. Trains like the CME need several pick up points to tap various markets in the SE, W Midlands and NW. In fact the CME joining at Preston is quite an attractive manageable day, two hours up to Carlisle and three hours twenty back.

From the viewpoint of the promoter, the half day probably only becomes attractive in pricing terms if you can get two trips out of the day (Windsor, Fife Circle, Stratford from Birmingham etc). I'm wondering whether next year there might be scope for more of those, although there are probably numerous operational problems with platforms, paths, water etc.

 

I like you would love to (we have even lost the evening run back up the main on the DCE or Swanage Belle), but I understood that is is also available platforms at Waterloo as well as paths. Out of Victoria I guess there are few paths through Tulse Hill and Wimbledon in the week to get on the main.
Still as John says maybe in the future less service trains what with WFH and redundancies.

 

I agree with some of those John but not all. Looking at a few I have stewarded on and a couple on UK Steam from previous years.
Canterbury is about 2.5 hours (always seemed to have to go via Redhill) and 4 hours return as it go round the coast presumably due to no turning facility
Stratford probably equates to Worcester which is about 3 hours or 4 hours depending on pathing
Bath via Newbury before Xmas was 2.5 hours, but SD went Hounslow loop and via Salisbury 4.5 hours
Sherborne 4.5 hours last tour I did
Hastings was 2.5 last time I did it.
But agree Eastbourne, Cambridge and Oxford are doable, but the fixed costs make the fare possibly high for short rail travel (forget about our point of view more public perception of value for money.
Of course dining is the big draw so needs to be long enough for breakfast and dinner which is why I guess SD seem to go "the long way around" sometimes on the way back from nearer locations
Does anyone other than VT even have any thoughts towards a water carrier let alone have one?
Of course there is always Surrey Hills or the lengthy version via Oxford as a tour without a destination as such. I once did a Victoria-Kensington via Richmond, Woking, Andover,Southampton, Woking and back round via Richmond in the days of Kingfisher. Think that worked out at about 5 to 6 hours from memory, but again no destination just a ramble by rail.

 

Are RTC hoping to run these tours at full capacity or not? I would like to think that by next summer (at the latest) tours could run at full capacity without a problem.

 

Optimism from Sam. I'm concerned, this isn't your normal tone?!

James

 

I've never done Redhill-Tonbridge behind steam. Every time I have done Canterbury behind steam, the outward route was via Bromley South and then usually via either Maidstone or Sevenoaks, including as recently as 2017. The return could go via Margate and Sole Street, which would be quicker than the loop through Deal, but the climb up Martin Mill Bank and the "white cliffs" section is always one of the hightlights

and via Didcot ought to be even quicker.

Hastings could be done in under two hours via Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells but the big problem is the climb out of Tonbridge - 1 in 47 at worst on a tight curve. Also, while a circular route is possible, there are also question marks about one bridge between Hastings and Ore. Saphos is scheduled to be taking 34046 over it in September. Whether this will be possible remains to be seen.

With all the destinations which start off heading down the L&SWR main line, the big question, as I mentioned above, is the level at which regular services will eventually settle. If fewer trains are needed, a path through Surbiton would be possible and would knock an hour off the crawl via the Windsor Lines. I agree with Al that innovation will be the key to re-establishing main line steam again. There obviously is a market for tried and tested favourites, but the operator who takes advantage of the potential reduced intensity on commuter routes in the south and tries something new could do quite well, as tourists will return to London eventually, even if a signficant number of office workers may not.

 

I’m being realistic and with me hopeful now of a vaccine being widely available at the end of March next year which would be a year on from lockdown and roughly 18 months after the first case of the virus. Also quite simply social distancing isn’t sustainable beyond that even for me someone who naturally socially distances any way. That hopefully means the long awaited sight of 35018 on the HML which will be worth waiting an extra year for. It also hopefully means the return of other engines such as 60007 with Saphos and 6024 in the south west.

 

Several more trips have been added, including this rather enticing offering:

https://www.railwaytouring.net/the-mancunian

 

That is indeed very enticing; but it's a long way ahead, so whether it will happen as advertised, and whether we will feel confident in travelling, having regard to the state of the pandemic by then, are very uncertain. And RTC's T&C include "No refund or substitutions are available, other than due to cancellation by the organisers". Under those conditions, how many of us will be willing to book our tickets?

 

As I missed that I re-read the Ts&Cs. The Covid-19 section is a bit bizarre:

Covid-19

In order to minimise the risks to our passengers and on-board crew/stewards there will potentially be some changes made to the seating arrangements on board, i.e. we may need to seat all bookings solely with members of their own party.
Probably OK for most groups. Difficult for people who book on behalf of friends who are from different towns.

Any passenger who is feeling unwell immediately prior to travelling with ourselves is requested NOT to travel.
Seriously? they'd be allowed on board?

We request that all passengers wear face masks while on board our trains and whilst hand sanitiser will be available we recommend that passengers also bring their own supply with them to use regularly whilst on board. As has always been the case regular hand washing/sanitising is advised throughout the journey.
Only a request to wear face masks.

For Premier dining passengers there may be some changes required to the food service on board and we may be running a plated service rather than silver served at your seat for the time being, to reduce risks to passengers and catering staff. It is therefore very important that any vegetarians travelling inform us beforehand so that they can be accommodated. No other dietary requests will be possible at present.
Sensible as Silver Service could only be done if delivered by staff wearing full PPE.

 

I understood people from different social bubbles should not be travelling together, so people should not be making bookings for friends unless they are in their "bubble". Of course do people follow the rules?

If passengers feel unwell before travel makes no difference if you ask or tell them not to travel. If they choose to ignore it you have no way of knowing they feel or felt unwell. During the SARS outbreak I lied about a fever to Japanese Immigration at Tokyo as I knew my boss would not accept me feeling unwell as a reason to cancel the trip.

The face mask issue is the same really, ask or say mandatory if people do not comply what is the next step? I guess RTC know their plans are in that instance but I understand TOC staff have been told not to get involved in enforcing it. Of course if you have seen the video on Twitter of the KLM Amsterdam to Malaga flight last week you do run the risk of an all out brawl between wearers and non wearers if folks do not comply.