Vintage Trains 2022

It's the Saphos modus operandi. I've been on 2 Saphos tours this week (including that one to York you mention) so I have seen their seating system firsthand. Both trains were sold out on the website, you couldn't buy any tickets for them, yet both trains had plenty of empty seats. Different groups don't get seated together, if a table of 4 is occupied by a group of 2 then that table is classed as fully booked, the other 2 seats aren't made available. If a group of 3 has seats at a table of 4 then the 4th seat isn't sold. Single travellers are seated with other single travellers at a shared table but they're the only ones.

 

From the platform.

 

The Saphos train was fairly full, I think about half the passengers got on between Rugby and Wolverhampton so could definitely have had an impact.

 

Went ok today on the Vintage trains Shakespeare's I joined the train at Stratford upon avon hope everyone else enjoyed it travelling today and also a Alice in wonderland event taking place onboard heres my pic of 7029 waiting to run round at Stratford upon avon.
Davo 56F

 

I am planning to have a trip on the Shakespeare Express this summer. When I have done it in previous years I do a round trip, starting from Birmingham in the afternoon.

I have looked on the Vintage Trains website and it does not seem to give you the option of joining the train on the afternoon departure from Birmingham? You have to start from Birmingham in the morning or Stratford in the afternoon?

The morning departure from Birmingham is far too early for me, so I may not be able to do it this year. Is there any way I could do the second return trip from Birmingham, or is that not possible?

 

Put a call into the office.

 

Will they be announcing more day trips soon?

 

A few years ago I took a service train to Stratford, did the dining run Stratford-Birmingham-Stratford, and then stayed on the train back to Birmingham for a service train home; and they didn't charge me for the extra Stratford-Birmingham.

 

The trip to the Settle and Carlisle on May 11th with D400 (50 050)has now been postponed to 14th July because of a traction motor failure.Let's hope it's fixed in time.

 

13th July*

 

Oops

 

Has the Cotswold venturer been Cancelled to Oxford on 21 May? Its disappeared from V.T. website page

 

Yes.
https://www.railwayherald.com/railtours

 

I see that both of the Cambrian Coast Explorers (27th May and 2nd July) have also been cancelled.

Dave B

 

Did they ever even appear on the VT site?
I never saw them on there!

 

Shouldn’t have been any confusion. TfW placed a bid to increase capacity late on and took the standard charter path. Shy of running what we considered unsociable hour charters the decision was taken not to advertise.

 

But in the brochures on tables on last weekends tour .