The Britannic Explorer (Belmond Trains)

Mind you a rather "budget price" compared to some of these
https://www.irtsociety.com/journeys/

 

I have no issue with the prices. What people want to spend their money on is up to them. If someone who has worked their socks off all their life and made a fortune wants to blow £50k on a train trip then fair play to them. I'd say they've earned the right to do that. Back when Eurostar was still running from Waterloo, my boss at the time had to travel to Paris fairly regularly. He would quite often book every single seat in an entire coach, so that he could have a whole coach to himself without "other people getting in the way". One time I even managed to wangle a trip with him, so the two of us had the coach to ourselves. Expensive way to do it, for sure, but it was his money!

 

As long as you are eligible for delay repay (50% per half hour per sector, 100% per hour), the prices are fine.

 

I think my issues are less with price, and more with attitude. Suffice it to say that I'm not sure I'd have got on with your former boss

 

The Plus points I’d make for these luxurious trips is that they contribute income to the railway. And hopefully support from people with more political clout than most of us.

 

Tell me a time in the last several centuries when that has not been so. Middle Ages royalty dining on larks' tongues while peasants in hovels eat gruel. Victorian entrepreneurs building mansions while workers live in slums.

 

Possibly 1939-45? I suspect that was peak egalitarianism.

 

However, there were notable Victorian entrepreneurs who cared enough about their workers to build model villages for them: usually Quakers.

 

Entirely agree, we've eaten at both his places in Cartmel and the food and service is something completely different!

 

Anyway, back to the train - today's run swapped from headcode 1Z10 to 5z10 while at Victoria and appears to be heading for Cranmore ECS. Any further details from anyone?

 

Assuming they have worked at all...

 

Britannic Explorer ; The Lake District Day 3 coming off the S&C at Settle Junction this morning. You would have thought that if they were going to use two 66's they would have painted both of them in the matching livery.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/90397953@N02/54771227509/in/photostream/

 

I presume the GBrF one is a stand in as they had 2 matching (& named) locos at Llandrindod last week.

 

Have they only painted one then? When I watched some video of it crossing the Tamar I assumed one of them had failed. The Belmond has been known to not have a Pullman livery diesel at times.

 

I see the train went to Blaenau Ffestiniog earlier this week, so presumably the restriction on Mk3s going along the Conwy Valley has now been lifted?

 

Yes, mk3’s this year have been cleared on the Cambrian and Conwy Valley.