Steam Dreams 2026

Steam to Penzance in 2026!

Steam Dreams "The Cornish Riviera 2026" railtour will get steam back to Penzance

22nd September (London -) Taunton - Penzance
26th September Penzance - Taunton (- London)

https://steamdreams.co.uk/journey/the-cornish-riviera-2026/

 

Can only hope/presume 5029 will be providing the motive power on this trip. That'll likely continue to be based on the WSR for the English Riviera Express trains.

 

I looked at that a couple of weeks ago and was tempted, but the problem there is the price. I would rather have the option just to pay for the travel, leaving me free to book my own accommodation in Penzance, which would not be as expensive as what Steam Dreams are charging. They do offer this option in some of their multi-day holidays, such as the one to Edinburgh later this year, but not this Cornwall one.

 

My guess is that Edinburgh being a big city with multiple routes to get there and lots of places to stay is probably deemed as easier for customers to be able to get rooms at suitable hotel and get to it. Also if something goes wrong operationally on the day its probably easier to deal with if you already have coaches booked for everyone (for the hotel transfers) to get somewhere if you are in a more hard to reach area with 1 rail route in and out.

 

The wording "We depart aboard a diesel or electric-hauled locomotive" is somewhat garbled.

I am inclined to agree. Their price for Pullman on the Bath Christmas Market trip is £425. If we double that to £850 for the two days of the Cornwall trip, that means they're charging £1900 for three nights in the hotel.

 

Not sure it is garbled just inaccurate. Not sure where the wires run out but you cannot get to Taunton on electric taking either route.
Of course we do not know what he day prices are next year but I do agree the "hotel and meal package" does seem excessive even for that part of the world. Although the hotels do not look cheap, the Pullman ones being POA, even the Carbis Bay in St Ives for the First Class is £300 a night next week ,so it will be more next year.

 

Don’t really see your issue myself? It’s a trip that will command a lot of attention, and rightly so. Rarely does steam get beyond Par, and LSL steam certainly doesn’t venture over the RA Bridge too often. What’s going on focussed on past, present, and future. People are still discussing trips that were weeks, even months back, so I can’t understand why anyone has an issue with people looking towards what will surely be a highlight of the 2026 calendar.

 

And next week is when LSL publish all their tours for next year, so next week this forum will be full of discussion about tours that are a year or more in the future. Al had better stay away for a few days.

 

Give it a rest. It’s obviously of interest to some of the posters on here.

 

2026 Steam Dreams tours:
15th April Ipswich to Bath
16th May Ashford & Tonbridge to Bath
13th June Haywards Heath to Cambridge & Ely
20th June Waterloo to Paignton
9th September Horsham to Oxford
16th July & 20th August Chiltern Circulars

As per this year no Standard Class avaliable, one or two trips are only Pullman Dining and of course prices are on the up too
First Class £245
Pullman £465

 

Seems to be a very similar year to 2025 for Steam Dreams next year. Trips starting in London & Essex bound for Kingswear, trips bound for Bath & Chiltern circulars. Seems like the Kent circular and Surrey Hils circular isn't making a comeback this year which is a shame. No steam hauled throughout trips, Steam added in west London, but in this day and age this is expected and doesn't come as a surprise. I assume Britannia, Duke or Mayflower likely will be handling most of these trips aside from the Dawlish ones.

 

And of course all destinations (as the Bath trips the train has to go to Bristol) with a triangle or a turntable, unless they are a circular route like Kent.

 

The locomotives have been confirmed for Steam Dreams 2026 trips. Based on this we have a idea of which locomotives could be based next year. It appears that the Duke and Brittania will be based in Southall, most of their rostered trips their involvement starts in London.

Mayflower and Gresley both have one trip each on trips doing to Kingswear. This was to me quite surprising as I assumed now Nunney is available that it was mainly gonna be Nunney's role every year doing the Kingswear trips. But maybe that's going to be based there as well or there's something else planned.

 

Would assume then that Mayflower will do the Marches trips alongside assisting Nunney with the work load on the Riveria trips.

In 2024 Gresley only did a few trips out of WSR so that's probably the case here that it'll come down to do a few trips to allow the other two to have routine maintenance and then it'll head back to help Blue Peter out of Crewe.

Thought Braunton was about to go out of ticket? If so Blue Peter will be very busy!