Eastern Rail Services

Good luck to them, a little more competition/option in the market will be a benefit.

Albeit I believe all the stock is Mk2's or 3's, so I assume all the arguments re WCR which have been debated to death will be repeated verbatim on here.

 

Hopefully won't be repeated, because it wont make the blindest bit of difference.

This is a good move for the overall health of the industry. To reference another comment on this forum, it moves some control away from 2 rich men and shows there is another way. It will also assist DB in rebuilding some of their steam experience.

 

Well, these are what I saw at Derby station on the Sunday of The Greatish Gathering:

 

Interesting. I imagine that may not be the chosen livery (perhaps the stock still carries a previous livery?) and the company name/logo looks amateurish. It all looks very insipid, BUT that may make no difference to bookings, of course.

 

And our "Canadian Correspondent" who used to complain endlessly about the state of the coach roof's at Swanage would be very unhappy with those.

 

As long as they're comfortable inside I would quite happily do a tour in them

 

From comments made re a tour using them earlier this year their air con is as temperamental as everyone else’s Mk2's so not particularly comfortable inside then.

 

I believe that's the Mk2 set that was used on the BLS shuttles.

Their Mk3 set has a different livery:



Dave B

 

UK Railtours had moved over to using ERS earlier this year I believe. I attended a rail-tour (March 2025 from memory) where the coaches were 'turquoise' blue (ex TfW?) and in terms of AC, of similar unreliability as seen from other suppliers of mk2s. The Train in question arrived and hadn't been through a washer for some time and thus the windows were an unbecoming yellow/verdigris hue. I have thought that Railtour operators have been struggling with mk2 coaching for some time now, it being a common occurrence and normal to expect to find toilets locked out, AC not working or 'temperamental'. I'm surprised a FTR on a coach operating without AC on a hot summer's day isn't given a greater level of attention given the adverse effect it can have on wellbeing of passengers.

 

Mk2D-F are fitted with proper air con. It's also getting on for 60 years old and designed to be run almost constantly, not once a week for a few hours. I'm sure a newer, more reliable design could be made and fitted, but I dread to think what the cost would be once you add in railway added tax to get it tested and certified.

 

I also think that on really warm days along with trains full to capacity and doors being constantly opened and closed, doesn't give the ageing equipment a fighting chance. I've been on rail tours in summer where trains parked in sidings with no airflow from vestibules and failing AC can render some passengers feeling thoroughly unwell.