TORBAY EXPRESS 2011 Season

I don't think the fare increase will have affected these people too much - except that it's probably now even less likely for them to actually travel on the train.

 

If the promoter used WCRC for the Torbay's they wouldn't be able to use 60163 or 71000 on the trains as WCRC will not operate these two loco's at present.

 

For clarity the RTC poster of the Weymouth train is of the sea wall at St Isthmail near Ferryside, and not the sea wall in Devon.

And if you compare the two products.

TBL - 12hr day out, 4hrs at the seaside (longer if you get off at Paignton), family ticket £248.
WSE - 12hr day out, 5rs at the seaside, family ticket £140 which includes a 17% discount.

In terms of running then TBL is the more 'exciting' and of course you get the sea wall section, whilst the WSE is, in comparison, a bit pedestrian, although it does have its moments.
At the end of the day you pays your money and takes tour choice but I would suggest that £100 of price difference is a pretty strong factor to take into account, or looking it the other way thats an awful lot of money you have to spend on rock and ice cream!

One side issue that has always puzzled me is the question of repeat itinery tours and the economic benefits of having all the kit in place for the season with no extra add ons. TBE stock sits all week in BTM so the operators have no movement costs although I assume they pay for the track they are sat on whereas WSE stock comes down from Southall on a saturday and goes back again after the tour. Does the cost of the haulage from Southall and back equate to the track space at BTM?

 

I suspect the reason for that is there's a higher chance the Weymouth stock is required for other tours on different days.

 

The down side is that while the stock is sat at Bristol, it isn't earning any money elsewhere. Ideally, the carriages should be gainfully employed almost every day, returning to base each evening for cleaning and maintenance. It has occurred to me that the Torbay stock could be used mid-week for excursions from Bath & Bristol to London, Stratford, South Wales or the South Coast. Bath and Bristol are popular destinations for steam tours, but quite a lot of tourists base themselves in the district and could, perhaps, be enticed to take a day-trip by steam train to somewhere else? Or maybe Pathfinder already make use of the stock for their many diesel tours?

 

Here are all of the toots and whistles in this video I found:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne3lQ3jlshY

 

UK Steam show 28th cancelled also . . .

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16582147@N07/6048204279/in/photostream

Spot 6024 King Edward I. What is the Class 47.

 

Air view of Barton Hill - the 47 is the green 57601

 

57601 is maroon. Should be 47815.

 

57601 is the WCRC one in red with a black band, so it's definitely not that. While it could be one of the FGW 57s, I'd imagine it more likely to be 47815 which has been Torbay Express standby loco, unless they've switched it for one of the other Riviera duffs.

 

Thanks for the comments on that diesel. any more confirmation would help!

 

The Brush certainly was 815 when it got towed across and has been reported as such in the last week or so!

 

Oops - apologies for the wrong '47' number, but got the colour right! Never was much good at spotting diesel numbers.

 

Re the marketing and fares debate. Perhaps the TBE concept is more of a railtour enthusiasts' day out, by which I mean for connoiseurs of the in-coach experience as well as of what the loco is doing. The WSE is more of a jaunt to the seaside for Joe Public, with added excitement in the means of transport. Joe P is more than happy with the Buffet Car instead of table service. RTC are marketing it very effectively with gushing articles by riders in the Bristol press, and an amount of pre-publicity that maybe TBE used to do, but now I don't think so.

The result is that the non-enthusiasts who used to patronise a trip to Paignton or Dartmouth that was a bit special, now have a choice. And other things being equal for them ("Hemerdon Bank, what's that?") the alternative wins hands down on price.

RTC are now gearing up for tours to Pembrokeshire in addition to Weymouth. I have a feeling that "this town" (Bristol) "ain't big enough for the both of us" in the current economic climate. TBE either have to increase the size of the market with advertising, or fight the competition on price. Either way, it drives a big hole into their margin. Will they think that weekly tours are worth it in 2012?

 

71000 Duke of Gloucester now at Barton Hill ready to resume service with the Torbay Express on Sunday. Fingers crossed that all is well again. <BJ>

 

As a slight aside, has anyone got any images of the Torbay crew on 10.07.11, particularly during the water stop at Taunton, Paignton or Kingswear on the outward run?

Foxy

 

71000 Duke of Gloucester away from Bristol TM on time at 09:15. Dead diesel loco 47.815 tucked inside for insurance purposes after the
Duke's last railtour on 12th June ended in disaster as it 'failed to proceed' on the return leg of the TE. The loco certainly sounded in fine
fettle as I heard the train disappear into the far distance. <BJ>

 

Just got back from a good day out. 71000 performed faultlessly. The cl 47 was only needed on the P&D sections (no surprise), otherwise was shut down all day.

Thanks to all and great to see 71000 back in action.

 

I concur. I did not hear the diesel working at all, all day. Great work by all involved and thanks for giving us another great day of steam on the mainline.
My video of the day is now live:-
http://www.youtube.com/user/gwrsteam?ob=5