RTC 2019

A number of trips have been added to the website and include : -

3nr WCME'S starting at Euston, and will be hauled from Carnforth by either 35018 “British India Line”, 45699 “Galatea” or 45690 “Leander”.

High Peak Explorer to Buxton and Hindlow.

The Edinburgh Flyer 60009 York to Edinburgh and return. 6.00am start.

Also the The Cotswold Venturer, The Yorkshireman and The Cumbrian Coast Express.

On the booking page on the drop down an End of Southern Steam is also listed.

 

Half expected to see a Whitby trip or two, one of the best in my humble opinion !

 

List only goes to March, Whitby trips were in April this year and I guess it is a tour best done in daylight.

 

I am not sure that there are any available paths on the Whitby line now. Even this year the available path did not really work and the resulting penalty payments were pretty costly I believe. I agree it is an enjoyable trip, but I would not be surprised if it does not get repeated

Peter

 

Not sure it was the path itself that didn't work this year. I travelled on the first of the two outings (7th April) and I have to say that it might well have gotten itself into the Guinness Book of Records for the number of times a PA announcement was prefaced by or included the word "Unfortunately". Not a moan, I promise, but definitely a railtour record for me.

Its all written up far more absorbingly than I could aspire to in Oswald T Wistles' very comprehensive account of the days proceedings at Post No. 69 of te Whitby Flyer (7th April) thread. But in summary the fundamental problems in the outward direction were firstly not being able to maintain the booked time over the York-Middlesborough section with a 50mph locomotive as part of the T&T consist, thus in turn missing the single line path to Nunthorpe and having to wait time for a Nunthorpe-Hexham service to clear the section. And then not being able to enter the 24 mile single track section from Battersby to Whitby due to the fact that the points were out of order at the loop at Glaisdale, so an enforced wait of well over 90 minutes at Battersby Junction (can't recall exactly how long) and just 80 minutes in Whitby instead of the advertised three hours plus.

For all this, it really was a most enjoyable day. Hopefully, these operational problems would not be repeated on any future re-run, so I do hope you that your prediction of a possible no-show in next year's programme doesn't in the event materialise. This is the kind of trip (like, say, the Wansbeck or the Welsh Mountaineer) that I think RTC does particularly well and in a world of repeat-itinerary outings is something distinctive and different about their offering.

 

Not withstanding the consequences of the issue with Glaisdale points on the outward leg of the first week, it is the return path that caused the delay penalities. It just is not possible to get from Whitby to Nunthorpe in the allotted time. This in itself is governed by the time the preceding unit clears Glaisdale to the time needed to be at Nunthorpe to cross the next train. On both occasions we were 15-20 minutes late into Nunthorpe for the cross. You would be surprised by the delays (and cancellation) that this caused.

I would love to do more Whitby jobs but I'm not over optimistic about the prospects.

Peter

 

Ah. I see!! Thank you for your patient explanation of this. Much appreciated. I guess that the 20 minute pause that we experienced at Grosmont on the return journey for further attention to the B1 wouldn't have helped matters on that particular evening either. But no, I certainly wasn't aware of the disruptive effects that were subsequently experienced on the network to which you refer. Hmmmm!

 

WCME (26 Jan 2019) and High Peak Explorer (02 Mar 2019) use code LWA for £20 off - book by 18 Aug 2018.

Anxious though I am to cover the final couple of hundred yards up to the stop board at Hindlow I might give it a miss after last year's weather. Now the WCME, option to board at BOLTON, direct line through SOUGH TUNNEL on the return - and, after previous year's failings to match up to the marketing blurb, "pigs might fly!" . . . 43106, now there,s a thought. I'll probably give it a go - just in case.

 

I agree. I'll wait for the details to become firmer and be happy to pay the extra £20 if I then do fancy the trip.

 

Probably RTC trying to snap up your £89, before Saphos advertise their £90 offerings..

 

Not only that, has a loco owner even been contacted for availability too?
Isn't that way of working one of the key sources of frustration with the way certain outfits conduct their business? We have seen it countless times, advertising trips that amount to little more than a hope so that "expressions of interest" in the form of financial deposit will provide some incentive to turn it into reality? Then as the date draws nearer, "apologies for not being able to operate as desired but we hope you like what we can give you instead".
Hopefully that will see me proved entirely wrong!

 

The main 2019 season now online

http://www.railwaytouring.net/uk-day-trips/

Some good variety, new itineraries and regulars. 35018 running in the south and 60009 advertised well past its mainline ticket expiry.

 

Nice to see that the Duchess is rostered for the DCE trips alongside 60009 and 45305 and also for the Swanage Belle. Be good to see 46233 in the South again.

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

I also see that 60103 (subject to contractual agreement) and 6233 are both scheduled for the Cotswold Venturer on 15th June & 24th August respectively.

 

I was having a browse through the RTC website last night and noticed some interesting routing on the return leg of the Wensleydale tour on 6th April.

'We will leave the Castleford line briefly at Sherburn Junction and follow the curve to Gascoigne Wood Junction where the train will reverse. We rejoin the Castleford line at Milford Junction'.

Unless I'm losing it, I'm pretty sure that wasn't originally mentioned as I had no intention of doing the tour. The Sherburn - Gascoigne Wood curve has been done a fair few times in recent years but when was the last steam on the Gascoigne Wood - Milford section?

I'm now debating whether £109 plus travel and hotel is worth it for the chance of doing 1.25 miles of required track. Saying that the tour back in 2015 to the Wensleydale with 61994 & 62005 was a good day out so I'll probably take the risk.

I also see the Blackpool trips on 13/4 & 21/9 are now steam hauled in the opposite direction than originally planned.

 

I think 46233 did Gascoigne Wood to Sherburn South Junctions from Hambleton on 6 December. One of those 'blink and miss it' moves. Admittedly, tracing it on Google maps is giving me a headache, but I think I now see what you mean.

The train goes from South Sherburn to Gascoigne Wood Junction, then proceeds to Milford Junction. The latter move is definitely interesting...

 

Will that be to detach the York Loco that came on at the back so it can head back to York from Gascoigne Wood

 

According to the revised write-up, a second locomotive detaches at Hellifield. Whatever it is, it will attach to rear at York to drag Castle Hills to Redmire, then Castle Hills to Gascoigne Wood, where the first locomotive takes over for Gascoigne Wood to Carnforth. I wouldn't be too surprised if the second locomotive is dropped off sooner than Hellifield, although there is the possibility that it overnights at York.

All very interesting, but I have already have three tours scheduled for April, and Northern would probably prevent a tilt at York-Redmire-Skipton; the return is of more interest than the outward for me, having done the Wensleydale and Durham Coast back in 2015 (a shame that itinerary isn't dusted off as it was pretty good).