RTC 2024

From email received from RTC:



Early 2024 daytrips available to book now!

We are pleased to announce that some of our early 2024 daytrips are available to view and book online now.

We have options available to travel over the Settle and Carlisle line on our Winter Cumbrian Mountain Expresses; on the scenic run from York to Edinburgh with the Edinburgh Flyer; or to travel to William Shakespeare's hometown, Stratford on the Stratford Flyer.

The dates currently available online are:

Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express from London and the Midlands - Saturday 27th January
Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express from Manchester area - Saturday 10th February
Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express from London and the Midlands - Saturday 17th February
Stratford Flyer - Saturday 9th March
Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express from London and the Midlands - Saturday 16th March
Edinburgh Flyer - Saturday 23rd March

There will be more to follow shortly, please watch this space and keep an eye on our website for further updates and more launches.




Encouraging, I suppose, that RTC are currently working on the basis that the WCRC/ORR legal battle over CDL will somehow be resolved?

 

The full 2024 programme for RTC up to Autumn is now live

Looks to be another copy and paste with all the usual tours, us Southerners have another year of 45596 Bahamas, with a few Clan Line tours pencilled in

Some noteworthy stand outs (for me personally) are The Tynesider (8th June) & NWCE (6th July) both being departures from London, nice to have destinations from the capital being unusual

I would imagine some Flying Scotsman dates will appear in the near future

 

I see they haven't taken any chances with the U next year, as all the DCEs are shown as diesel hauled out of Weymouth. Also, the Duchess isn't rostered for any trips yet.

 

If Bahamas is the rostered loco for the DCE then the U being involved was next to nil as Bahamas could not to do Weymouth to Brookwood on one tank, as it would have to assist up Upwey bank and then run solo back to Brookwood.

 

I'm sure I saw a comment on Facebook somewhere that 6233 is another 6 months or so off being ready.

 

I wasn't complaining, merely pointing it out. The last I'd heard was that it would be ready for the start of the 2024 season so thank you for the updated information.

 

6023 and 46100 were!

 

Dissapointed that the Hadrian isn't running next year as its normally the only tour that starts and has pick ups in the East Midlands

 

Also of note, that the Welsh Mountaineer isn't listed either.

 

The programme seems a wee bit light at the moment but that will change whenever 60103’s tours are announced. Nothing unusual from RTC but things which were once unusual are now more common such as the Stratford Flyer and the Windsor Flyer. Pleased to see 35028 rostered for tours providing it is ready but 60163 and 6233 are notable absentees. With 3 of the 4 Royal Duchy’s rostered for Carnforth Pool Locos it will be interesting to see whether 35018 comes south. 35028 and/or 6233 could feature on the Royal Duchy’s if ready and maybe even 60163.

 

Although that was what was planned this year until the loco suddenly became "out of gauge".
Of course if you read recent speculative posts on the Swanage and MHR threads it is because the loco will no longer be on the line in Dorset.

 

And the North Wales Coast Express on 6th July gives people from the capital a good chance to visit Llandudno by steam, of which by otherwise you’d normally have to catch it on a Sunday NWCE from Liverpool, alas as per Tynesider a good call on RTC for this one

 

Note that many of the fares are the same as this year (but not all). Quite remarkable under present circumstances; well done RTC!

 

I take your point but the problem is that this make for very long days for anyone living in, or south of London, I appreciate that the Winter CMEs attract a decent regular clientele or they wouldn't feature in RTC's programme year after year. However, speaking as someone that likes to take my wife on main line trips, something like this would be more of an endurance test that a pleasurable day out for her.

I'd also suggest that there are some routes in the south which aren't too difficult for the running of steam. Kent is a good example. Thanks to all the upgrades made to allow for the Eurostars in the 1990s and later, the building of HS1, there is plenty of spare capacity in that part of the world. Salisbury isn't that problematical either, although the crawl around the Windsor lines isn't terribly exciting. While I appreciate RTC's tremendous efforts to continue to run main line steam (And keep prices down!) it's a shame that there is nothing on offer in the south of England similar to the early 2000s (Admittedly I'm thinking of SD in its early days rather than RTC) - two hours out to Canterbury or Salisbury, three hours or so at your destination and a maximum of three hours back. No early morning starts or late nights. That's quite long enough for most people and no need for a you-know-what on the back.

Another sadness, looking at the programme is that running the "Great Britain xxx" means that there are hardly any day trips in April or May. I don't blame the company for wanting a bit of a break after its annual marathon offering, but it's the best time of year for hassle-free steam trip's - coolish temperatures, no leaves on the track and decently long hours of daylight.

Still, I must say that the ACE behind Clan Line is tempting and it will be good to see this fine engine gracing the main line again. but if it means having to get to Woking for 07.50AM, I think I'll be doing it without my better half!

 

A steward friend of mine told me that this year's was likely to be the last. Very sad, but it wasn't paying its way.

 

I was on this years trip. Much chat on board as to would it be the last. It's really sad because it's a fantastic day out but with only 4 revenue-earning coaches( and even then it was not completely full) there was no way it would not have been a loss-maker for RTC I would think.

 

Another new trip for 2024, The Whitby Flyer for 23/03/2024, London departure with the 86 and 2 steamers from the Carnforth Pool on for York-Whitby and back, again good to see an unusual route and destination added for those in the capital and surrounding enroute areas