Saphos 2023

Next year's trips were put on the website today.

Still going through the programme but it looks like the usual mix. One thing I have noticed is a tweak to the prices.

Pullman Dining is reduced from £365 to £350.
First Class is reduced from £195 to £185
HOWEVER Standard Class is increased from £155 to £165.

So with this new pricing structure there is just £20 separating Standard from First.

Midland Pullman and Statesman are the same prices as well, so it looks like LSL have standardised the prices across their various brands. Saphos is still the only one even offering a Standard Class option.

 

Yes, not a lot there to make me part with £165. There seems to be a real flood of 'Golden Arrows'. Might have been tempted by a Severn Valley trip if there was one on offer.

 

It's nice to see that, following LSL buying Steam Dreams who are mostly based at Southall, that Saphos have used that to their advantage to have some tours 'down south' a bit more, seeing as some of the LSL fleet will be based there for SD.

 

Anyone noticed the 30th Sept Lakelander coincides with a CCE on the same day.

 

2023 looks like being the best year for steam in Kent for some time. Four "Golden Arrows" and 12 British Pullman luncheon circulars (which now seem to be running via the LC&DR main line ot Dover and back via the SER) is a lot to look forward to. Also RTC is running its "Kentish Belle" again and Steam Dreams has yet to release its 2023 programme.

I'm delighted by this as I live only about 10 miles from Kent and have argued on a number of occasions that it is a relatively straightforward area for pathing main line steam. Everything that goes really fast runs on HS1 but a lot of money was spent upgrading the traditional routes prior to the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994 , so there's a decent amount of spare capacity on some of the main lines. The big problem is that tight clearances rule out most larger non-SR locos - or at least, so we thought. The appearance both of 45596 and 60103 in the last 18 months imply that the railways of Kent are not so gauge-unfriendly as was popularly believed.
I'm waiting to see if the claim that the new cylinders on 6024 have slimmed it down to being no wider than a Merchant Navy will be put to the test with a visit to this neck of the woods!

 

Bloody hell standard £165, its becoming a very select hobby.

 

Surely £20 has to be worth it for 6 abreast versus 8 for a full day?

 

Yes and you are likely to be in a Mk 1 rather than a Mk 2. When I looked at the Vintage Carriage Database most of the Mk1's they own are First Class.

 

No sign of double headed steam next year, unless I've missed it..

 

That's the worry, but my hope is that WCR and RTC are positioned a bit differently from LSL and that there is not too much market overlap. Perhaps a bigger concern is that all sorts of discretionary spending markets will be smaller in 23 than they were this year. Look at the A1 trip programme to Aberdeen--- will there really be a market for that number of trips?

 

Another worry is that LSL will simply keep offering to buy up other tour companies to take away the competition.

 

I guess another version of that is what will Mr Smith want to do with his legacy. That's the usual question with SMEs. Will a willing buyer find a willing seller at some point?

 

Maybe but normally companies are purchased for something they have that is of extra value. With SD it was an in ticket loco I suspect, if LS were after "global domination" there are other ways to do it without resorting to buying a going concern.

 

I can't help but wonder if LSL might run such trips under the "Steam Dreams" banner?

 

Not often something goes down in price, especially at the moment!

 

Maybe it was a bit optimistic, but I thought they would've tried to do a trip to Cornwall with the return of 6024 and the potential of using St Blazey turntable.

Even if it was consecutive weekends or something and just steam one way. Steam on/off at Norton Fitzwarren, or even Exeter.

I would have been interested in doing a reverse of the Holyhead to Cardiff they have planned for 1st March.