Saphos Trains 2018

I suspect the key issue for a Crewe start would be getting a regular path from Crewe to Farington junction, however perhaps a further market to be explored and could even tap the London market as you can get to Crewe for 0730ish on the early train out of Euston?

 

That is true but I suppose using exclusively class 7 or 8 might help a little with pathing? Another issue would be loco facing the wrong way on arrival at Preston? Missing out Preston would be a big change, potentially damaging but could be asuaged by Warrington & Wigan as replacements perhaps.

 

Actually scrub that, leave the fellsman as it is, statesman are/were obviously making cash with wcrc operating as it's booked months in advance (unless a outpost for lsl can be identified to bring all in house.

The Crewe starters northwards sound like a good opportunity in themselves, alternate s&c shap and cumbrian coast with Crewe, Wazza and Wigan pick ups and links to london, what's not to like.

 

LSL have expressed an interest in utilising their deisel fleet for purposes other than simply supporting the steam fleet. Perhaps starting at Crewe deisel hauled to Preston then backing a steam loco on is a possibility? Thereafter the steam will be facing the right way. Also means a faster run up the West Coast easing pathing constraints, tapping in on both Crewe and Preston catchments in the process. It just begs the question next of where the steam is coming from...

 

Is there, perhaps, any feasibility in collaborating with RSR as a servicing / stabling point?

 

Considering most of the tours over there are using shorter trains with fewer seats, but also lower prices, that would seem to be true. I've done a tour, well more of a positioning move, from Koblenz in the north to Geneva in the southwest of the country with 241A65, a massive 4-8-2, on three coaches before. Most other tours seem to only be around half a dozen coaches.

You can work out roughly how much a tour costs quite easily. There was a tour in Italy a couple of weeks ago, 2-8-0 with 5 coaches and a luggage van. About 380 seats in total, €45 per person with under 8s going for free. The most they could've taken in ticket sales was about €17,000, about £15,000.

Compare that to the UK where 12 coaches are common. Say 9 passenger coaches, at roughly £6000 per coach (64 in standard at £90 a ticket, 42 in first and dining at £140 a ticket, without food obviously). That's over £50,000 just from ticket sales! So yes, cheaper to run tours abroad, but the costs in the first place are going to be so much lower as well.

 

Would it be too much to hope that the now expanded numbers of providers actually work together and support each other. Strength in numbers and a shared vision should help sustain mainline steam. Sharing each others facilities seems a good start.

 

Non WC trains watering at Hellifield perhaps?

 

Is there not the capacity to do this already, just not using the wcrc facilities, sure a tanker could be parked in the car park?

On a related (ish) issue someone (might have been @Victor) mentioned recently that there had been a lot of clearance of the wcrc site at Hellifield, passing on the SS the other week there has been loads of work done to clear the sheds plus the sidings etc either end so something is obviously a foot as that amount of work would not have come cheap.

 

Possibly but there must be a reason Long Preston is favoured, perhaps tanker access charge might be levied at Hellifield.
The original plan to reinstate some form of depot at Hellifield seemed very sound indeed. If it finally comes to fruition it should prove a real asset, particularly if a turntable could be installed.
Incidentallly CRRES registered company address is Hellifield .......

 

The turntable pit was cleared years ago, but like everything else at Hellifield it appears to have ground to a halt.

There is/was a planning application in for a massive holiday village sort of thing for much of the land between the A65, the road to nowhere and the shed itself so possibly all linked?

 

Meanwhile, back to the original subject of Saphos Trains and their 2018 programme, it seems the online booking facility is now up and running.
I have just booked a couple of tickets for the 8 December trip. Email confirmation received, though the payment facility is obviously not yet in place; they will phone or email within 28 days to take the payment.

 

I am bemused that they're asking exactly the same fares for trips of considerably different lengths and regardless of whether premier dining gets one meal or two. The Welsh Borders trips are worse value for money but do have the advantage of times at Crewe allowing easy travel from some distance away.

 

I had wondered that no one else seem to have noticed that .

 

They may well be charging what the market will bear

I suggest that the shorter trips may be more attractive for some

 

This seems peculiar as they obviously have the necessary e-commerce platform/system to process Fellsman bookings, so why can't the Saphos bookings use the same system, seems a very labour intensive approach?

 

From Preserved Diesels Facebook page...

"A contract has been signed today for 3 years with Locomotive Services to operate 40013 Andania on the mainline with 2 tours this year to be confirmed.
40013 will be attending the ELR 60th anniversary of the class 40’s in April."

 

Is there any chance of a link I can’t find the page