If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

Saphos Trains

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by JBTEvans, Oct 30, 2020.

  1. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,882
    Likes Received:
    3,590
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    TBC
    Location:
    Birmingham & Arley
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Is that because the 40 cant provide power to the stock ? They must have used the generator car for last years run then.
     
  2. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2012
    Messages:
    5,610
    Likes Received:
    3,512
    Is it just that? There was a whole season (2018 from memory) when they ran most of their trips without diesel support. It was the year 70000 was setting records, or near records. Then came the episode at Bearsted Bank with the wrong load and the wrong weather, and after that they seemed to draw the conclusion that it was all too risky when actually a misjudgement had been made on one particular day.
     
    26D_M likes this.
  3. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    Messages:
    6,078
    Likes Received:
    4,893
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Swanage
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Do they have enough Mk1's for a full rake yet? Ithought the plan was to have a full Mk1 set for steam tours eventually.
    Of course operationally on the MTDR that may have been abandoned now.
     
    26D_M likes this.
  4. jsm8b

    jsm8b Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2014
    Messages:
    2,898
    Likes Received:
    6,172
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Escapee from the corporate bear-pit
    Location:
    Shropshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Just checked my photo of the return train, the generator coach was used last year, behind D213 on the northbound train so on the rear southbound.

    To add to that hasn't @torgormaig recently made comments on the new layout at Bristol making life more difficult.
     
  5. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,882
    Likes Received:
    3,590
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    TBC
    Location:
    Birmingham & Arley
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    They've also identified who their target audience is and it isn't the purist. They're also on the brink of owning/running the best fleet of steam locomotives in the country and while that should be celebrated, there's also a downside, for me, that these locos will never run solo as it currently seems to stand.
     
    Kylchap likes this.
  6. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2012
    Messages:
    5,610
    Likes Received:
    3,512
    I completely agree. Once it is run in, I think a one off special from Crewe to Carlisle with SNG on its own and a separate diesel path if necessary would be very marketable at premium fares. If that isn't the Saphos brand, what about Inter-City? That seems more aimed towards the enthusiast.
     
  7. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    Messages:
    6,078
    Likes Received:
    4,893
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Swanage
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I do not know, do you really think there are 400 enthusiasts who would pay a premium fare?
     
  8. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2012
    Messages:
    5,610
    Likes Received:
    3,512
    Another thing about the Saphos model (and their target market) is that you don't know for sure which of their excellent fleet you are going to get. So I'd say, presented as a one off or a rarity, SNG on its own, yes you might. After all, the GB tour is based on that model over nine days so I don't see why it couldn't work for a special day trip. We shall see how Pathfinder get on with their Tangmere trip in September which looks like a higher than normal fare perhaps for a lighter than normal load over the route. But then again, I'm only a punter.:)
     
  9. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2014
    Messages:
    15,330
    Likes Received:
    11,667
    Occupation:
    Nosy aren’t you?
    Location:
    Nowhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I’m certainly not paying a premium to sit in an aircon MK3 where you can’t hear anything.
     
    Mick45305, LMarsh1987, Paul42 and 2 others like this.
  10. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2005
    Messages:
    9,635
    Likes Received:
    8,303
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Alderan !
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    and looking at fares at prices out of reach of many enthusiasts . Fellsman , English Riviera, Welsh Marches base price is £155 .
     
  11. torgormaig

    torgormaig Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2007
    Messages:
    4,445
    Likes Received:
    6,547
    Not me Guvo_O. I don't know Bristol that well, nor do I know how Saphos trains work. It is something when we have now come to fretting about diesels on the back ..... of diesel hauled trains:eek:. Welcome to the 21st century, guys.

    Peter
     
    Matt37401, Mick45305, RalphW and 2 others like this.
  12. jsm8b

    jsm8b Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2014
    Messages:
    2,898
    Likes Received:
    6,172
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Escapee from the corporate bear-pit
    Location:
    Shropshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Sorry Peter, I vaguely remembered someone commenting about Bristol recently, somehow thought it was you.

    Scott
     
    torgormaig likes this.
  13. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2005
    Messages:
    35,446
    Likes Received:
    9,144
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired-ish, Part time rail tour steward.
    Location:
    Northwich
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Some of the people you can't satisfy any of the time.:rolleyes:
     
  14. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    21,068
    Likes Received:
    20,778
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I think that the problem at Bristol is that the track layout and signalling of Barton Hill has been changed to make the marshalling of a full length train with the attached loco(s) very complicated. So there are now additional movements for 'non standard' trains.

    What we seem to be facing is a growing standardisation of the network and its associated service points to match set length trains that can run in and reverse out push-me-pull-you style. Down south many locations can only handle 10 or 12 coaches where, of course, a steam loco and a diesel count as two coaches. That also makes a mess of capacity and pricing.

    But this is Saphos with deep pockets.
     
  15. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2005
    Messages:
    5,283
    Likes Received:
    2,650
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired Rolls-Royce engineer
    Location:
    Bath Green Park / Mangotsfield
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Charters to Bristol rarely use Barton Hill depot since the reconfiguration of the track work around Temple Meads. East Depot is often used for stabling charter stock. Since the withdrawl of the Great Western HSTs in the area, the under utilised St Philips Marsh depot is available for steam loco servicing. (BJ)
     
  16. Romsey

    Romsey Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2007
    Messages:
    3,619
    Likes Received:
    1,637
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired SPM
    Location:
    Close to Spike Island
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Both depots were used depending on loco owner and TOC for some years. The only reason that Barton Hill was favoured for a few years was due to remodelling of St Philips Marsh depot.
    I notice that stock and locos are rarely stabled at Kingsland Road Sidings. Is this due to the resignalling or has the track finally been condemned?

    As Big Al says, the railway is being slowly remodelled for standard formations. The Southern started the process in the 1930's.

    Cheers, Neil
     
  17. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,882
    Likes Received:
    3,590
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    TBC
    Location:
    Birmingham & Arley
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Coffins at the front today, like usual.
     
  18. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2014
    Messages:
    14,318
    Likes Received:
    16,398
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired, best job I've ever had
    Location:
    Buckinghamshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Very appropriate for Britannia to haul The Royal Charter today, seen here passing Old Linslade

    _DSC6337.jpg
     
  19. jsm8b

    jsm8b Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2014
    Messages:
    2,898
    Likes Received:
    6,172
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Escapee from the corporate bear-pit
    Location:
    Shropshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    You did better than me John, :- coasting towards the junction at Colwich, oh and the sun appeared about five minutes later.

    22D_0869 70000 Weetmans Bridge Colwich 030622.jpg
     
    46223, staffordian, Mick45305 and 6 others like this.
  20. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2014
    Messages:
    14,318
    Likes Received:
    16,398
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired, best job I've ever had
    Location:
    Buckinghamshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    You had further to go than me, just a three mile bike ride, makes a change from charging around in the car!
     

Share This Page