The Kent Coast Tornado 29th December - PTG Tours

I received a PTG Tours 2012 Preview Brochures and in the remaining dates for 2011 mentioned
The Kent Coast Tornado 29th December Starting at Nottingham diesel hauled to West London where Tornado is attached then via Orpington Sevonoakes Canterbury West and Whitstable , back to West London , then diesel return to Nottingham. Pickups and Setting down at Nottingham, Beeston, Loghborough, Leicester, Wellingborough, Kettering, Bedford, St Albans & Kensington Olympia.

No prices listed.

The mention that this is " the first in a number being planned over next year".

 

If this is a Nottingham based Company I think that I would wish to know who is involved before booking. I remember another Nottingham based rail tour company bursting onto the scene a few years bank before fizzling out owing customers and suppliers a lot of money................................

 

Based : -

PTG Tours, Boston House, Grove Technology Park, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 9FF

Details of people involved : -

http://www.ptg.co.uk/aboutus.htm

 

I received one of these yesterday as well. Firstly I would like to know where they got my details from, never heard of them let alone dealing with them. Someone has been passing my details on without my authority. The only railway related organisations I subscribe to is Steam Dreams plus various preserved railways I am a member of. That aside there is a picture of exported 87004? inside plus a couple of 50's with Virgin air-con Mk2 stock. Also a foreign 47? look alike.

 

I actually received 2 addressed slightly diferently. Although I had heard of them, I have no dealing with them.

 

Thanks, Paul. Rather re assured having read this.

 

I see this as very encouraging - another well-established tour company specialising in overseas rail tours expanding into the UK market market. Looks like they have already dipped their toes into the UK pond with a few diesel-hauled tours, so they won't have a complete shock when dealing with the various "partners" involved in the mainline steam business. I hope they are successful, and look forward to seeing their full 2012 UK programme. Best of luck, PTG!

 

My father and I both had brochures in the post yesterday. Don't know where they got our details from as we have never heard of them before.

 

I think there must be a pattern emerging here, they are getting (illegally?) our details from somewhere. Some one must be passing personal information along without (in my case at least) our consent. As I have said, the only railway organisations who have my address are SD, 3 or 4 preserved railways & Steam Railway Magazine.

 

I have a statement from Steam Dreams

 

I will advise members to post on here if they have received a leaflet addressed directly to them. This way we can gather a larger picture as to who has and has not recieved a leaflet.

 

As already mentioned, I received the said brochure addressed directly to myself.

 

I received 3 copies, 2 were addressed with a Mr & the 3rd was with an esq. I only use Pathfinder, RTC and Steam Dreams also West Coast oh and Past Time when they were going. Steam Dreams have said they don't pass on, so whose doing it

 

Here is a copy of my address label. Some details edited out for obvious reasons.

 

I received today a Liquidator's Annual Report to Members and Creditors for Past-Time Rail In Liquidation and under the heading of Asset Realisation 3/7/09 - 2/7/11 was a sum for Database.

 

I suspect that this is where the database they have used comes from. If true there is very little anyone can do about it, other than request their name be removed from it.

BTW although having been updated late this week it is interesting to note that this tour does not feature on the A1 Trusts website under 'Travel with Tornado' as yet.

 

PTG have been specialising in overseas tours for a number of years now (established 1998). They have run (or plan to run) several class 50 railtours this year using locos from the Fifty Fund, though this is definitely a first for them with UK steam. Guess they are following in the steps of The Railway Touring Company who made a similar step a few years ago and haven't done too badly for themselves!

 

For anyone who has received one of the PTG leaflets in the post, and was not expecting it, then please accept our apologies. This mailing was arranged with Kingfisher Publishing and they were sending out our lealfet along with their own catalogue. Unfortunately at the last minute their new catalogue was not available (now due in October) so the mailing house sent out just the PTG one. There should have been a covering letter explaining this but this was left out.

There is no one selling (or passing on) other mailing lists here. We (at PTG) have not seen and do not have access, nor will have access, to the Kingfisher mailing list.

PTG is a long established railtour company set up in 1998 and until now just running worldwide tours (no UK ones). We are the only UK operator (we believe) who are members of ABTA. It is extremely difficult to become ABTA members and only those with the highest financial standards are accepted. Therefore booking a trip with PTG offers you full financial protection - superier, I believe, to any other UK operator. Over the last 13 years PTG have run over 300 worldwide rail based tours.

Roger Hardingham is helping us to develop our UK programme.

 

Thanks for the explanation, I am in fact on the Kingfisher mailing list & receive their brochures occasionally.

 

The last line ensures that I (and no doubt many others ) will have nothing to do with this company. BTW the tour is still not listed on the A1SLT website.