The Royal Duchy 2012

Anyone fancy answering my point re s/d p/u at Dawlish Warren, Liskeard and Bodmin Parkway ?

David ???

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Tickets received for 29th July. Loco is stated to be 70013. No stops at Liskeard or Bodmin in eiher direction but free road coaches to Fawey or Charlestown from Par. Therefore those doing both the Tamar Devonian on saturday and the Royal Duchy on sunday should get hualage by all three preserved mainline standard pacifics over the weekend.

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Does anyone know if 5029 might make the tail end of the season, or is she effectively ruled out of this programme for 2012 ?.

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Last time I looked website it was down for mid August duchys this time I look and it says tba it doesn't look like it I'm afraid but we will have to wait and see .

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

From Nunney Castle website : -

"Whilst waiting for delivery and fitment of 5029's new tyres it was decided that we should take this time to access any parts of the locomotive that could benefit from refurbishment or renewal. Most of this work focuses on the bearings and hornguides, which will all be refurbished. Other work includes an overhaul of the valves. The 5029 Support Group are working closely with Tyseley Locomotive Works and Locomotive Services Ltd to get this work done as quickly and professionally as possible. Our current target for completion is mid October.

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Cheers guys, shame I won't see a GWR loco on the Sea Wall (though I might do Dainton or Rattery for this one in september), hopefully 70013 or something else suitably loud is rostered.

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

RTC are still advertising stops at Liskeard and Bodmin Parkway as options for the RD. Maybe nobody has booked this option for the 29/07 hence no stops on this occasion. I wonder whether that means these timings could change for future RDs where stops at L and BP are made ?

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Sounds like this also rules 5029 out of The Mayflower on 15/09. Could this mean 4464 DH with whatever's at Bristol for The Royal Duchy at that time ? I guess 70000 would be another possibility. Time will tell.

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

As I said before - the RTC website is notoriously inaccurate about these things. Actually despite what it says you can't book to get off at Liskeard but you can book to Bodmin Parkway / Par.

This has all changed a couple of times - firstly you were offered a choice of getting off at Bodmin Parkway for the B&W railway or going to Par and getting a coach to the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Now it says get off at Liskeard for the Looe branch or at Bodmin Parkway for a nice walk to some National Trust Property. If you've booked on it you're now offered the choice of Fowey or Charlestown both of wihch look quite nice so I'm quite happy with it.

You could argue though, that once again a railtour promoter has failed to deliver what was originally advertised.......

A friend of mine tells me that you don't want to hang around in Par as it's a dump - I shall now expect a backlash from the good citizens of Par!

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Many thanks, that's useful information. RTC do seem to excel themselves at times. How can they advertise an "additional stop" at Liskeard when said stop isn't being made. There's also no mention of the BP stop on the timings posted on UK steam so what if you want the B&W Railway option ? Or is this a request stop on the day, and set to be the first ever railtour slip coach working ?

Fowey and Charlestown are both nice though possibly the latter has been a little commercialised.

As for Par, I'd say your friend is very observant. The time it takes to change trains for Newquay is more than long enough I'd say. There's nothing near the station to speak of other than a rather questionable pub. No idea how long it'd take to walk to the station but those alighting there could do worse than look at taking a service train forward to St. Austell. No idea what the Sunday service is like however or how much time you could expect to get there but for beer lovers there's plenty of St. Austell ale to be had within walking distance of the RS.

Might try emailing RTC re the Liskeard / Bodmin Parkway mystery, see what they have to say about it.

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

I will be travelling and will enjoy the day very much.

The first train has yet to run and already there has been great concern. If you really need to go to Liskeard, use FGW. If you have 'no idea' what the Sunday train service is from Par, then if it's that important to you, look it up. In any case, I'm not interested in voices of doom. Perhaps some are? A steam train from Bristol to Cornwall and back will be, for me, and I expect many others, very good.

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

What an oversensitive reaction ! By not pointing out when standards are not what they should be standards don't get better they get worse. Surely you can see that ?

Yet again, despite all the discussion already on here I find myself having to remind the "dyed in the wool enthusiast" among us, (of which I am one by the way), that these trains are not run just for us, and although we think it's great having a steam train to Cornwall and back, and will naturally go as far west as possible, others will look for other attractions, not least of which would be the Liskeard for Looe stop which as I say is still being advertised on RTC's website yet completely omitted from the final timings. It doesn't inspire confidence does it ? When will people on here learn that main line steam is no longer "owned" by enthusiasts ? Until they do it's survival will be uncertain at a time when money is short and competition in the tourism market fierce. These are not voices of doom but voices of reason !

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

I am dubious about the times posted. The time Par to Plymouth seems very long for example Liskard (pass) to Saltash should only be about 14 minutes not the 19 allowed. Only 4 minutes in Plymouth (no time for Water) then on to Exeter? That’s 88 miles without water, including the climbs in Cornwall and the Devon Banks. Surprising!

Could it be that things will be tweaked to allow a splash of water in Plymouth? Is it correct Dawlish Warren in the morning and Dawlish on the way back?

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Actually I checked - there would be no viable B&W Railway option (this coming Sunday at least). The B&W service is very sparse and believe it or not you would arrive too late for a round trip! You would have to wait nearly 2 hours for a train to Bodmin General and then presumably have to catch a bus back.

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

I can identify with this as I have persuaded my wife (definitely not an enthusiast) to come on the trip and she's already disappointed about missing the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Saying "don't worry we'll still get Dainton, Rattery and Hemerdon" counts for nothing.

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Left more or less on time 70013 with load of 9 I Counted

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Got to yatton 3 early left on time good going so far

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Leaving Bristol this morning.

The Royal Duchy July 29th 2012 - a set on Flickr

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

Couple minutes early arrival at Taunton

 

Re: Te Royal Duchy 2012

9:52 departure from Taunton