The Wandering 1500 Tour

No Al, you are not wrong on this and it does matter. I for one have given up on mainline steam for the moment. I used to be a regular customer of Steam Dreams and RTC. I gave up on Steam Dreams when the troubles with DBS started last year - no point on booking on something that may be cancelled at the last minute or that would have a significant part of the steam haulage reduced due to lack of crews. Now I have given up on RTC for the moment as too many of their tours turn out to be nothing like what was advertised. I'll just stick to galas at preserved lines for my steam fix until there is some sign that things on the mainline are improving. The problem is that until more customers start voting with their feet, the railtour operators will think that this sort of thing isn't a problem. But they won't - because some of the enthusiast brigade will continue to pay out for something less than they expected, and many of the non-enthusiasts don't seem to care about the finer details.

 

Let's hope 70013 arrives, the lure of the B1 has brought us out of self imposed exile following a diesel substitution.
Being dropped off at Holt means a trip to Sheringham and further cost to get there.
The routing issues are not of the organisers making, nor the servicability of the main locomotive power. However the ticket confusion, we received two different versions, is lamentable.
An easy run into Liverpool street and return to pick up and return home has now become a drive into Stratford on the basis that the return is so late that getting back up the line will be impossible if the tour is late back.
Check the underground at Highbury, maintenance and no lifts on Saturday, allow 10 mins to get down the stairs.


The suggestion that we only buy on the day or very near the day of a tour will not work, simply the promoters will not offer tours.
Unless the situation is improved by all providers involved treating the Steam journeys more sympathetically and with joined up thinking, we will join our friends who do not go anymore.

 

61264 Was the confirmed loco for this tour
Which we are running following a request from the North Norfolk Railway and the M&GN Society
The B1 society having agreed to do the tour gave us back word due to an additional Gala being planned on the NYMR
Neil Boden kindly AGREED TO fill the Gap

On 19 September I received a text message from Neil stating he was withdrawing his B1 from this tour
We were fortunate in managing to secure 70013 for this tour as it was the only appropriate engine available

70013 CAN NOT NOW WORK INTO AND OUT OF Liverpool Street due to Gauging issues Another surprise

9466 was a late addition to this tour added purely because it was to have been on the Mid Norfolk Railway and saves us having to bring a Diesel from London remember we used 9466 2 years ago on the Cromer Branch
Dennis Howels really enjoyed this and was happy to do it again
unfortunately 9466 main line ticket had expired
A temporary extension was considered but was not possible unfortunately we forgot to remove this from our web site in time
we are truly sorry about this

RTC will just avoid involvement with this type of tour in the future due to the mountain of criticism on this site
It gives us no pleasure, and this tour is a loss maker, so no more

NIGEL DOBBING

 

Isn't it amazing, 70013 was more or less built to run in and out of Liverpool Street day in day out. And now, it wont fit.

 

Nigel - thanks for taking the time to give us the inside story. The harsh-sounding criticisms here and elsewhere often arise from the lack of reliable information. Please don't give up on the "interesting" tours, but perhaps draw a few lessons from recent disappointments (yours as the operator as much as ours as the customers) about how you communicate.
1) Be more up-front about what's definite and what's only planned/tbc. If your web-site had said something like "as a bonus, we are hoping to use 9466 on the Norwich-Cromer section, subject to confirming this loco's mainline ticket" people wouldn't feel that they were missing out on something they'd paid for when it didn't come off.
2) Keep your front-office staff up-to-date, so that they don't unwittingly give out incorrect information, and post important news on your web-site and places like this forum. If you can't, or don't want to, post here yourself, perhaps ask friends like "malc" to pass on news on your behalf?

Most of us here want to see more steam on the mainline, not less, so we want to see RTC and the other tour operators succeed. We moan because we care. We could be your cheer-leaders, if you can get the communications right.

 

Could not agree more someone has to do it !Nigel must wonder sometimes why it has to be him!!!

 

I agreed with what you have said, and would add where loco has changed ( for one offs) notify people who have booked. In this case people who had not booked knew that the loco had changed before those who had booked.

 

Indeed, because nothing ever changes in 60 odd years.

 

All very noble and illuminating, but all just a bit too late for those that have paid you money to travel on your train. Ever ask yourself why you are getting criticism? Until you can answer that honestly then stop waving your victim card around. You are the one offering a product, when that product changes and you simply 'forget' or can't be bothered to tell paying or potential customers the reasons why its changed, don't be surprised to get a bit of a verbal kicking.

 

It must be so frustrating running rail charters in this country. It seems that as soon as a tour is planned something will change ie. the traction, the route or because of the weather conditions a diesel has to be employed. Let's at least thank Nigel for explaining the problems he has experienced with running this particular tour. <BJ>

 

Yes indeed. Thanks from me too, Nigel. I've booked a lot of trips with you over the last few years.

 

Steamage has summed up the situation succinctly.
There is a lot of sympathy for railtour operators and the difficulties they face.
In this era of social media most people expect to be kept informed of changes almost instantly; they certainly expect web sites to be kept up-to-date.

I believe the 'Brits' were built to the L1 loading gauge so as to be able to run over all the main lines of the former 'Big Four'.
If 70013 is now unable to run into or out of Liverpool Street it is a pity that such a change is not covered by the Network Change process.

 

Deleted.

 

Further to my earlier post , RTC have advised that the coach to Holt will depart shortly after arrival of the train at Norwich, so we could be at Holt Station by 13:15.

I believe the train departure is not 16:05 as quoted from the letter above, since I believe that this is the time for Sherringham. Based on the NNR timetable departure will be between 15:23 and 15:45.

So approx 2 hours at Holt Station. Nigel - any chance the coach could stop in Holt for 1hr - 1 1/2 hours ?

 

RTC website has updated return times : -

Stratford 22:15
Highbury 22.35

 

If ALL the web sites were kept fully up to date I for one would be happy with that.