Vintage Trains 2015

Well, I, hope you way off the mark with that prediction. There's four big tours scheduled between now and the start of the, Shakespeare season. The test run of 5043, could be used to test the new procedures. Hopefully they will be back by the end of the month at the latest.

 

I hope you're right frankly. Although a little frustrating while we wait, that seems the best plan for the long term.

 

Think Ben advised that pax on said tours would be advised tomorrow, to be fair to VT, they have been the best at PR during this issue.

 

Tyseley keep 4965&5043 in top condition at all times. I still feel for them. I would have booked a tour in the Cumbrian Fells with them if they had one in Early June.

 

Dear Passengers,

I am sure that you have become aware of the recent events which have resulted in our operator West Coast Railways (WCRC) having their track access licence suspended, which in turn has resulted in a number of our proposed trains not being able to run as planned in recent weeks.

We are pleased to announce that as of 8th May WCRC has completed all the actions necessary for Network Rail to lift the temporary suspension which it imposed on 1st April. WCRC has consequently restarted its operations, but in a phased return to services to allow for the implementation of the new procedures.

WCRC have informed us that they are able to operate a significant number of our forthcoming trains, but with the following modifications:

23rd May “Seaside Flyer” will operate as planned with steam loco No: 5043 assisted by heritage diesel No: 47773.

30th May “Jurassic Steamer” (revised from 16th May) has been cancelled entirely.

13th June “Whistling Ghost” will operate as scheduled.

20th June “Welsh Dragon” will operate to Llandudno only with steam loco No: 5043 assisted by heritage diesel No: 47773.

4th July “Welsh Marches” will operate as planned with steam loco No: 46233 “Duchess of Sutherland” throughout.

19th July > 6th September “Shakespeare Express” will operate as planned with either steam loco No: 4965 or No: 5043. The exact loco roster is to be determined.

We apologise for the inconvenience the cancellation of the “Jurassic Steamer” and the change of destination of the “Welsh Dragon” will have caused. We do not take these decisions lightly and we share in your deep disappointment and frustration which this situation has caused.

We recognise that our programme of railtours has been badly disrupted by this situation in recent weeks, and we can only apologise for whatever inconvenience has been caused to you. You will hopefully appreciate that we as a company have been far from happy with this unprecedented disruption of our programme, particularly given that the situation was outside of our control; but having given what support we were able to give to WCRC during the period of suspension, we are relieved to see them back in operation, and expect that the measures which they have instituted will ensure a much greater degree of robustness for all future operations.

We appreciate your patience, support and kind comments we have received from you in the interim.

Yours faithfully

Robert Meanley - Managing Director

 

VT once again demonstrating why they fully deserve the "Gold Standard" accolade for clarity and timeliness of communication with their customers. Just one minor query, though. The VT website version of this includes, within the apology for changes, a reference to "a change of traction" on the Whistling Ghost 3. Can't see any mention of this in the tour description, nor in the post above. Any explanation for this??

 

Well that puts to bed the rumours of a, Shakespeare Express, return for VT, and thank god. On the other hand, the, Poole, cancellation is very disappointing, and it doesn't bode well for other, WC, operated tours in the south.

 

Ben, we are on the, Welsh Dragon, trip on the 20th. What is the reason for the change in final destination ? Regards, Liam

 

Absolutely brilliant news. VT come through yet again, and we're off to LLandudno

Well done Ben and the team, huge thanks for getting this one back on track, and for all the clear and concise updates along the way.

 

Opps. Sorry about that! Earlier there was some question about using 5043 or 47773 to and from the WSR. After discussions with WCR we should be okay with 5043 and steam all the way.....not to worry!

 

We need to be mindful of steam mileage and potential disruptions. As such, Poole and Holyhead are at present just a step too far.

 

Yes excellent news, I look forward to Saturday week.
One thing I would like to say without causing too much offence is that I doubt Ben had much at all to do with getting this one back on track, whilst he obviously does a great job of marketing VT, the credit for this one and all tours now back on track must surely go to all of those at WCR who have no doubt worked tirelessly over the last few weeks to secure the current scenario.
Well done to all WCR staff that worked so hard to satisfy the authorities and get things moving again for us all to enjoy.

 

I've no idea, but the word on here was that VT would likely restart with the Shakespeares. Now we have almost the full programme, but there's been some changes to make this happen, so I imagine VT were involved there. As for WCR, they caused this chaos and aren't sue any thanks in my book to be brutally honest.

 

Perhaps, but one thing is for certain if they hadn't have bothered and just given up as it was all too difficult, we wouldn't be going anywhere next Saturday or any other day for quite some time as no other operators seem to be rushing on to the scene to run all these steam charters that everybody wants to run! Perhaps they all think it is just too much hassle and not worth the effort!

 

Shame about the 5043 trip to Poole, but still good news otherwise. Whatever the rights and wrongs of this sorry débacle, at least far more charters are running than seemed likely a month ago. What stands out to me is that the Minehead trip looks to be a vac-braked only loco running without diesel assistance if I have read Ben's comments correctly. If so, this may be the first such special since the suspension of WCRC and there could be no better choice of engine to prove that these trips can still be run safely and smoothly. Very much a vote of confidence in VT and one which they fully deserve.

 

Tablecloths Al?

I thought they were crisp white tablecloths. None of yer ordinary ones.

 

I have to agree. If there are enough crews available to provide extra cover for a tour, I would be happy to pay more for a longer trip with steam all the way. When spread over the number of pax then the actual impact would not be huge. I look more towards the value than the cost and extra crew means extra value to me.