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Rail Charter Services to operate loco hauled trains between Skipton & Appleby.

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Paul Kerr

Paul Kerr

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Iskra said:
Article in The Guardian about this service today;

www.theguardian.com

New tourist train opens up Yorkshire dales

Over the summer trains will run from Skipton to Appleby, offering walkers and cyclists a chance to explore stunning parts of North Yorkshire and Cumbria
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

If it goes well, there are plans for more additional services in Norfolk, Cornwall and Stratford.
Click to expand...

I recognise journalists don't always hit the mark with their reporting but the article here mentions using a reconditioned HST, not 47s. I presume the plan still is to use Class 47s?
 
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_toommm_

_toommm_

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Paul Kerr said:
I recognise journalists don't always hit the mark with their reporting but the article here mentions using a reconditioned HST, not 47s. I presume the plan still is to use Class 47s?
Click to expand...

At a guess, the journalist has seen that the tour company will utilise MK3 coaches, done some research where they've put 2+2 to make 5, and deduced it will be a HST.
 
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py_megapixel

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It does sound like a good idea, but the ticketing arrangements are quite silly. The minimum purchase of tickets is 2 people. Fair enough - social distancing would prevent it from being viable if people booked alone - but the way they've implemented this is stupid. It's configured so that you can only book tickets for an even number of people, so what if you are a family of 5 for example? It's daft.

They are also refusing to sell single tickets and refusing to allow refunds, and the website is sprinkled with grammatical errors and generally poor design. Overall the entire operation looks rather unprofessional and seems restrictive for many people.

And all of that is ignoring the fact that it's very expensive, even by British standards.
 
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yorksrob

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py_megapixel said:
It does sound like a good idea, but the ticketing arrangements are quite silly. The minimum purchase of tickets is 2 people. Fair enough - social distancing would prevent it from being viable if people booked alone - but the way they've implemented this is stupid. It's configured so that you can only book tickets for an even number of people, so what if you are a family of 5 for example? It's daft.

They are also refusing to sell single tickets and refusing to allow refunds, and the website is sprinkled with grammatical errors and generally poor design. Overall the entire operation looks rather unprofessional and seems restrictive for many people.

And all of that is ignoring the fact that it's very expensive, even by British standards.
Click to expand...

I suppose the fifth family member is no more viable than a single person.

I must admit if single fares were available, I'd give it a go for a nice mk 3 trip !
 
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EbbwJunction1

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I've decided that I'll give this a miss for this year, but should it be repeated next year, it's a possibility.
 
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Essexman

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I would love to go on this but not sure it will be easy this summer.
Hopefully they'll run it again next year.
I've been saying for a long time that there is a tourist & enthusiast market for locomotive hauled trains on the S&C.
 
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37424

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Essexman said:
I would love to go on this but not sure it will be easy this summer.
Hopefully they'll run it again next year.
I've been saying for a long time that there is a tourist & enthusiast market for locomotive hauled trains on the S&C.
Click to expand...
Well possibly but at the end of the day its a highly subsidised route and if its taking revenue off Northern then it would seem to be a No Go, obviously we have a unique situation this year which may not apply in the future.
 
43 302

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37424 said:
Well possibly but at the end of the day its a highly subsidised route and if its taking revenue off Northern then it would seem to be a No Go, obviously we have a unique situation this year which may not apply in the future.
Click to expand...
That's my thoughts too.
 
xotGD

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Essexman said:
I would love to go on this but not sure it will be easy this summer.
Hopefully they'll run it again next year.
I've been saying for a long time that there is a tourist & enthusiast market for locomotive hauled trains on the S&C.
Click to expand...
But as we have discussed up thread, they are not maximizing the appeal to enthusiasts.
 
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philthetube

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37424 said:
Well possibly but at the end of the day its a highly subsidised route and if its taking revenue off Northern then it would seem to be a No Go, obviously we have a unique situation this year which may not apply in the future.
Click to expand...
If Northern were running the service well and catering adequately for the tourist market I would agree, however they aren't.

I also suspect that the increase in revenue to Network Rail will be greater than the loss to Northern.
 
43 302

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I was under the impression they were being repainted into IC Swallow so I was a bit disappointed to see the old GA livery with RCS branding.
 
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FQTV

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If it helps, the Twitter account is @CharterRail and these are the pictures:

043FCA2E-28CD-45B7-8CB2-EC7DC632A7B9.jpegD139C492-9133-492A-A44A-AE5E28D9F1CB.jpeg
 
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py_megapixel

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FQTV said:
If it helps, the Twitter account is @CharterRail and these are the pictures:

View attachment 80575View attachment 80576
Click to expand...
Umm.... I think that might be the worst attempt at a livery that I've ever seen (excluding on rolling stock soon to be replaced where the aim is simply to remove the old operator branding)

Surely they would have had enough time to vinyl or paint the carriages into a heritage livery?
 
hexagon789

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py_megapixel said:
Umm.... I think that might be the worst attempt at a livery that I've ever seen (excluding on rolling stock soon to be replaced where the aim is simply to remove the old operator branding)

Surely they would have had enough time to vinyl or paint the carriages into a heritage livery?
Click to expand...

I agree, one would've hoped for something bright and colourful but perhaps there wasn't the time
 
hexagon789

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43 302 said:
I was under the impression they were being repainted into IC Swallow so I was a bit disappointed to see the old GA livery with RCS branding.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure who was getting IC reliverying but I didn't think it was for this service
 
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theironroad

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py_megapixel said:
Umm.... I think that might be the worst attempt at a livery that I've ever seen (excluding on rolling stock soon to be replaced where the aim is simply to remove the old operator branding)

Surely they would have had enough time to vinyl or paint the carriages into a heritage livery?
Click to expand...

Train liveries, especially on TOCs, are something that really don't excite me but even if this was a TOC, it'd be pretty lame.

For a new venture tourist train running on one of the most scenic lines in the UK and through stations that have had a lot of work done by volunteers to restore them to a rural, historic state, this livery and branding is extremely bad, o don't really like the word, but it is almost an abomination, an insult to thee S&C and all the hard work done on the line.

From a pure marketing and tourism experience it is just bland, non inspiring and doesn't scream luxury, leisure and pleasant.

They need a rapid rethink.
 
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STEVIEBOY1

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I went on a UKRailtour charter a year or so ago, (To the East Somerset Railway & other tracks too) That was in a newly repainted Blue/Grey IC Livery which looked great, as did a very similar livery on the Marylebone to Shrewsbury/Wrexham trains. Is this TOC the same one that operated some Loco hauled services on the Cumbrian Coast until fairly recently? and I think also for short time, in the same area when badly affected by flooding link two halves of a town also I think in that region?

I suppose if they wanted to be authentic with the livery, as it was built by the MR, they should have used Crimson Lake-Maroon, although other charters firms seem to use that colour scheme.
 
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Can we get back on topic please :)

Just a gentle reminder to please ensure that any ideas/suggestions are posted in the Speculative Ideas section and any discussion of history and nostalgia should likewise take place in the History & Nostalgia section

Thanks :)
 
sprinterguy

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STEVIEBOY1 said:
I went on a UKRailtour charter a year or so ago, (To the East Somerset Railway & other tracks too) That was in a newly repainted Blue/Grey IC Livery which looked great, as did a very similar livery on the Marylebone to Shrewsbury/Wrexham trains. Is this TOC the same one that operated some Loco hauled services on the Cumbrian Coast until fairly recently? and I think also for short time, in the same area when badly affected by flooding link two halves of a town also I think in that region?
Click to expand...
Direct Rail Services provided the locos and coaching stock for the Cumbrian Coast loco hauled services and Workington North shuttle services in 2009/10: They've no link to Locomotive Services Limited as far as I'm aware.

Wrexham & Shropshire initially used blue & grey mark 3s leased from Cargo-D until their own refurbished vehicles were available.
 
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