Charity tour sells out as enthusiasts and industry rally round
A THREE-DAY railtour, covering in excess of 1200 miles, organised by the Branch Line Society (BLS) has raised £24,500 for The Railway Children charity.
Each year, the charity operates a fundraising event, sponsored by Porterbrook, to transport walkers by rail between the mountains of Snowdon, Scafell and Ben Nevis. Capacity is normally restricted to team participants only.
However, the decision in February to postpone the main event to September 2021 presented an opportunity for enthusiasts to enjoy a mammoth itinerary with double-headed LSL Class 37 haulage from the comfort of a Mk.3 Inter-City liveried first class carriage.
“Because the train was still available, we were offered the chance to make use of it if we believed we could still raise funds for charity,” said Tim Brawn, a volunteer with The Railway Children and the BLS.
Itinerary
“We came up with a slightly different route around the Midlands and towards South Wales. We then stuck to the ‘Three Peaks’ route as much as we could on days two and three, taking the train round North Wales and the Cumbrian Coast, and then Scotland and back on the third day.
“We decided to go to Oban instead of Fort William as it was more attractive to the enthusiast market. Lots of charters go to Fort William, not many visit Oban.”
Due to the substantial outlay and uncertainty over Covid-19 restrictions, and whether enthusiasts would feel confident enough to book such a trip, organising the charter was not without its risks for the BLS. Thankfully, concerns over demand quickly evaporated.
“Tickets went on sale at 19..00 one evening and sold out within 10 minutes,” recalled Kev Adlam, BLS fixtures secretary. “It was the single fastest project we’ve ever had! This was the first genuine long-distance enthusiast rail charter since March 2020. There’s a lot of pent up demand out there in the railtour community.”
The train was loaded to LSL’s Covid capacity, i.e. 66%, which meant everyone was either in bubbles or socially distanced on board.
“Passengers respected the Covid-secure procedures we put in place and all staff and volunteers were lateral flow tested before we took a train out,” continued Kev.
“One of the immensely unloved parts of organising a charity railtour is all the hours of volunteer work which goes in both beforehand and on the day. A member of our team who was responsible for train presentation – a matter that is now more important than ever – recorded 30,000 steps on the Oban leg. That was going up and down the train cleaning, checking supplies in the WCs etc.”
Considerations
Those volunteers also all paid a fare – there were no discounts or free rides for helpers.
Kev said another consideration was the choice of locomotive. “We try to get the right blend between traction and track interest, so we have two communities to fill a train – rather than an exclusively rare track or traction only. Doing so means we can generate a good yield. ‘Tractors’ have a loyal following of course.”
Tim stressed LSL was “supportive all the way through.” He also praised the quality of the rolling stock. “Being able to charge phones or devices onboard was great.”
“One of the things which impressed me was the professionalism in terms of execution,” added Tim. “LSL provided an on-train cleaner on all three days – she was brilliant. We’ve never had that before.
“We also had a travelling fitter on the first two days – and a member of the management team was present. Any issues were dealt with immediately. We couldn’t fault it.”
The tour, which ran from Thursday, June 10 to Saturday, June 12 had each daily segment named separately to link between the traction and the three peaks. Therefore, Thursday was ‘Malvern Mountaineer’, Friday was ‘Coast & Peaks’ and Saturday was a ‘Haggis, Peaks & Tractors’ – instead of neeps and tatties. Over the three days, 300 different people were carried.
A total of £24,500 was raised – a combination of farebox, raffles, real ales and a surplus from the buffet. This figure was boosted by industry support.
If Covid-19 restrictions allow, the Three Peaks ‘proper’ is due to take place on September
9-11. LSL will again be the operator.
“If the main event got postponed again, I think there’s an appetite for us to run it for enthusiasts,” concluded Kev.
➜ See also Classic Traction page 91.