Scotsman to spearhead RTC’s 2023 programme
Tour operators begin to release details of their planned trips for the year ahead.
WITH several railtour promoters still considering options for excursions next year and yet to finalise programmes, the Railway Touring Company (RTC) has published details of 53 planned tours up until next autumn. The National Railway Museum’s ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman, which will be celebrating its centenary, will feature in more than 10 of these tours. RTC is planning to take the legendary loco to such destinations as Portsmouth, Plymouth, Chester, Cardiff, Carlisle and Great Yarmouth between April and October. Despite tickets for some of these trains having only gone on sale in early November, the tours to Great Yarmouth and Plymouth have already sold out. It is likely the other tours will prove equally popular. RTC’s full programme from late January to October is available online and features tried and tested itineraries such as the ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’, as well as trips to Edinburgh, Devon, Tyneside and Wales. The company is also marking the anniversary of the end of steam on the Southern with a special hauled by Merchant Navy No. 35028 Clan Line from London Victoria to Yeovil Junction on July 9. More details of all RTC tours are at www.railwaytouring.net UK Railtours (UKRT) had added two new tours to its early New Year programme, which begins with the redated and sell-out Class 56 Farewell tour on January 7. The first of these is on January 28, which is a lunch circular, starting from Peterborough, running to Finsbury Park, then across North London, up to the West Midlands, and then east to Peterborough.
Destinations
UKRT’s second offering is on February 18, from London Paddington, Slough and Reading to the historic city of Bath or Bristol, whichever is preferred. UKRT is also offering an early bird discount of 5% on these tours. By mid-November, Pathfinder had only announced its Easter tour of Scotland (see separate story) and was awaiting costings for other proposals. Details of some of the trains will hopefully be released in time for our January dated issue. Birmingham-based Vintage Trains has outlined details of its ‘Shakespeare Express’ trains on its website. The first of these Birmingham Snow Hill to Stratford-upon-Avon specials is a winter warmer on February 12, with both a morning and afternoon departure. There will be twice-daily runs of the ‘Shakespeare’ on April 16, May 28 and June 18, before eight consecutive weeks of operation on Sundays from July 16 to September 3. Booking online for these trains is open at vintagetrains.co.uk Vintage Trains has also announced a ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ for April 22, starting from Tyseley, with 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle taking over the train at Hellifield, running through to Carlisle, then returning via the West Coast Main Line to Crewe. The operator is also planning double-headed Castles over the Welsh Marches route on May 13. It intends to release its full tour programme in late November. Although Inter-City, part of the LSL Group, has yet to reveal its 2023 tour programme, sister company Saphos Trains has launched a comprehensive programme of 34 tours which will run over the S&C, along the Welsh Marches, and into Kent with the ‘Golden Arrow’, as well as to Kingswear, Devon. Details of all Saphos excursions are at saphostrains.com
Pullman
Tours with the popular Blue Pullman HST will continue, with the first trip in 2023 being a Settle & Carlisle Pullman on February 4. Other trains in the Pullman programme will take the HST set to back to Whitby, the Kyle of Lochalsh, Scarborough, Llandudno, Fort William, Mallaig and Edinburgh. Also part of the LSL stable is Statesman Rail, which has also outlined more than 30 tours to popular destinations. Finally, the West Coast Railway Company has confirmed operating dates for next year’s ‘Jacobite’ specials between Fort William and Mallaig. The season will start on April 3 with a morning train running seven days per week until October 27. Then from May 1 to September 29, the afternoon ‘Jacobite’ will also operate. Bookings for this regular Scottish special were expected to open before the end of the year.