Spitfire Tours R.I.P?

[Eagle]

Now to look at that list above one tour originates at Crewe and has pickups throughout the North (in Manchester and the other side of the Pennines). There is one other tour which while it originates in the south has a boarding point at Sheffield. Other than that all of the other tours listed originate in the south with the exception of the two from Crewe which head south.

Stratford-upon-Avon isn't in the south.

 

[sprinterguy]

Stratford-upon-Avon isn't in the south.

Yeah right! Crewe is in the south, if you ask me (Although if we have to have a "Midlands", then it would be in it), although I can understand why no-one would want to claim it

 

[ainsworth74]

Stratford-upon-Avon isn't in the south.

It's either in the South or the Midlands depending on if you want to have a separate area called the Midlands, it certainly isn't in the North

 

[Eagle]

It's either in the South or the Midlands depending on if you want to have a separate area called the Midlands, it certainly isn't in the North

It's north of the Watford Gap...


[EDIT] Actually, no it isn't, looking at a map, it's about three miles south of it. Stand corrected

 

[Phil6219]

It was a generalisation on my part, given that Manchester is quite a bit south of Newcastle but considered in the north I was considering the Midlands as part of "The South", knowing full well it is north of the Watford Gap (I managed to sneak across the border back to the north without my passport and am thinking of turning it into a film, think "The Midnight Express"...

Like I said it is all down to some level of generalisation, it is just as hard for someone from Newcastle to get down to Manchester for a tour as it is someone from Manchester getting to Bristol. Though Crewe is hardly the most accessible place in the early hours

Phil

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I suspect a lot of the problems with stopping patterns are due to pathing issues. This weekends BLS tour has had to drop it's planned Linlithgow pickup/dropoff "due to pathing constraints which would have meant an hour earlier departure and an hour later finish".

Also look at Mr Farrow's tour the following Saturday, where I'll have to start at Crewe and end at Sheffield!

Station             Depart Arrive 
St Albans (for M25) 07.00  21.45 
Bedford             07.45  21.00 
Kettering           08.15  20.30 
Nuneaton            09.10  n/a 
Crewe               10.00  n/a 
Sheffield           n/a    19.10

Times for BLS on Saturday here:
http://rail.staging.swlines.co.uk/sched ... 2012-10-13
http://rail.staging.swlines.co.uk/sched ... 2012-10-13
http://rail.staging.swlines.co.uk/sched ... 2012-10-13
http://rail.staging.swlines.co.uk/sched ... 2012-10-13

Times for UKRT next week here:
http://www.ukrailtours.com/tourshow...trains&tourfile=121020_THE_FERRY_GO_ROUND.txt, now with an extra set down at Leicester.

 

[QJ]

Re the UKR Ferrygoround

Starting point at Saint Albans but the ECS runs from Eastleigh and runs right through my home shack (the one served by FGW, AFX and SWT) enroute. How annoying would that be had I bothered to book a seat for the train; one of the main reasons for not booking being the hassle in getting to St. Albans for the start.

Now tell me us southerners have it so good.

 

[theblackwatch]

Re the UKR Ferrygoround

Starting point at Saint Albans but the ECS runs from Eastleigh and runs right through my home shack (the one served by FGW, AFX and SWT) enroute. How annoying would that be had I bothered to book a seat for the train; one of the main reasons for not booking being the hassle in getting to St. Albans for the start.

Now tell me us southerners have it so good.

So if it's no good for southerners (too much hassle to get to St Albans) or northerners (picks up and sets down 70 miles apart with no direct train between the two), the train must be full of people who are prepared to make an effort!

 

[Robert Taggart]

The train must be full of people who are prepared to make an effort!

Could it be they have no 'life' ?!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Or that they're doing something that they're interested in? Nothing wrong with an interest / hobby you know, some people like collecting numbers, others photting, other getting rare track and whatnot. I would say those who have no life are the ones who stay inside all day and make no effort to do anything!

 

[theblackwatch]

Or that they're doing something that they're interested in? Nothing wrong with an interest / hobby you know, some people like collecting numbers, others photting, other getting rare track and whatnot. I would say those who have no life are the ones who stay inside all day and make no effort to do anything!

Quite, you can't get much more interesting than this 365 days a year can you....

A good nights sleep at home - thinking if not dreaming about you all - be more to our liking now !!!!

 

[Robert Taggart]

Quite, you can't get much more interesting than this 365 days a year can you....

You should see what one be dreaming about !
Then compare that with the nightmares our railtouring confidents report back to us...
Railtour Standard Time - still the biggest single bugbear - particularly towards the end of any tour = missed connections as often as not.
Dud Motive Power - the expected / wanted locomotive missing.
Dry Runs 1 - the Real Ale runs out !
Dry Runs 2 - the 'kettle' runs dry !
Dry Runs 3 - missed track - expected / wanted loops passed by.
Dry Runs 4 - Dirty Carriages / Toilets - in need of a good scrubbing.
There be more... :roll:
Fortunately, some of us have always had other interest / cultural pursuits - these be more to our liking nowadays - and less hassle !

 

[SW Skellum]

I read this thread with interest having stumbled onto the forum today, firstly I'd like to say to TimSYoung40145, I don't think Railways Illustrated and Spitfire get on, more precisely Pip, you see on the good world of journalism he expects free tickets on trips and to my knowledge, never had one. So Spitfire trips never got a high profile mention in the mag, as he rightly had to pay for his trip.

As I understood it, plans are being looked at for re-entry into the Market in 2013, I would think putting a "nothing statement" on the website would create more uncertainty perhaps?, I believe the phoneline is still open and emails are answered so hardly stopping all communication as some have posted.

As I understood it no customers are owed any money at all?, that's where Spitfire usually did it differently to other promoters in not cashing cheques until the tour is confirmed as a running, this practise is now more common place among railtours.

As I am sure most are aware 2011 and 2012 were not particularly good years for Spitfire in terms of being let down by Wild West or through planning issues with NR, I was planned to steward on some of the cancelled/postponed trips, so had a vested interest and know the situation well.

I hope that they have the confidence to press ahead with some trains on 2013.
(Yes I enjoy my free days out , before anybody jumps on that comment, it was Tongue in cheek).

Thanks for reading,

GW