SRPS Railtours news

[The_Train]

In that case cue the starting/finish point changing from Carlisle to somewhere random like Lockerbie

Now that would be a new one on me

 

[Blindtraveler]

Don't think it's been mentioned in this thread yet, but all the steam specials they had planned in August around the Forth Bridge have all been cancelled due to low bookings.
Comments on their Facebook page imply ticket price is a factor, which is a fair point. Although these tours were all going to run during the Edinburgh Fringe, when the city will be packed with thousands of wealthy tourists who all have money to burn. A bit of canny marketing maybe and they could have tapped into that lucrative market.

Given that for many, many years, the srps ran half a dozen of these each season and that this year's price was hiked quite a bit. I can't say I'm surprised. I would agree that with Edinburgh and its surrounding environs packed to the rafters with high season and festival tourists that these should have been attractive and sold well, again, I suspect price was a factor given that a visit To this area for a week in August. Will set you back when you include everything such as food and entertainment. The cost of a fortnight on a mid-range cruise line. I suspect people are simply being careful about what they spend and choices have to be made.

 

[The_Train]

3 more tours have gone live on the SRPS website:

The Whistling Clansman - Saturday 6th September 2025 - 40013 - Linlithgow to Inverness
The Oban Bucket - Saturday 27th September 2025 - 40013 - Carlisle to Oban
The Illuminating Brush - Saturday 18th October 2025 - 2x LSL 47s (47593 / 47614 / 47712 requested)

Booked the 40 to Oban. This was my book it without even worrying about the bank balance tour - hopefully enough others are as excited by it

The Whistling Clansman showing as sold out entirely and the Oban Bucket showing as sold out in standard class. Great to see the 40s continuing to attract good attention

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Jul 2025 ==

The Whistling Clansman showing as sold out entirely and the Oban Bucket showing as sold out in standard class. Great to see the 40s continuing to attract good attention

Not sure what was happening when I checked this the other day but both tours are now showing availability in all classes

 

[Iskra]

They might have added more coaches.

 

[The_Train]

They might have added more coaches.

Now that is a positive mindset that I can get behind on the railtour scene

 

[Morayshire]

Post on the Scot-Rail Io group says that the Whistling Clansman tour has been cancelled.

 

[Rail Quest]

Post on the Scot-Rail Io group says that the Whistling Clansman tour has been cancelled.

I can no longer see the tour listed on SRPS's website which backs this up. Strange as they posted to Facebook only last month that both the Whistler tours in September were selling fast. Do we know if it's another low-bookings victim?

 

[Forty29]

Mentioned above by The_Train as being completely sold out?

 

[The_Train]

Mentioned above by The_Train as being completely sold out?

It did for a period of time but I think it was just the website playing up as the following day everything was available again. I did re-post to state this.

I think it was always a tough ask to get 2 trainloads of people up to Scotland, behind the same loco, in the same month. Had it been more spread out I would have likely booked both but I am by no means a rich man, I was born about 30/40 years too late to ever have a chance of that, and so it was one or the other. And as with most people, I chose Oban because a) I don't think a 40 has ever been, b) I have never been and c) I have done quite a few tours to Inverness.

 

[Morayshire]

I can no longer see the tour listed on SRPS's website which backs this up. Strange as they posted to Facebook only last month that both the Whistler tours in September were selling fast. Do we know if it's another low-bookings victim?

I believe that it is another low booking victim.

 

[Rail Quest]

Looking forward to being on this Saturday's Oban Bucket! Timings have been released on RTT as seen below:
Outbound trip URL: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U65682/2025-09-27/detailed
Return trip URL:https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U65683/2025-09-27/detailed

Quick question: does anyone know what set of carriages they'll be using? I'm assuming the same mixed MK1/MK2 set seen on previous tours.

 

[BigB]

Looking forward to being on this Saturday's Oban Bucket! Timings have been released on RTT as seen below:
Outbound trip URL: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U65682/2025-09-27/detailed
Return trip URL:https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U65683/2025-09-27/detailed

Quick question: does anyone know what set of carriages they'll be using? I'm assuming the same mixed MK1/MK2 set seen on previous tours.

That’s what is being assembled in the yard at Bo’ness, so coffins for some!

 

[The_Train]

That’s what is being assembled in the yard at Bo’ness, so coffins for some!

I did the Lochalsh Chopper weekend in a coffin and safe to say I wasn't impressed. I hope the begging note I put with my booking this time around has been listened to

 

[Rail Quest]

What class are the coffins in the set? I feel like they were only second class carriages on the last tour.

 

[The_Train]

What class are the coffins in the set? I feel like they were only second class carriages on the last tour.

The one I was in was certainly standard. I couldn't afford the dining option for that weekend

 

[Tony2]

Here’s a photo of the ECS from Bo’ness to Carlisle Upperby today, 2 mk2 aircons, rest are pressure ventilated.

 

[Rail Quest]

Fantastic tour overall. Hats off to the SRPS volunteers and LSL staff who made it happen. Andania was in fine form throughout the day.

 

[father_jack]

Here’s a photo of the ECS from Bo’ness to Carlisle Upperby today, 2 mk2 aircons, rest are pressure ventilated.

View attachment 189094

Nice photo but an increase to two stinky coffins from one on the Peak to Kingswear. It would be easy to be stung there.

 

[Harpo]

Nice photo but an increase to two stinky coffins from one on the Peak to Kingswear. It would be easy to be stung there.

Quite. I’d have been gutted.

I’d note (churlishly?) that another operator offering nothing but coffins and suffering repeated low bookings and capes has just departed the scene.

 

[Rail Quest]

I’d note (churlishly?) that another operator offering nothing but coffins and suffering repeated low bookings and capes has just departed the scene.

InterCity also suffered a few low booking cancellations this year, only offering air-conditioned carriages. Of course, correlation doesn't equal causation, and SRPS themselves have suffered similar issues despite being mainly. I'd be interested to see how significantly people were deterred from booking with InterCity/Pathfinder over this reason, if this was indeed a factor.

Nice photo but an increase to two stinky coffins from one on the Peak to Kingswear. It would be easy to be stung there.

They mentioned a few weeks before the tour that they'd added a carriage to the consist due to high demand. Presumably, the air con coach in question must've been the only thing available.

If SRPS are going to continue running coffins on their tours into 2026, perhaps they could look into something similar to Vintage Trains, where you can explicitly book an "enthusiast" second-class ticket which would guarantee a seat in a non-aircon coach directly behind the loco.

 

[The_Train]

I was in one of the coffins and it didn't detract from a fantastic day out in the slightest. Vestibule doors kept open for the duration meaning we enjoyed lots of the Class 40 noise on the return journey. Great traction, well presented rolling stock, great staff and great company. Perfect day for me!

 

[Harpo]

SRPS’s ‘The Illuminating Brush’ (18/10) joins the year’s capes list.

 

[Rail Quest]

SRPS’s ‘The Illuminating Brush’ (18/10) joins the year’s capes list.

Has this cancellation only just been announced? I can't see any posts on their FB page. If so, four days cancellation notice is dreadful.

 

[D6700]

It was cancelled a little while ago, although I get the impression only a few people were inconvenienced by it...

 

[Rail Quest]

It was cancelled a little while ago, although I get the impression only a few people were inconvenienced by it...

Ahh fair enough. So, presumably, yet another low bookings victim?

 

[D6700]

Ahh fair enough. So, presumably, yet another low bookings victim?

Indeed.

 

[Kite159]

Because it was (in my eyes) a bit rubbish, a tour to see the famous Blackpool lights, which left Blackpool before the lights would have been switched on.

 

[Iskra]

Because it was (in my eyes) a bit rubbish, a tour to see the famous Blackpool lights, which left Blackpool before the lights would have been switched on.

And let’s face it, Blackpool is better seen in the dark anyway…

Blackpool is/was a traditional Scottish destination though, so you’d have thought there would have been a few takers.

 

[The_Train]

Blackpool is just not an appealing destination now, irrelevant of the lights. I spent an hour there on a tour last winter and it was like the end of the world and about 59 minutes longer than I would have liked to spend there. Vintage are running a tour with a pair of 37s that I would be interested in if it wasn't for the SIX hours you have to spend in Blackpool

 

[Harpo]

Vintage are running a tour with a pair of 37s that I would be interested in if it wasn't for the SIX hours you have to spend in Blackpool

Time to enjoy everything good about Blackpool then 6 hours in a pub.