Overnight railtours

[BR Traction]

I have just spent a good hour or so reading about some incredible railtours from the past on the Six Bells Junction website. One particular tour I noticed ran through the night “The Sutherland Highlander” on the 3-5 May 1985 by R.E.S.L. I assume there are others. To save money and messing about with hotels, is it not possible to run these type of tours in 2026? “The Gosh Ness Monster” being an example. Maybe just the outward or return journey being overnight. What the passengers on the railtour did for food and drink I don’t know. At least the chippy was open.

 

[Egg Centric]

I'm pretty sure there was a charity railtour by GBRF that did something similar recently. Nevertheless, what on earth would be the appeal of this for most people?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I'm pretty sure there was a charity railtour by GBRF that did something similar recently. Nevertheless, what on earth would be the appeal of this for most people?

Was that the three peaks challenge tour?

...or was that one done by LSL?

 

[Kite159]

Was that the three peaks challenge tour?

...or was that one done by LSL?

There has been 3 multi day GBRF tours over the years, at least the 2nd & 3rd had an overnight leg between day 2 & 3.

 

[Bill57p9]

"Skirl o' the Bagpipes" (dual 33/1) departed London Victoria around 1800 on a Friday evening, running to Inverness via Boat of Garten overnight. There were some extended stops which allowed supplies to be obtained, though pickings were slim in Perth around 0400!

IIRC this was the last train operated by British Rail's charter unit. I still have the souvenir mug (& video, on VHS of course) somewhere.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

There has been 3 multi day GBRF tours over the years, at least the 2nd & 3rd had an overnight leg between day 2 & 3.

There's also the annual week long "Great Britain" series isn't there? Although I think they always park up overnight?

 

[BR Traction]

"Skirl o' the Bagpipes" (dual 33/1) departed London Victoria around 1800 on a Friday evening, running to Inverness via Boat of Garten overnight. There were some extended stops which allowed supplies to be obtained, though pickings were slim in Perth around 0400!

IIRC this was the last train operated by British Rail's charter unit. I still have the souvenir mug (& video, on VHS of course) somewhere.

Having experienced this type of railtour, do you think it would work nowadays? With increasing fuel prices, the prospect of hotels charging even more with the tourism tax, along with rising costs generally, I would have thought this would be a potential answer to the long 3 day trips. Branch Line Society class 37 tours to Scotland being another example. If a hotel is required for the early morning departure at the start, the cost goes up further. Obviously, not everyone wishes to experience these kind of tours. If it helps people, both young and not so young who don’t have deep pockets and it gets bums on seats, there is more likelihood the tour will run and not get cancelled. We also now have uber eats and more 24 hour take aways! Food problem solved.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Food problem solved.

I don't remember food being a problem on the Anglo Scottish Freighter of 1984. Looking at the timings on sixbellsjunction here:

Six Bells Junction

there were some very long station stops at strategic large stations where you could nip off to the pub or stock up from the station outlets.

 

[Egg Centric]

Having experienced this type of railtour, do you think it would work nowadays? With increasing fuel prices, the prospect of hotels charging even more with the tourism tax, along with rising costs generally, I would have thought this would be a potential answer to the long 3 day trips. Branch Line Society class 37 tours to Scotland being another example. If a hotel is required for the early morning departure at the start, the cost goes up further. Obviously, not everyone wishes to experience these kind of tours. If it helps people, both young and not so young who don’t have deep pockets and it gets bums on seats, there is more likelihood the tour will run and not get cancelled. We also now have uber eats and more 24 hour take aways! Food problem solved.

If I understand the proposal correctly then the basic idea is to use the stock as effectively a chartered sit-down sleeper service to/from the rail tour proper?

I don't think that this will turn out to be anything like as cost effective (which is the reason you're suggesting it rather than eg some kind of camaraderie with your fellow passengers as you suffer through the ordeal ) as just taking an overnight bus or indeed a conventional sleeper service. Or flying.

It probably also rules out a lot of interesting traction and stock entirely.

 

[BR Traction]

If I understand the proposal correctly then the basic idea is to use the stock as effectively a chartered sit-down sleeper service to/from the rail tour proper?

I don't think that this will turn out to be anything like as cost effective (which is the reason you're suggesting it rather than eg some kind of camaraderie with your fellow passengers as you suffer through the ordeal ) as just taking an overnight bus or indeed a conventional sleeper service. Or flying.

It probably also rules out a lot of interesting traction and stock entirely.

 

[simonw]

There's also the annual week long "Great Britain" series isn't there? Although I think they always park up overnight?

Yes, at which point you leave the train and head for your accomodation. So it's not an overnight tour

 

[BR Traction]

Thankyou for your reply. If we take The Gosh Ness Monster tour as an example. I may be mistaken, but I thought bookings were low partly due to accommodation costs in Edinburgh. What I was thinking was starting the tour as normal, but set off much later. Say 1800. No need for accommodation the night before if people are travelling some distance to join it, and continue through the night, avoiding more accommodation costs this time in Edinburgh. Just like the railtours described above from the 1980s. The next night have a hotel as normal.

 

[Robin Edwards]

In the days of BR Merrymaker and other privately run excursions, there were weekend trips that ran overnight from London Euston using MK1 compartment stock leaving on a Friday evening, arriving Inverness Saturday morning around 7am and for those interested, onto the Far North line to Wick and Thurso. The return would get back to London for Sunday with a second night on the move leaving Inverness Saturday evening. The LNER Society ran a similar trip 19-21st October 1979 called The Northern Highlander. I have recollection of some 'younger' passengers using the overhead netting luggage storage in the compartments as their sleeping arrangement.

 

[sh24]

Bookings might be low due to accommodation costs, but are also likely to be low as few people would want to do an overnight sat bolt up right on a full charter train.

I did plenty of overnights in my teens, UK and abroad, and have zero desire to ever do it again without a flat bed (plane) or private sleeper compartment (train).

 

[BR Traction]

It was so nice to see a lot of young people enjoying themselves photographing Scotsman and the class 37’s on Wednesday this week. (To be honest, most people are younger than me!). I was trying to think of new ideas to help and encourage these younger folk to experience what a lot of us took for granted back in the 70’s and 80’s so that one day they too can reminisce about enjoying themselves travelling by train.

 

[Egg Centric]

Thankyou for your reply. If we take The Gosh Ness Monster tour as an example. I may be mistaken, but I thought bookings were low partly due to accommodation costs in Edinburgh. What I was thinking was starting the tour as normal, but set off much later. Say 1800. No need for accommodation the night before if people are travelling some distance to join it, and continue through the night, avoiding more accommodation costs this time in Edinburgh. Just like the railtours described above from the 1980s. The next night have a hotel as normal.

Ah I see. I think this could work but at the expense of eg photography and being able to see outside so I'm not sure it's worth it.

Youth hostels etc exist. As does couchsurfing. Accommodation doesn't have to be expensive.

Unfortunately most rail tours are intrinsically expensive now as there isn't interesting stock and a surfeit of spare poorly paid staff lying around like there was back then.

 

[dk1]

The Overnight Bag was a good one in the late 1990s running ragged around the Southern Region.

 

[Bevan Price]

Overnight tours were never something I wanted to do. Too much like hard work, and I could never see the point if they did "required track", but you couldn't see where you were going.

 

[dk1]

Overnight tours were never something I wanted to do. Too much like hard work, and I could never see the point if they did "required track", but you couldn't see where you were going.

I think it looked good and you just imagine getting wasted during the tour but come 2-3am and the night style shift tediousness of it all it was always going to end up being grim at the end.

 

[RuddA]

When I was younger I can remember going on a couple of NENTA railtours from North Walsham. I believe they set off early Friday evening, arriving Edinburgh at approx 6am on Saturday. One was going to Wick and the other to Mallaig. Arriving back home in the early hours of Sunday.
Enjoyed the trips then, but not something I would want to do now.

 

[50002Superb]

I'm pretty sure there was a charity railtour by GBRF that did something similar recently. Nevertheless, what on earth would be the appeal of this for most people?

Yep, the GBRF This Time it’s Personal tour.

I was on it, there was an outbreak of some kind of bug which massively affected it and one of the overnight legs was pretty grim in the end.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

One particular tour I noticed ran through the night “The Sutherland Highlander” on the 3-5 May 1985 by R.E.S.L.

I was on that tour. Food was never a problem. There was a dining car on that train as well as other offerings. Other stops allowed for food etc.

What the passengers on the railtour did for food and drink I don’t know. At least the chippy was open.

I could afford - I used the dining car but I also packed a supply of meat pies and sandwiches. Food no problem.

 

[Ashley Hill]

The Sutherland Highlander” on the 3-5 May 1985 by R.E.S.L. I assume

I was on that tour too! For the life of me I can’t remember what I took to eat, probably a large box of sandwiches and crisps. I do remember lots of people jumping around in the track at Georgemas Junction trying to decide which part was going to Thurso or Wick (we went to Thurso). Also arriving back at Cardiff there seemed to be a mass bunk of Canton depot, followed by a cold night on the platform waiting for the first train in the direction of home.

 

[JKF]

I think I recall BLS did an overnight local tour in the Bristol area a couple of years back that ran to Severn Beach and other local lines that don’t usually see loco hauled services. Might have picked up South Wales too? They wouldn’t have been able to fit this in during the daytime.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I don't remember food being a problem on the Anglo Scottish Freighter of 1984. Looking at the timings on sixbellsjunction here:

Six Bells Junction

IMHO - The best railtour of all time that I went on - despite certain track getting missed due to the miners strike.

 

[QJ]

IMHO - The best railtour of all time that I went on - despite certain track getting missed due to the miners strike.

Apart from the bits hauled by 47555.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Apart from the bits hauled by 47555.

True. That was a disappointment. All the other locos were outstanding though imho.