BLS 2025 tours

[Peter749]

Regarding the Farewell Trip for the 455s it might have been better to do Three out and back shorter trips from Waterloo lasting about 3 hours
08.00 - 11.00 then 11.30 - 14.30 and 15.00 - 18.00
it would give people the chance to do a trip and would not need a toilet stop

They did a similar trips around the Wurzburg area giving more people that change to ride on it and photograph it.

The BLS trip suffers because they wanted to do a lot of different loops, sidings and crossovers that some people might not be interested in

 

[sad1e]

Regarding the Farewell Trip for the 455s it might have been better to do Three out and back shorter trips from Waterloo lasting about 3 hours
08.00 - 11.00 then 11.30 - 14.30 and 15.00 - 18.00
it would give people the chance to do a trip and would not need a toilet stopper

Imo they should have done it like the 315 farewell tour where they did multiple trips out and back and you had to book the trips separately. It would have allowed many more people on it and there's obviously demand as it sold out in 5 minutes.

 

[Rail_Sussex]

Is there any news on the livery for the 455 tour yet?

 

[Peter749]

Imo they should have done it like the 315 farewell tour where they did multiple trips out and back and you had to book the trips separately. It would have allowed many more people on it and there's obviously demand as it sold out in 5 minutes.

Agreed

 

[duffield]

I was on a 455 service yesterday (20/11/2025) purely by accident, missed my connection at Weybridge for Woking and the next service was 2F33 1320 London Waterloo to Woking, 455871 and 455710.

 

[The_Train]

Imo they should have done it like the 315 farewell tour where they did multiple trips out and back and you had to book the trips separately. It would have allowed many more people on it and there's obviously demand as it sold out in 5 minutes.

But then they did the Merseyrail PEPs and the 313 farewell tours as full day tours without issue

The BLS trip suffers because they wanted to do a lot of different loops, sidings and crossovers that some people might not be interested in

It's a BLS tour - loops, sidings & crossovers is what they do.

I get that it is annoying that some have missed out on it but let's be honest none of the people making suggestions on how BLS should have done this wouldn't be making these suggestions had they actually managed to get a ticket.

 

[43096]

The BLS trip suffers because they wanted to do a lot of different loops, sidings and crossovers that some people might not be interested in

That’s what BLS is all about, doing the twiddly bits in excruciating detail. If you can’t tolerate that, don’t book.

 

[Peter749]

That’s what BLS is all about, doing the twiddly bits in excruciating detail. If you can’t tolerate that, don’t book.

I'm not complaining about the track the train is doing but by turning a Farewell Trip to the 455s they have excluded a lot of people who might have wanted to travel.

If they had done the same as the 315 farewell tours by running three shorter trips you would have got more passengers on the trains and more money

 

[Kite159]

With the 315 farewell tours, wasn't it due to the trains being restricted between London & Shenfield for some reason?
Ie they couldn't run to somewhere random like Southend or another destination where 315s ran in the past

 

[omnicity4659]

BLS have emailed ticket holders for the 455 Farewell Tour asking if they’re interested in moving to a proposed later train, running an hour later.

 

[sad1e]

BLS have emailed ticket holders for the 455 Farewell Tour asking if they’re interested in moving to a proposed later train, running an hour later.

Apparently BLS oversold tickets for the tour , From what I've heard they sold around 515 tickets when there were only 400 meant to be sold so they'll have to put on a second train or a good 115 people will be out of luck.

I wonder if they'll sell any normal tickets for the second tour as i sadly missed out on getting tickets for the first one.

 

[EYFanatic]

How can you oversell for a tour? I know airlines do it, but never heard this on a charter

 

[sad1e]

How can you oversell for a tour? I know airlines do it, but never heard this on a charter

I'm wondering the same thing to be honest , you would think it would just be a dead simple script to stop selling tickets once the set amount had been sold.

 

[omnicity4659]

BLS said they sold out in 15 seconds, so perhaps the system didn't have enough time to stop those sales that pushed them over?

 

[EYFanatic]

That is exceptionally fast - I had heard fifteen minutes at the AGM the other day

 

[omnicity4659]

That is exceptionally fast - I had heard fifteen minutes at the AGM the other day

Seems to be a few figures floating around, but the email says 15 seconds. Definitely sold out in less time than 15 minutes though!

 

[EYFanatic]

Fair enough...

Like an above comment says, either a second train will have to be pathed quickly or people will be getting refunds for being unable to go on it which would be a shame for a lot of people

 

[RealTrains07]

The whole ordeal is just a bit of an unfortunate shambles really if it is in fact oversold. Also considering there will be the usual youtubers will probably be at the event as well, are they part of the 400 tickets?

 

[bluegoblin7]

The trip is essentially a charity fundraiser, and part of the BLS’ mantra is that everyone - even the stewards - have paid to be there. I would be shocked if any YouTubers are there for free.

Is there a source for the claim that the tour was over sold?

Ultimately a lot of this just sounds like jealousy… if a second trip does end up running surely that is, overall, a good thing… and something that people were essentially asking for?

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

 

[omnicity4659]

BLS have emailed ticket holders for the 455 Farewell Tour asking if they’re interested in moving to a proposed later train, running an hour later.

Email is as quoted:

Dear [name],

Thank you for booking with us on the Class 455 Farewell tour on Sunday 21 December. We’re looking forward to welcoming you on board and celebrating the life of South Western Railway’s metro fleet, before it heads into retirement at the end of 2025.

The interest in this tour has been unprecedented and we are amazed to say that tickets sold out in just 15 seconds, raising more than £18,000 for our three charities, Macmillan Cancer Support, The Alex Wardle Foundation and Railway Children.

As you know, we have a packed itinerary, with our train visiting some special locations that passengers would never normally be able to travel to.

Fitting all these unique experiences into a single day means an early departure time of 0932 from London Waterloo, which we recognise may be a challenge for ticket holders travelling from further afield. In fact, we know some ticket holders have already booked overnight accommodation, at a busy and expensive time of year, as it is of course the last weekend before Christmas.

The Branch Line Society and South Western Railway want to ensure that the tour is accessible for everyone. That’s why we’re considering a second train on Sunday 21 December, departing London Waterloo one hour later, at 1035, returning to London Waterloo for 1903 & 1926.

This second train would travel on exactly the same route and provide exactly the same experience, with the added bonus of ticket holders not having to rush to get to London Waterloo!

If you are open to or would prefer to travel on a second train, please let us know by replying "MOVE" to this email by 20:00 Thursday 27 November. If you have booked for more than one person please reply to each of the emails received. We apologise for the short notice, however we have some planning to do!

Otherwise, if you are happy with the departure time of 0932, please reply with "STAY", and we will see you at London Waterloo on Sunday 21 December as planned.

 

[EYFanatic]

Well, that seems fairly conclusive

If they move the extra people onto the second train, do you think they will reopen the booking process to fill it up?

 

[theblackwatch]

I note the BLS e-mail doesn't mention anything about the tour being oversold. So there is still no source for this claim. It just looks to me like they're making an effort to find a way of accommodating more people.

 

[ainsworth74]

I note the BLS e-mail doesn't mention anything about the tour being oversold. So there is still no source for this claim. It just looks to me like they're making an effort to find a way of accommodating more people.

Agreed. This sounds like they've spotted that there's sufficient demand for two tours and working with SWR they're seeing if a second can be resourced. No sign of overselling and surely this is what people on this thread were hoping for!?

 

[xotGD]

The first tour won't be a farewell if there's a second tour later in the day.

 

[theblackwatch]

The first tour won't be a farewell if there's a second tour later in the day.

There was never any claim it was the last trip. There have often been a series of farewell tours - think Class 50, LNER HST, etc....

 

[The_Train]

The first tour won't be a farewell if there's a second tour later in the day.

There will probably be 455s departing Waterloo on service trains as the "farewell" arrives back into Waterloo

 

[EYFanatic]

There was never any claim it was the last trip. There have often been a series of farewell tours - think Class 50, LNER HST, etc....

The steam version of the Castle class had about four or five farewells out of Paddington

 

[DarloRich]

this is a unit tour? A. UNIT. TOUR. Games gone.



While I will never understand the attraction of units ( especially high density commuter trains) it is clear that BLS have uncovered significant demand for this tour and so if they can run an extra tour more people can "enjoy" some unit milage. That has to be a good thing for those interested. Surely something to be applauded.

 

[The_Train]

this is a unit tour? A. UNIT. TOUR. Games gone.



While I will never understand the attraction of units ( especially high density commuter trains) it is clear that BLS have uncovered significant demand for this tour and so if they can run an extra tour more people can "enjoy" some unit milage. That has to be a good thing for those interested. Surely something to be applauded.

Absolutely spot on. Unit farewell tours are incredibly popular (as shown by the amount of people whinging about missing out on tickets) and if BLS are looking to increase capacity by adding a 2nd train then they should be congratulated on that. I presume they are giving first refusal to those who have already booked so they can choose their preferred train and then once they know the numbers for each train and what space is left on each train, will then release more tickets.

Not quite sure why people are trying so hard to turn this into some sort of negative to be honest.

 

[EYFanatic]

this is a unit tour? A. UNIT. TOUR. Games gone.



While I will never understand the attraction of units ( especially high density commuter trains) it is clear that BLS have uncovered significant demand for this tour and so if they can run an extra tour more people can "enjoy" some unit milage. That has to be a good thing for those interested. Surely something to be applauded.

Its not that extra people can travel on a Farewell Tour, but the real winners will be the charities that get a few extra pounds for their causes - surely the best outcome