Charter train hire companies

[Masbroughlad]

West Coast and Riveria trains are two charter train companies that I have heard of. Who else is their that one could approach to hire and run a mainline charter train?

 

[Boothby97]

Scottish Railway Preservation Society, Railfilms Ltd/Statesman Rail, Eastern Rail Services (based on the Mid Norfolk Railway) and Vintage Trains are others. There is also VSOE and Northern Belle sets but I don't know if they just get used by there charter group. DBS do have some charter coaches, but most are either in storage or on hire to ScotRail. And Jeremy Hosking, owns a fleet of about 5 Mark 1 coaches.
Thanks, Sam

 

[156441]

Depends on where you are and what you want.

Virgin have the pretendalino and East Midlands Trains do charters as well. I helped organise one through EMT for the national demo in London two years ago.

 

[Masbroughlad]

Looking to organise an excursion/or excursions from Shropshire to the South coast or Devon and maybe then later up to Edinburgh.

 

[Masbroughlad]

What happened to the Rail Blue Mark 3s when they went bust? Did any end up with charter companies or did they all go to mainline operators Arriva Wales and Chiltern?

Also, the Pretendolino-can that be taken off usual Virgin routes? Can it supply a dining option? Who would provide locos?

 

[jopsuk]

The Pretendolino set can easily be used elsewhere- it's just a set of Mark 3s. Can be hauled by anything that can supply ETS, though I think the DVT can only be used with 90s and 87s (86s maybe?), and would need a driver that signs the route, the loco and the DVT (so most of the time on charter it gets hauled, with a loco coupled to the DVT as well)

 

[Metrailway]

What happened to the Rail Blue Mark 3s when they went bust? Did any end up with charter companies or did they all go to mainline operators Arriva Wales and Chiltern?

Also, the Pretendolino-can that be taken off usual Virgin routes? Can it supply a dining option? Who would provide locos?

If you are interested in Virgin you should be able to pick up a booklet about train chartering from a station served by Virgin. I recently picked up one such booklet at Manchester Piccadilly.

Alternatively you could use their website... http://www.virgintrains.com/train-hire/

I am unsure whether you would be able to hire a pretendolino (or pendo, voyager) for destinations off Virgin routes - the Virgin literature keeps going on about 'our network'.

 

[Boothby97]

What happened to the Rail Blue Mark 3s when they went bust? Did any end up with charter companies or did they all go to mainline operators Arriva Wales and Chiltern?

Also, the Pretendolino-can that be taken off usual Virgin routes? Can it supply a dining option? Who would provide locos?

They ended up with Chiltern and ATW, some are in store. The Mk2s they had that were in traffic went to DRS and stored examples went to the Mid Norfolk Railway(ERS) and West Coast Railway Co.

Thanks, Sam

 

[DarloRich]

There is a great deal involved in organising a charter service, you should think very ,very carefully about this and in particular your financial and legal exposure when things go wrong.

You can’t simply just rock up and hire a train set and off you go!

 

[Masbroughlad]

There is a great deal involved in organising a charter service, you should think very ,very carefully about this and in particular your financial and legal exposure when things go wrong.

You can’t simply just rock up and hire a train set and off you go!

Yes thanks for that! Doing plenty of research and got backing.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I am unsure whether you would be able to hire a pretendolino (or pendo, voyager) for destinations off Virgin routes - the Virgin literature keeps going on about 'our network'.

You can - I obtained a quote on behalf of someone a couple of years ago for Euston - Carlisle with the usual 90 haulage, drag with a 57 or whatever was available / suitable via the S&C and Manchester Picadilly to Crewe ( to avoid reversing in Preston in order to keep the train the right way round for VT ) and then electric back to Euston.

Now, obviously the price quoted was confidential so I won't repeat it here, but suffice to say it was a five figure sum and it seemed about right when I thought about it.

But the point is, yes - they will entertain off their route. After all, it recently ran up the ECML didn't it...?

 

[TOCDriver]

You can - I obtained a quote on behalf of someone a couple of years ago for Euston - Carlisle with the usual 90 haulage, drag with a 57 or whatever was available / suitable via the S&C and Manchester Picadilly to Crewe ( to avoid reversing in Preston in order to keep the train the right way round for VT ) and then electric back to Euston.

Now, obviously the price quoted was confidential so I won't repeat it here, but suffice to say it was a five figure sum and it seemed about right when I thought about it.

But the point is, yes - they will entertain off their route. After all, it recently ran up the ECML didn't it...?

The price when divided up per person isn't bad value for what you get. Well worth the outlay for a really special event such as a wedding

 

[captainbigun]

But the point is, yes - they will entertain off their route. After all, it recently ran up the ECML didn't it...?

VT will hire the Mk3 set with/without catering on a daily rate. You can source locos and crews elsewhere or VT will provide a package. VT themselves wouldn't operate it of the WC as they wouldn't have the crews.

 

[DarloRich]

Yes thanks for that! Doing plenty of research and got backing.

Just suggesting some care and thought! I have seen some spectacularly expensive failures and you do not want to be the one to fund the pay outs.

I have also come across lots of “backers” for many things who aren’t keen to actually take a fair share of the risk in projects and while happy to take the credit are not happy to take their share of the blame.