Pathfinder annouce closure with final tour on 20th December 2025

[Masbroughlad]

To me, UKR and PFT are up against it. LSL own everything, employ everybody and own all of their product. WCR could do the same.

UKR, PFT and other promoters hire in stock, caterers and employ their own staff too. Not sure who bids for paths and the like - is that in house or the rolling stock providers.

I guess there's an imbalance of costs and so, ticket prices. I guess PFT lost some of that when Riviera sold to WCR? (Riviera worked closely with PFT?).

As more charter stock providers surface, maybe costs can come down for punters?

Quite a complicated market to operate in!

 

[JonathanH]

As more charter stock providers surface, maybe costs can come down for punters?

It isn't clear that rolling stock is what causes the high costs. Moreover, the existing rolling stock providers are often criticised for substandard stock - see https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/eastern-rail-services-mk2-stock-what-do-people-think.291980/. It appears to be as hard for them to make the money they need to be viable as it is for railtour promoters.

 

[Harpo]

There’s probably a separate discussion needed about railtour costs/prices. £159 standard is absolutely colossal and bears no relation to the £43 (after adding inflation) of my first ever railtour.

 

[xotGD]

The PF Cambrian tours are excellent and have been very popular, but you’d think the market for it will be fulfilled eventually.

I'm waiting for one to start from Leeds!

 

[bleeder4]

I'm waiting for one to start from Leeds!

You'll be waiting a long time! That's well out of PF's usual patch.

 

[Masbroughlad]

You'll be waiting a long time! That's well out of PF's usual patch.

Maybe they could spread their wings and tap other areas for these trains to Pwllheli? Lancashire, Yorkshire, East Anglia?

 

[Iskra]

You'll be waiting a long time! That's well out of PF's usual patch.

I'm waiting for one to start from Leeds!

…they did advertise a Cambrian one from Sheffield a few years back which I booked on. I think it might have been re-dated and the starting point changed. I did eventually go on one but it wasn’t from Sheffield.

 

[31160]

Maybe they could spread their wings and tap other areas for these trains to Pwllheli? Lancashire, Yorkshire, East Anglia?

East Anglia? Well given the train from Cardiff got back at 1am, I wouldn't like to guess at what sort of time that would get back

 

[Bikeman78]

It's been noted by some that Pathfinder has fallen apart this year, mostly by cancellations. And I've yet to try another dining experience with the new contractor The Gravy Train as whilst the food was excellent, the service was hit and miss, mostly by being skipped now and again for some reason, having to get the attention of the staff most of the time because they served everyone drinks but not us.

I've received a letter from Pathfinder regarding the Stratford-upon-Avon tour on the 11th October stating that because of the small amount of carriages required, presumably meaning not many bookings, it's not financially viable to run this train therefore it's been cancelled. I've lost count how many cancelled tours I've had from PF this year, and end of last year they had stock problems which pulled a lot of tours off the program including one I was booked on, then there was more and recently there was the grid tour, my first 56 on the mainline but that got binned, and now this Stratford one too, so I've only managed 2 tours this year, Heart-of-Wales circular and Rail 200 tour (mind you there would be outrage if the latter got cancelled!)

Is it the stock operator that's causing low bookings or the destinations? The Stratford tour looked good with a decent circuit round, and new Steam loco too.

Maybe next year will improve I don't know but you can't improve if no one books, I've had people tell me they've lost confidence and not bothering anymore, I'm starting to think the same as it's becoming unreliable, I tell work I can't do that job or tour as I'm on a charter, said charter gets binned, someone else now doing what I could have done.

I went on the Pwllheli tour a week ago. It was a good day out but I went in first class. It was in the middle of the train so I didn't hear the locos all day. The most thrash I heard was on the bike ride home at 0130. The ECS caught me up just as I happened to be close to the railway, so I stopped for a minute to listen to the 37 thundering through the night!

I'm inclined to agree that I will only go on trips that pick up within an easy drive from home. I don't want to waste three days and a hotel booking for the trip to be cancelled.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Got an email from PF who are concerned I haven't used my 10% goodwill voucher for them cancelling the Manchester Xmas Markets tour last year (not had one for the other handful of canned tours this year )

Then gives me two 'local' tours to choose from, neither are appealing, but of interest mentions:

"We are hoping to shortly announce a third tour due to run on Saturday 20th December. This should be on our website in the coming days."

 

[renegademaster]

Would Pathfinder and UK railtours merging be beneficial? They are pretty much the southern and northern versions of of eachother.

Or at least coordinating so they don't run tours on the same days to help with the stock availability situation

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Or at least coordinating so they don't run tours on the same days to help with the stock availability situation

The Stratford tour was odd because the letter didnt specifically say lack of bookings / low numbers or anything, just basically saying it had to be cancelled because the 'number of carriages' for the tour wouldn't make it financially viable to run...if that is just another way of saying theres low bookings and a load 3 isn't financially viable, or weather its like you mention maybe only a short set was available, I dont know

 

[Kite159]

Got an email from PF who are concerned I haven't used my 10% goodwill voucher for them cancelling the Manchester Xmas Markets tour last year (not had one for the other handful of canned tours this year )

Then gives me two 'local' tours to choose from, neither are appealing, but of interest mentions:

"We are hoping to shortly announce a third tour due to run on Saturday 20th December. This should be on our website in the coming days."

I guess the 'local' tours they offered are the two currently on their website, with pick ups in Swindon. It will be interesting to see what they are planning for the 20th December, although it's the time of year where long distance tours ain't much fun owing to the limited hours of darkness (something like a trip to Manchester, where the last 5/6 hours is spent in darkness ins't the most exciting if not taking part in the dining)

 

[Pete 1981]

Got an email from PF who are concerned I haven't used my 10% goodwill voucher for them cancelling the Manchester Xmas Markets tour last year (not had one for the other handful of canned tours this year )

Then gives me two 'local' tours to choose from, neither are appealing, but of interest mentions:

"We are hoping to shortly announce a third tour due to run on Saturday 20th December. This should be on our website in the coming days."

I've just read on twitter that the December 20th tour will be Pathfinder's last outing.

 

[gazthomas]

I just got an email to say they're shutting down after their last tours, as per @Pete 1981

 

[Pete 1981]

As below

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I just got an email to say they're shutting down after their last tours, as per @Pete 1981

As below

Yes me too. End of an era. I remember as F&W and then Pathfinder. I used to drive from Preston to Cheltenham to pickup their trains. Lots of great memories.

 

[Masbroughlad]

Will the gap be filled or will railtours using third parties generally, go into decline?

I wondered if WCR might start to run railtours again - not just the S&C and Scarborough ones? A few years ago they ran from many places to quite a few destinations. I went to Swanage and Blaenau with them.

Sad times to see anything railway to disappear. I think one of my first non-BR Merrymaker, enthusiast charters was the South Wales Whistler? And one to Minehead too.

I must be getting old....

Thanks PF. You'll be missed.

 

[gazthomas]

Cue, "favourite F&W and/or Pathfinder rail tour memory"

 

[Iskra]

Not too much of a surprise. Had some great tours with them in the past.

Will the gap be filled or will railtours using third parties generally, go into decline?

I wondered if WCR might start to run railtours again - not just the S&C and Scarborough ones? A few years ago they ran from many places to quite a few destinations. I went to Swanage and Blaenau with them.

Sad times to see anything railway to disappear. I think one of my first non-BR Merrymaker, enthusiast charters was the South Wales Whistler? And one to Minehead too.

I must be getting old....

Thanks PF. You'll be missed.

Maybe WCRC may buy the brand? But I don’t know how popular they would be under WCRC ownership; they are already closing for a reason and would then be off their traditional patch and using the same loco’s over and over again which would reduce appeal.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Sep 2025 ==

Cue, "favourite F&W and/or Pathfinder rail tour memory"

Probably the Transpennine Deltic Reprise for me in 2017- a Deltic out of the Lime Street cutting in the days of being allowed near an open window was a sound to behold More recently a pair of 33’s to Weymouth and The Cambrian Coast were awesome trips out.

 

[Isle of Mull]

On the 23rd of September pathfinder railtours made an announcement that they will be ending business after 5 decades of railtours in the UK.

 

[Isle of Mull]

It's been noted by some that Pathfinder has fallen apart this year, mostly by cancellations. And I've yet to try another dining experience with the new contractor The Gravy Train as whilst the food was excellent, the service was hit and miss, mostly by being skipped now and again for some reason, having to get the attention of the staff most of the time because they served everyone drinks but not us.

I've received a letter from Pathfinder regarding the Stratford-upon-Avon tour on the 11th October stating that because of the small amount of carriages required, presumably meaning not many bookings, it's not financially viable to run this train therefore it's been cancelled. I've lost count how many cancelled tours I've had from PF this year, and end of last year they had stock problems which pulled a lot of tours off the program including one I was booked on, then there was more and recently there was the grid tour, my first 56 on the mainline but that got binned, and now this Stratford one too, so I've only managed 2 tours this year, Heart-of-Wales circular and Rail 200 tour (mind you there would be outrage if the latter got cancelled!)

Is it the stock operator that's causing low bookings or the destinations? The Stratford tour looked good with a decent circuit round, and new Steam loco too.

Maybe next year will improve I don't know but you can't improve if no one books, I've had people tell me they've lost confidence and not bothering anymore, I'm starting to think the same as it's becoming unreliable, I tell work I can't do that job or tour as I'm on a charter, said charter gets binned, someone else now doing what I could have done.It's just shutdown

It's just shut down

 

[Iskra]

It's just shut down

Not quite: it has announced it is shutting down in December.

 

[Isle of Mull]

It's last tour is December 20th I believe

 

[Paul AC]

Cue, "favourite F&W and/or Pathfinder rail tour memory"

"Skirl o' the Pipes II" on 6th - 8th May 1983: hitching a ride in the cab of the lead 27 at Burghead to get the extra distance on the branch during the run-round.

 

[Harpo]

Days like last Saturday (20/9) when PF had two cancellations* to its name on the same day show the difficulties it was in. The writing was on the wall.



(*4 day autumn highlander and Atlantic Coast Express)

 

[Forty29]

Skirl of the pipes lll September 1983

 

[Rail Quest]

This is a real shame. RIP Pathfinders

Will the gap be filled or will railtours using third parties generally, go into decline?

The only hope I can pull out of this news is that the demand released from Pathfinders can be used by LSL InterCity and SRPS tours, both of which have had a lot of cancellations this year due to low bookings.

 

[StephenHunter]

Will the gap be filled or will railtours using third parties generally, go into decline?

I wondered if WCR might start to run railtours again - not just the S&C and Scarborough ones? A few years ago they ran from many places to quite a few destinations. I went to Swanage and Blaenau with them.

Sad times to see anything railway to disappear. I think one of my first non-BR Merrymaker, enthusiast charters was the South Wales Whistler? And one to Minehead too.

I must be getting old....

Thanks PF. You'll be missed.

Could GBR run tours themselves? FS already do so and for remarkably cheap prices.

 

[Harlequinuk]

Duplicate post from thread merge