Seat plan for standard class mk2 buffet car

[STEVIEBOY1]

Good afternoon,

All being well on Monday 11 Nov, I am booked to travel on RTC Kentish Belle steam train trip to Margate from London Victoria.

I normally book for these trips well in advance and when travelling in standard class sit in a normal open plan MK2 carriage and I am familiar with the seat numbering usually in those coaches, however this time I booked very late and have been allocated seat 1B in the buffet car. Does any one know if the seat numbering in that coach is similar and if it will be a window seat. 1 normally is a window seat in the full stardard open carriages.

I think the steam loco and route outbound has been changed slightly for this train.

Thank You.

 

[theblackwatch]

Yes it should be a window seat. However, with it being a steam tour I'd expect it to be a Mk. 1 coach rather than a Mk. 2, as virtually all the Mk. 2 buffet cars are air-cons.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Thank you for the info here.

I have just seen the timings on UK Steam info and the whole route has been reversed, so it's out via Maidstone East, then along the coast from Ashford to Folkestone/Dover, followed by a trip via Deal, Ramsgate, Sole Street etc.

No longer stopping in Margate at all.
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I Went on the above mentioned Kentish Belle Steam train yesterday.

My seat was fine, by the window and on the coastal side of the train when it went past Folkestone/Dover and the Herne Bay area.

It did go out by the revised route via Maidstone, and back via the Medway towns. It seems that there are a couple of bridges in the Chatham area which cause problems to steam locos coming from the London area, countrybound, this was only discovered at the last minute almost, which I presume was one of the reasons that we could not travel out via Dartford/Gravesend as was the original plan, or via Meopham/Sole Street too.

I think there may have been a gauging issue too. This problem does not seem to affect steam services towards London though through Chatham.

I seem to recall that there was a similar problem in one direction between Yeovil and Salisbury in recent years although that has since been rectified. Hopefully this will be sorted out in a similar way in the Chatham area too.

We were delayed on the outbound journey owing to poor track conditions which was slowing down service trains in front of use, but once past Maidstone things did improve. I presume that for pathing reasons we were not able to go out via Tonbridge.

Anyway it was still a good day out, we where about 1 hours and 20 minutes late at one stage and missed out the hour's break at Margate which was a shame, just a quick leg stretch at Ramsgate & Whitstable. We arrived back at Victoria just 15 minutes late though so not so bad.