Spitfire's Yuletide York II on 20th November

[4SRKT]

I'm booked on the mini-tour of this, which is from York to Newcastle via Stockton and Ferryhill, then round the Blyth and Tyne and back to York via the same route as outbound. Excellent value at £20, and I'm really looking forward to it.

On thing that concerns me is that the provisional timings only allow 3 hours York > York for this, including a 15 minute break at Newcastle. That's not even close to possible is it? The main tour provisionally gets to York at 12:15, and departs again at 16:15. Even if the tour spent only 2 minutes at York in each direction, I still don't think you could do this itinerary in 4 hours. What's more, is 4 hours in York enough to attract sufficient normals onto the trip?

Have Spitfire bitten off more than they can chew here?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

On thing that concerns me is that the provisional timings only allow 3 hours York > York for this, including a 15 minute break at Newcastle. That's not even close to possible is it? The main tour provisionally gets to York at 12:15, and departs again at 16:15. Even if the tour spent only 2 minutes at York in each direction, I still don't think you could do this itinerary in 4 hours. What's more, is 4 hours in York enough to attract sufficient normals onto the trip?

http://www.spitfirerailtours.co.uk/Future tours2.htm#Yuletide York

This shows only confirmed times for the main tour to York, 3 hours may be a bit fiendish for doing this, especially carrying on into Northumberland.

Quite a long-winded route on the main too, via Shrewsbury - it takes over a quarter of a day to do International to York alone!
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Looking back through my railtour booklets I see that the Choppington Changer Pathfinder Tour (15th March 2008) did the a route similar with timings:

York South Jn (via avoider) 1119; (via Eaglescliffe); Newcastle 1309; Bedlington N LC 1336; Newcastle 1407 (break) 1443; (via ECML); York station (SD) 1559.

So it looks like 1h50 (off this) York-Newcastle via Eaglescliffe.

Ambitious to say the least

 

[D6700]

I'm booked on the mini-tour of this, which is from York to Newcastle via Stockton and Ferryhill, then round the Blyth and Tyne and back to York via the same route as outbound. Excellent value at £20, and I'm really looking forward to it.

On thing that concerns me is that the provisional timings only allow 3 hours York > York for this, including a 15 minute break at Newcastle. That's not even close to possible is it? The main tour provisionally gets to York at 12:15, and departs again at 16:15. Even if the tour spent only 2 minutes at York in each direction, I still don't think you could do this itinerary in 4 hours. What's more, is 4 hours in York enough to attract sufficient normals onto the trip?

Have Spitfire bitten off more than they can chew here?

I agree that the provisional times for the mini-tour are rather optimistic, to say the least! Looking at Six Bells Junction, the provisionals for the main tour (except York itself) appear to be based on last November's The Yuletide York/The Geordie Growler. The York times were 11:26-11:38 and 16:56-17:01, which look much more comfortable. In a way, they may be underselling the break at York, to be sure of not getting less time than what they’ve advertised.

 

[37113]

Have Spitfire bitten off more than they can chew here?

A bit of a copy and paste error on the website regarding times at York it would appear, if you look at the Jorvic/Saltburn tours it has the same times for York!, whoopsie.

Would anticipate the timings to/from York being much the same as the original Yuletide tour from 2009, arr York 1126 with the return being at 1701 or similar. 5 and a bit hours to do Newcastle and Blyth isn't really that hard, should hopefully include Elswick too.

But we'll see what happens when we get the timings.

 

[142094]

Have Spitfire bitten off more than they can chew here?

Did the ABT a few years back and for a lot of it it was slow (guessing less than 40mph), so a bit ambitious, unless it has been a typo.

 

[4SRKT]

A bit of a copy and paste error on the website regarding times at York it would appear, if you look at the Jorvic/Saltburn tours it has the same times for York!, whoopsie.

Would anticipate the timings to/from York being much the same as the original Yuletide tour from 2009, arr York 1126 with the return being at 1701 or similar. 5 and a bit hours to do Newcastle and Blyth isn't really that hard, should hopefully include Elswick too.

But we'll see what happens when we get the timings.

Elswick? I thought that was long lifted?

 

[142094]

Elswick? I thought that was long lifted?

After Stella North was demolished the line would have went, although there is the short link to a Network Rail depot which probably is in Elswick.

 

[4SRKT]

After Stella North was demolished the line would have went, although there is the short link to a Network Rail depot which probably is in Elswick.

There is short stub about a mile along from Newcastle Central. Seems an odd thing to want to include, and I hope it doesn't mean the dreaded top and tail operation for the whole mini-tour just to get this little bit ticked off. I've got it anyway because I'm old enough to have been on the direct route to Blaydon on Carlisle DMUs.

 

[37372]

This tour has now been cancelled according to the Spitfire website. That's another chance to do the Blyth & Tyne gone then.

 

[142094]

There is short stub about a mile along from Newcastle Central. Seems an odd thing to want to include, and I hope it doesn't mean the dreaded top and tail operation for the whole mini-tour just to get this little bit ticked off. I've got it anyway because I'm old enough to have been on the direct route to Blaydon on Carlisle DMUs.

Didn't see this when you originally posted. The line here is even smaller than a mile, most likely around 1/10 of a mile as an estimate. Used to be used quite a lot for stabling the Virgin XC HSTs and for a time the Voyagers. Can't remember the last time I saw it used for anything apart from the tampers in the depot.

 

[4SRKT]

Should have been enjoying the tractors yesterday, but due to the cancellation of this tour had one of the most boring weekends I've had for ages.

I know it's not the tour promotors' faults, but I've had major disappointments on 3 out of 5 planned tours this year. I think I'll stick to getting my jollies out of service trains next year.

 

[142094]

Get back up to the Fife Circle, 011 was on it on Friday, quite a good trip for around £4 there and back.

 

[4SRKT]

Get back up to the Fife Circle, 011 was on it on Friday, quite a good trip for around £4 there and back.

The positioning move's quite expensive tho.... It's also more than £4 on the skip for those of us too old to have a railcard

Next plan, apart from the Pacer Day, is to Cardiff on the 57 and back to do the bubble car (among other things like drinking lots of Brain's bitter). £12.00 advance singles each way Crewe > Cardiff Bay After that it's a marathon 2 nights away blowout (I do at least one of these a year but it's usually a railtour). This time I'm planning Sunday night up to the Cross, then over to Paddington for the sleeper. Back from Penzance on Monday morning on the 10:00 FGW HST as far as Taunton, then on a 150 to Newport (until a few months ago this train was a skip ). Newport > Holyhead on the WAG 57 then over to Ireland for the 07:35 Dublin > Belfast (more loco haulage). A day's thumper bashing on the Larne line before taking the evening flight back to LBA. The price for this (booking as far in advance as possible)? £142 including the bus from LBA to Shipley! Not bad IYAM.