The Class 323 Farewell - Sunday 29th September 2024

[Starmill]

You could have ended the sentence right there!

Of course, historically BLS tours have been geared first and foremost towards the 'track basher'. There only need to be low hundreds of people in the country interested to fill something like that up economically, and like Taylor Swift, you make your fans come to you, not the other way around!

Other tours are very frequently a cheap alternative to buying a normal return for service trains to have a day out somewhere. Most fares are now so high that it's easy to fill a tour by charging £10 less. VTEC really said the quiet part out loud when, one December, they did precisely that - using one of their own trains on a Newcastle to London (normal route) tour that was £20 less than a normal return.

 

[Snapper]

Some pictures of today's Class 323 farewell railtour in Liverpool. https://paulbigland.blog/2024/09/29/rolling-blog-liverpool-loitering/

 

[Branch Line S]

Thanks for all the great feedback...glad you all enjoyed the day and we gave the 323's a cracking farewell along some of their old stomping grounds. A real mix of customers on board, and great to see some of our future railway enthusiasts already getting out and about and enjoying themselves.

A huge thank you to the team at West Midlands Railway (WMR) - they have been really supportive over the last few months in the planning for Sundays activities, and made the team feel very welcome when we were setting things up with them very early on Sunday morning. The units looked fantastic and specifically 323221 was sparking after its clean and polish ready for its activities. The units were put back into Road 4 at Soho depot, so should still be viewable by passing trains for a little while longer. We hope to work with WMR again soon, and will keep you updated on our plans.

A few unusual track moves throughout the day I'm sure you kept up to date with, but for those who didnt, here a few of them...

1. Bromsgrove P1 - accessed from the North
2. Perry Barr S Jct - Perry Barr W Jct
3. Soho East Jn - Soho North Jn
4. Wolverhampton P4 - heading North
5. Crewe Down Fast (unusual for a 323!)
6. Rugeley North Jn - Rugeley Trent Valley P1
7. Monument Lane Loop
8. Birmingham International P 2 - heading South

We will update soon on the money raised for the charity, but thank you for your genoristy throughout the day - we did amazingly well on sales for decals, the raffle, catering etc.

So a final thank you to everyone who joined us, and a big thanks again to WMR for their support pre Sunday, and on the day with a great crew on board.

 

[Sprinter107]

Superb tour. Really enjoyed it. I've been on a good few railtours and that was one of the nicest, the atmosphere on board was great. Thanks BLS, you did us proud.

 

[Class15]

Superb tour. Really enjoyed it. I've been on a good few railtours and that was one of the nicest, the atmosphere on board was great. Thanks BLS, you did us proud.

Agreed. Really great tour.