LNER HST Farewell Tours now open for booking!

See the tour pages for full details (and be quick!).

More news about the LNER HST Farewell

Subject to final details being confirmed by LNER and Network Rail, we hope to announce confirmed details, along with timings and fares, on Tuesday 3 December.

The four days’ events have changed slightly, and will now be:

Wednesday 18 December: From Edinburgh to Inverness via Aberdeen and Elgin.

Thursday 19 December: Inverness to Edinburgh via Highland Main Line.

Friday 20 December: Edinburgh to Leeds via Newcastle and York.

Saturday 21 December: Leeds to London King’s Cross.

As soon as we have more news, so will you!

All October and November timings now confirmed.

All tours in October now have CONFIRMED timings. These are:

THE SNOWDONIAN PANORAMA, Saturday 12 October

A FENLAND MEANDER, Wednesday 16 October

GERRY’S 313 FAREWELL, Wednesday 23 October

THE SEVERN VALLEY AUTUMN SPECIAL, Saturday 16 November

see the individual tour pages for details.

313064 and 313134 to work farewell tour.

Class 313 operation on scheduled Great Northern services ended on Monday 30 September. Units 303064 and 313134 are the two units earmarked for the farewell tour.

New brochure at the printer

Our next printed brochure is at the printers and is expected to be mailed around Friday 20 September.

Atlantic Coast Express, Saturday 10 August

The MetDesk forecast for Saturday, as supplied to Network Rail for fire risk issues, is a mix of Green (very low) and Yellow (low) for the entire country.

UK Railtours Charity Raffle raises £10,000 for Lindengate!

Here is UK Railtour’s Phil Bicknell presenting our ‘giant cheque’ to Lindengate.

£10,000 will help them to continue their valuable work, known as Social & Therapeutic Horticulture (STH), which uses the healing power of nature and the outdoors to improve mental wellbeing, boost self-esteem & social inclusion and encourage long-term recovery. STH is recognised to be beneficial for a wide range of mental health needs including anxiety, depression and loneliness as well as for people with autism, dementia and head injury.

Many thanks go to all who took part in our onboard Charity Raffle over the last few months!

 

Swanage timings – great news!

Following several suggestions, the four Swanage Sunday Specials now depart ONE HOUR LATER from Waterloo, at a very civilised 09.44 (confirmed), making the tours much easier to get to. We then enjoy a good fast run via the main line (not via Staines) picking up at Woking (10.15) and Basingstoke (10.40).

We now have rather longer in Corfe Castle or Swanage than advertised, then arrive back at Basingstoke at 19.13, Woking at 19.58 and Waterloo at 20.42.

Availability as at 11 July looks like this:

Sunday 28 July:    First Class 3 seats left; Standard Class 31 seats left (top and tail Class 73s)

Sunday 4 August:   First Class 2 seats left; Standard Class 28 seats left (top and tail Class 73s)

Sunday 11 August:   First Class 16 seats left; Standard Class 46 seats left (top and tail Class 73s)

Sunday 18 August:    First Class 14 seats left; Standard Class 44 seats left (likely to be Class 33)

Overall loading so far:  80.1%.  Book soon to make sure of your seats!