UK Day Trip Information Travelling by Steam Train Our UK Day Trips almost exclusively make use of specially chartered trains hauled by steam locomotives. The trains offer a choice of types of seating to suit your particular requirements. Each passenger is allocated their own reserved seat ensuring that travel on these special trains is a relaxing experience providing the perfect escape from all the hustle and bustle of modern day life. All of the seats on our trains line up with the carriage windows, unlike many modern trains, and thus provide the maximum viewing area to add to the enjoyment of your journey. In addition to our UK Day Trips, the Railway Touring Company has a programme of tours using steam hauled charter trains in many other countries of the world. These tours can be for a few days duration or last for up to two weeks, with overnight accommodation provided in good quality hotels. Please visit our website www.railwaytouring.net for further details and to request an overseas brochure; or contact us by telephone if you prefer. Premier Dining Class Premier Dining Class on our trains is a silver served dining experience providing you with a full meals service at your table, whilst you relax in spacious comfortable seating. The coaches used are British Rail Mark 1 First Open coaches.* The Premier Dining service usually includes a traditional full English breakfast soon after you board the train, and a four course meal on the return journey. Onboard chefs prepare fresh food for all of the meals. We are able to offer vegetarian options but cannot meet other dietary requests. A fully licensed bar service is always available, we kindly ask passengers to not consume their own alcoholic drinks. A corkage fee of £10 per person will apply for alcohol not purchased on board. The dress code is smart casual, as we like our passengers to be relaxed and travel in comfort. Tables are available for four or two in Premier Dining Class. Our tables for two are the ideal choice for an unusual and memorable celebration, for a special occasion like a wedding anniversary or birthday. Tables for two, where both passengers have window seats, can be guaranteed for an additional charge of £30.00† per person, subject to availability. Premier Dining Class is available up to and including any pick up station before 10:30. *On some occasions a Pullman coach may be used. †Prices shown as per individual day trip page. First Class First Class seats accommodation on our trains is provided in British Rail Mark 1 First Open coaches* and offers tables for four or for two in spacious comfortable seating. Tables for two, where both passengers have window seats, can be guaranteed for an additional charge of £30.00† per person, subject to availability. First Class includes morning tea or coffee with a bacon/breakfast roll and a muffin and an afternoon service of tea or coffee with a savoury of the day followed by scone with butter and jam. A fully licensed bar service is always available, we kindly ask passengers to not consume their own alcoholic drinks. A corkage fee of £10 per person will apply for alcohol not purchased on board. *On some occasions a Pullman coach may be used. †Prices shown as per individual day trip page.
Junior tickets Junior children includes ages 15 and under (children 3yrs and under may travel on your lap but if they do require a seat then a junior ticket price applies). Family tickets 2 adults and 2 Juniors (aged 15 and under). Standard conditions of booking and travel Every effort will be made to ensure that the locomotive, rolling stock, route and timings which are hired in from third parties, will run as advertised. However, the organisers reserve the right to alter these details at any time and shall not incur any liability to any person who has bought, or contracted to buy a ticket or tickets, as a result of any such changes. There may be occasional re-scheduling or re-routing of a train. Please note whilst every effort will be made to ensure the use of the advertised steam locomotive the organisers reserve the right to substitute a different steam locomotive on occasions should it be required, for operational reasons, which would have to be accepted, no refunds will be offered for changes to advertised locomotives. All reasonable efforts, within the control of the organisers, will be made to ensure that on the day of the trip, the train runs as planned. However, we cannot accept any responsibility for delays, mishaps, alterations or curtailment of the tour from situations outside of our control. Please note all timings shown in the brochure are approximate and subject to change. All planned routes are subject to gauging clearance, on occasion we might be required to revise the route. In extreme weather conditions, such as heat waves, we may be restricted or forced to substitute steam haulage for diesel due to the high risks involved, in addition we may be permitted to operate with diesel assistance to reduce the risk of line side fires. In adverse conditions the train operating company, West Coast Railways, may feel the need to run with a diesel locomotive attached to the rear as a precaution. The nature of steam trains is that breakdowns, delays and substitutions have to be accepted. Every genuine effort will be made to ensure that the tour runs as planned and advertised, or as close to it as possible. In the event of a failure of the scheduled steam locomotive prior to departure of the trip, every best effort will be made to find a suitable steam locomotive as a replacement. However, if this is not possible and if there is insufficient time available to cancel or postpone the trip, then a diesel may be used as substitute. In such circumstances, outside of our control, acceptance of these terms signifies your acceptance of such a change and no refund will be due.
Standard Class Standard Class seats are accommodated in a mid 1960’s tourist standard open coach. These are usually arranged in groups of four around a table. In some cases you may be seated in second corridor coach which is a compartment coach seating six passengers per compartment without a table. All seats are reserved. Passengers in First and Standard classes regularly bring hampers and picnics.
The organisers cannot accept responsibility for the options under the control of third parties and are only responsible for returning passengers to their joining stations.
All the catering on board our trains is provided by a third party supplier.
Due to the age and construction of our trains it is not possible to board whilst seated in a wheelchair, however we will be pleased to convey passengers of limited mobility whenever possible, provided they can step onto the train from the platform and move to their reserved seats with the help of an able-bodied carer, the wheelchair then being folded by you and stored at the end of the carriage. We are unable to convey mobility scooters or non-folding wheelchairs due to the age and design of the trains used. Due to timing restraints at joining stations all mobility issues which require the use of walking aids or impact a passenger’s ability to board or disembark with ease must be confirmed and discussed prior to travel.
Booking arrangements Passengers can book their tickets online by visiting our website www.railwaytouring. net or by downloading a booking form which can be printed and sent by post to:- The Railway Touring Company, 14A Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1JN. Passengers can also book by telephone during office hours on 01553 661 500. Office hours are Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00. We accept most major credit and debit cards. There are no charges for paying with a credit card. When posting a booking form please enclose the full payment by cheque made payable to The Railway Touring Company, and, quoting your name, address, telephone number, choice of train, the number of seats you require, class and joining station. We regret that seats cannot be reserved unless full payment is received. Organisers arranging group travel for ten or more persons on a UK Day Trip are invited to contact the office, details above, regarding discounts where a single booking is to be made. Acknowledgements and tickets Bookings made by telephone will be verbally acknowledged at the time of booking and a written confirmation sent within 7 days. Tickets and travel information will usually be despatched at least 5 days before the date of travel. However, this information and the tickets cannot be sent until the departure times are confirmed by the train operator which may be at shorter notice. Please pay particular attention to the departure and arrival times sent with your tickets as these may vary from the approximate timings given in this brochure.
48
Gift vouchers We are pleased to offer gift vouchers which can be used against any future trip with us. Please visit our online shop or contact the office to purchase these.
Your booking is taken as constituting acceptance of these conditions. No refund or substitutions are available, other than due to cancellation by the organisers, which can happen on occasions. We will not be liable for any consequential loss you may suffer or pay any compensation to you.
We are limited to only being able to provide a vegetarian dietary alternative, all other dietary requests are not available. We recommend that during the winter months you travel wearing suitable layered clothing as the carriages on occasion can be cold. Although they are heated, unforeseen complications along with the nature of travelling by steam in vintage carriages can result in cooler conditions for passengers than modern trains. All images shown on the website and within our brochure are for illustration purposes only and do not signify the exact routing of the train. N.B. – All timings shown are approximate and subject to change unless otherwise shown.
