Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 12:35 29 Mar 2024
* Delays at Dover as millions begin Easter getaway
- Attempted murder charge after man stabbed on train
- KFC Nigeria sorry after disabled diner refused service
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
09:30 Weymouth to Gloucester
12:17 Westbury to Swindon
12:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
12:52 Bedwyn to Newbury
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
13:21 Newbury to Bedwyn
13:48 Bedwyn to Newbury
14:12 Newbury to Bedwyn
14:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
14:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
15:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
15:50 Bedwyn to Newbury
16:15 Newbury to Bedwyn
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
16:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
16:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
10:55 Paignton to London Paddington
12:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
13:55 Paignton to London Paddington
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton
15:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
09:10 Penzance to London Paddington
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:20 Penzance to London Paddington
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:15 Penzance to London Paddington
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
etc
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 12:47:38 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[109] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[109] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
[47] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[43] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[42] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[38] Return of the BRUTE?
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: New Train Operator - SAPHOS  (Read 2357 times)
SandTEngineer
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 3485


View Profile
« on: December 20, 2017, 12:38:42 »

http://www.railwayherald.co.uk/uknews/saphos-trains-programme-announced-with-low-fares

Quote
SAPHOS TRAINS PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED WITH LOW FARES
Published at 08:59 on Wednesday 20th December 2017

Jeremy Hoskings' newest rail organisation, Saphos Trains, has announced its 2018 tour programme, exclusively with Railway Herald.

The company is only the second in the history of open-access rail operations in the UK (United Kingdom) to have the ability to not only promote its own trains, but to operate them as well. Part of the 'Locomotive Services' group, Saphos Trains will primarily base its operations in the North West as expected, but the tour programme brings a few surprises.

All 12 trains in the 2018 line-up are to be steam operated by either SR(resolve) 'West Country' Pacific No. 34046 Braunton, LMS (London Midland Scottish - 1923 to 1948) 'Royal Scot' 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot or BR (British Rail(ways)) Standard 7MT Pacific No. 70000 Britannia, and on each occasion the locomotive will be paired with a freshly overhauled and restored rake of crimson and cream liveried coaches. Bookings for the tours open online on 22nd December, and through the company's reservations office on 0800 038 5320 from 3rd January. Tickets are likely to sell fast given the attractive pricing. While the company says that its trains will normally be priced competitively with the rest of the industry, with Standard Class seats around £95, First Class around £145 and Premier Dining around £250, for the 2018 season, all fares have been significantly reduced with around a 50% reduction for Standard and First Class, and an attractive discount for Premier Dining. The result is that the trains will likely be the cheapest main line steam tickets in 2018, with the likes of its North Wales Coast and Welsh Border Explorer trips being just £45 per person for a Standard Class seat.

The programme starts with a trip along the North Wales Coast to Holyhead on 14th April, originating at Crewe, with an additional pick-up at Chester. The same itinerary features on 2nd June. Following this, are two Welsh Border Explorer trains on 29th April and 10th June, again from Crewe, taking in the Chester, Wrexham and Shrewsbury circle. On 12th May, Cardiff is the destination with the first of two 'Welsh Marches Express' workings, the second follows on 16th June, both originating, again from Crewe, and heading over the Marches through Shrewsbury and Hereford.

With the company having previously been expected to stay close to its Crewe base, the first of the surprises comes on 24th June and 1st July when the 'English Riviera Express' takes to the South West, working from Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear. The first trip is routed via Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon and Westbury, while the second takes the more direct route via Yatton and Weston-super-Mare. Both trains also include Taunton as a final pick-up. Saphos heads out of its local area again in mid-Summer with 'The William Shakespeare' charter from Preston on 21st July. The train will pick-up at Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay, Hartford, Crewe and Stafford en route to Stratford upon Avon. The same destination features a fortnight later on 4th August, but this time originating from Bangor, with pick-ups along the North Wales Coast to Crewe and Stafford.

A break in operations then ensues until December, when the 'Welsh Borders Christmas Explorer' heads out from Crewe on 2nd December. Like the previous Welsh Border trips, the journey takes the charter through Chester, Wrexham and Shrewsbury, and onwards through Telford and via the Oxley Chord to join the West Coast Main Line at Stafford for a fast-run back to Crewe.

While the programme offers variety both in terms of destinations and pick-up points, the following weekend is likely to be highlight for many people. Departing from Crewe on 8th December, with pick-ups at Hartford and Warrington Bank Quay, the 'Pennine Moors Christmas Explorer' will cross Chat Moss to tackle the climb out of Manchester Victoria to Miles Platting, then onwards to Rochdale and curving northwards to tackle Copy Pit. From Blackburn the train rejoins the WCML (West Coast Main Line) at Farrington Curve Junction and returns along the direct route to Crewe.

In all cases, the proposed timings for the trains are superb with attractive start times, and providing a day-out that does not involve a very late evening return. Those involved should be satisified that the operator will appear on to the scene with an interesting and varied programme and very attractive pricing, and we wish them all the best. Bookings can be made via the website, www.saphostrains.com, which will go live on 22nd December.
Logged
eXPassenger
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 547


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2018, 19:31:01 »

Thank you for the posting, we are booked on 1 July to Kingswear. 
Logged
eXPassenger
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 547


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: July 02, 2018, 11:21:22 »

We had a great trip yesterday.  Plenty of staff on a Sunday and ran early.  The only issue was that due to an excess of dry grass we has a diesel doing the work and 'Lord Dowding' (renamed Braunton) looking pretty on the front with an occasional wisp of smoke.
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18895



View Profile
« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2018, 11:28:01 »

Misleading thread title. This is a heritage railtour operator.

Mods, shouldn't this be on the specific 'railtours' board?
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
Bmblbzzz
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4256


View Profile
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2018, 12:10:23 »

Will they be serving lesbian biscuits?  Grin
Logged

Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page