Hertfordshire Rail Tours

...prepared sandwiches. Oh no! It’s Hertfordshire Railtours for me.

Many outside of the “train fan” world may not have heard of them, which is a shame because, as their name implies, they run tours by rail.

True, they always try to secure an unusual form of traction, often hired from EW&S Rail, normally known for freight services. The prospect of being hauled by a non-passenger locomotive is part of the ...
...Breakfast taken as you romp off to some other part of the country for the day (normally the day, although I have done an ‘overnight’ with them as well).

Although the word “Hertfordshire” looms large in the company name, most tours start in central London, with pick-ups (and set-downs) along the route.

In general, the trains can be split down the middle. At one end, you’ve got the standard ... more

OK! OK! I admit it. I am a train “anorak”, but I’d like to think that over the years, I’ve got a bit more sophisticated in my habits. No more scruffy notebooks for me, sitting at the windy end of Reading’s platforms, with a few hastily prepared sandwiches. Oh no! It’s Hertfordshire Railtours for me.

Many outside of the “train fan” world may not have heard of them, which is a shame because, as their name implies, they run tours by rail.

True, they always try to secure an unusual form of traction, often hired from EW&S Rail, normally known for freight services. The prospect of being hauled by a non-passenger locomotive is part of the attraction for some, but for me it’s the full English Breakfast taken as you romp off to some other part of the country for the day (normally the day, although I have done an ‘overnight’ with them as well).

Although the word “Hertfordshire” looms large in the company name, most tours start in central London, with pick-ups (and set-downs) along the route.

In general, the trains can be split down the middle. At one end, you’ve got the standard 4-seat-across coaches, where most people bring their own food supply for the day – there is also a buffet car.

At the other end, you’ve got the “grand-style” coaches. Not vintage Orient Express stock, but redecorated to a good standard, with three armchair-like seats across. This is ideal for couples travelling alone, since you would invariably be given a solo pair of seats, by a window. Unlike some newer trains, these seat bays always get a whole window each. Groups of four are also accommodated on the opposite side of the aisle, although this brings out the big kid in most of us – “Oh, I wanted the ‘windy’ seat!”

At the posh end, dining is included in the price. This will include a gargantuan Full English Breakfast, and Dinner on the way home. You do however have to pay for extra drinks, like wine, beer etc. Tables are reminiscent of Pullman days, with a table lamp, real tablecloths and flowers on the table. Waiters with their little waistcoats run, or should that be stagger up and down the aisles, giving constant coffee top-ups and cheery comments in equal amounts.

Prices for the “posh end” are in the £90 a head area, but when you think that this includes hotel-standard catering at two meal times, being transported anywhere between 400 and 1000* miles, and usually includes some free or discounted admission to an attraction at your journey’s “target”, then this is a good price for what could be a birthday treat.

* We once did the “London to Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Tay Bridge, Dundee” round trip in a day!

A recent example was our day-trip to Bath. Boarding the train at Finsbury Park (only to stop at Ealing Broadway as well, which is a 10-minute drive for us. Grrrrr!), we arrived in Bath in plenty of time for lunch. The ticket included transport to, and a ride on a local preserved steam line, plus a discount on the Guide Friday Bath Sightseeing Tour (Open Top Bus). Breakfast was wolfed down before those getting on a Slough could even smell the coffee. Dinner was up to its usual excellent standard, but we did have to rush to get our bar bill paid before availing ourselves of the Ealing stop on the way back.

Other memorable trips included our only “overnight” job – Lunch in Edinburgh, dinner and overnight stop at a hotel outside Aberdeen (Dyce). The following day, we toured the Dufftown (Glenlivet) branch. This was a bit of a hoot in itself. The terminus station at Dufftown was so short that only the loco and the first DOOR of the train would fit in the platform. Have you ever tried to get off a nine-car train in single file?

The one that sticks in my mind the most was my birthday treat several years ago, when we went from Paddington to Paignton via an unusual route. Decanted onto the South Devon Railway for a steam-hauled trip to Kingswear (opposite Dartmouth), and then had a very pleasant trip up the Dart by boat. You see! It’s not all collecting loco numbers!

Of course, you may have to mix with quite a few know-alls – “oh, yes well, of course the B4 bogie wouldn’t have been fitted to a MK1 coach when it was still in Western Region livery” or “Oi, don’t stand there, I’ve been waiting to take this shot for 10 minutes!”

If you travel in twos, or fours, then you shouldn’t have to share a table with any of them, and they’re harmless enough, I suppose. Generally, speaking, the “spotters” use the self-catering end of the train, and if any are to be found at the posh end, they’ve got their wives with them adding a civilising influence to the proceedings! (I’m now waiting for the ‘what about us girl spotters?’ backlash)

Schedules are generous, so late arrivals back at base are unlikely. It’s not uncommon to be running 45 minutes late at some point to have this all clawed back by the time Kings Cross or wherever slides into view. As most of these trips are at weekends, it is difficult to “get a path”, rather like trying to secure an extra flight slot at Palma on a summer Saturday, and the HRT people do a splendid job of keeping it together.

They have at least two of their own senior people on the train every time, who keep you informed of progress, and ring ahead to secure alternatives in the event of a delay or (heaven forbid), a loco failure. The good thing about the EW&S locos used is that they tend to be reassuringly modern, having just spent a fortune on a fleet uplift.

Even if you have no interest in trains as such, I would still urge you to give HRT a go, if only for the fact that a rail tour is not a common occurrence. You definitely see more by train. The legroom is vastly superior to equivalent road transport, AND then there’s the food! No one gets tired of driving and it’s a social event.

Here are some coming events from their latest list.

The Settle & Carlisle Line – 17/11/01

Norwich At Christmas – 22/12/01

The Eden Project – 12/01/02

These three are described as Merrymakers, using the train I have described. They are also running several trips using a train called Pride Of The Nation, which seems to be used more for the overnight tours at First Class fare rates.

You can contact them on 01438 812125 or visit www.traintrips.co.uk

Go on, spoil yourself.

 

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