The Railway Touring Company Avis 

I cannot express how appreciative myself husband and mother felt in terms of the care, quality and friendliness of the staff. The journey was amazing, the scenery was breathtaking, the food was exquisite and the service first class. The genuine integrity and pride of the staff in performing a job that they loved, shone through throughout the journey and made us feel very special

Booked The Premier dining on a trip from Manchester, via Cumbria to Carlise and back over the Ribblehead viaduct via Settle. The journey is beautiful unlike our seating and carriage. We paid in excess of £600 and was very disappointed with the upholstery and general cleanliness of the carriage. It takes more than a white tablecloth and headrest cloth to make a carriage fit for premier dining. Breakfast was very good, unlike the roast beef dinner on return, which was extremely poor for what this trip cost. Do yourself a favour and book with another company who use carriages fit for premier dining, I have been on several of these kinds of trips and the carriage and seats on this one are far inferior to my other trips. The reply i have received states, that their is a slight difference in the carriages that are used, that is rubbish. The interior of the carriage we travelled in bares no resemblance to the picture of the beautifully upholstered carriage on the website. Premier should be a much better experience than what we received. The customer services for the company are not good, not just concerning my complaint, there are lots of other reviews stating the same. As I suggested to the customer service agent, show pictures of both types of carriage, then customers can see the difference.

I have just been upset from two members of staff, I had requested through BOOKING link about the Western Isles tour to ask more about itinary, as wanted as a surprise for partner asked for phone call in the morning, I was contacted at 1pm, then told she could not help even though clicked on link did not know journey. I just asked if long journeys 9 or 10 hrs she said some are long but not able to answer, asked difference to 1sst class from pullman , could not answer. She passed to her colleague at 1.10pm, I said could not speak for long could she perhaps give information or call back. Was told YOU CAN CALL US. I have travelled Flyscotsman pullman class and never ever been spoken to like this by a Annabel. totally unacceptable as wanted to book this trip once I had more details. CUSTOMER SERVICE - NONE. The link clearly said price and tripto Western isles. I do not understand. Especially looking to pay nearly 5,000 I expect a lot better service than this.

The suggestion in my last review was that we had an 'enjoyable day' was a case of making the very best of a marred situation...the Cumbrian Coastline is beautiful & manners dictate one says "thank you"for a service, however below parr or expectations it must have been.

To have been 'escorted' off a train could only have occurred at a stop. An escort would not have 'led' the walk but fully escorted the trio. The whole experience was marred by back office mis administration & this is undeniable.

I am writing this review to express our deep disappointment with this company - largely for their duplicity. My wife booked a train journey with this company: The Mancunian (Manchester to Holyhead for 25th May 2024). She did this 6 months ago (Dec 23), as a Christmas gift to us both. Yesterday, with just 2.5 weeks notice, we were informed that the trip is being cancelled due to "ongoing very lengthy and complexed dispute between our operator, West Coast Railways and the Office of Rail and Road". Obviously, we completely understand that things like this can, and do happen, and they may well be outside of their control but, given that they themselves describe this as an 'ongoing very lengthy dispute" we feel we should have been alerted to this possibility much sooner and given the opportunity to book a suitable alternative. As it is, we have been offered the same trip in September - which isn't suitable for us. An alternative trip - we did ask to be transferred to the Edinburgh Flyer on 18th May but that was sold out! Now, we are left with just one option - a refund which isn't the outcome we would have preferred.
We have actually used this company before and have previously been very satisfied. However, on this occasion we feel they have been less than professional. It seems to us that, at best, they were hoping the situation would change in time but, if it didn't, they would still have our money in the hope we would transfer to the date in September or purchase an alternative trip. Sadly because we live in mid Lincolnshire, there isn't an available/suitable alternative - all the alternatives involve significant travel and overnight stays in hotels.

I write this post as a warning to anyone considering a day trip with The Railway Touring Company. Last October, my daughter and I eagerly anticipated a journey on the iconic Flying Scotsman. However, our dream trip turned into a nightmare when the train was involved in a collision just days before our scheduled departure.

As it was unclear from the week commencing 2nd October whether the Flying Scotsman would be running due to the investigation of the crash it was involved in, my daughter, who suffers from PTSD, became increasingly anxious and upset. Taking her condition into consideration, I promptly informed The Railway Touring Company that we would need to cancel our trip.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the train's operation, The Railway Touring Company adamantly refused to provide a refund, citing their inflexible terms and conditions.

Repeated appeals for compassion and understanding were met with indifference, leaving us, as pensioners, out of pocket by over £530. Even the intervention of my Member of Parliament has proved futile.

Here are the critical points to note about The Railway Touring Company's terms before you book:-

1. They reserve the right to substitute the booked
locomotive without offering refunds, potentially
dashing your hopes of fully enjoying the
experience you have paid for..
2. They may use a diesel engine instead of a steam
one, again without issuing refunds.
3. Illness does not qualify for a refund, regardless of
circumstance.
My advice to prospective travellers:

Scrutinise the terms and conditions meticulously before committing to a booking.
If the uncertainty and no-refund policy are unsettling, consider visiting the National Railway Museum in York instead—a fantastic alternative for train enthusiasts and its FREE!

Don't let the allure of steam trains blind you to the risks. Make an informed decision before booking with The Railway Touring Company.