The Railway Touring Company Recensioni 

Overall experience was greater, clean and good service. Sorry there was no steam locomotive as that would have been highlight of the day.
Will definitely use the service again when steam is allowed back on the main line again.

This was a birthday treat for my hubby and it was a great day. Because of the heatwaves and dry conditions they had to change the steam train to a diesel engine but once you're in the carriages you don't know what's pulling you anyway. Stunning scenery, lovely staff onboard, great FULL day out.

The first disappointment was the Waverly steam locomotive had to be replaced by a diesel engine. But, because of the hot weather conditions making the countryside a tinderbox we did accept the fact that there was a risk of fire which we would not want to happen. Nevertheless, because the trip was advertised as steam pulled and a birthday treat it was not the same.
My wife and I also thought more commentary from the train guard could have been given along the route to inform us what to expect and look out for. After all it was a tour and not just the local train we had a ride on.
And for paying £225 ea. for 1st class tickets we would have liked/expected something more to choose from regarding what was offered for the breakfast and afternoon tea that was not very appetising.
Also after initially making plans to board the train at Leeds station and book to park the car, we had to change all that, and get on the train at Woodlesford.

Nice coach air con and music
Great trip to Great Yarmouth
Driver dave was very friendly and helpful

Booked a trip back in March 2026 with this company having used them many times before without incident. On this occasion however it all went wrong. Having paid the full amount by the due date, booked hotels and train travel to and from the point of departure, they unceremoniously cancelled the holiday more than five weeks after taking the full amount for the holiday. Clearly they knew they had not made the required numbers for the holiday at the time of taking the money. Now they refuse to accept the consequential losses of our hotel bookings and train bookings associated with taking this holiday. Our Travel insurance company say that the railway touring company are the liable party as they have put us in this position and we have suffered loss as a result. They won't be getting our custom again, for sure.

I could not do without the wonderful Chris as I am sure many people would feel the same
He helped with making sure everyone got sorted at Oslo airport as I could not manage it being 74
He was wonderful and we could not have had a better guide as he showed us the way on trains and the coach
I as everyone didd enjoyed the tour and would recommend it to anyone
As amatter of interest one of my friends wants to see the itinerary we did
The scenery was wonderful and the ferries as well as the food
WE visited steam railways and had a tram ride
I would recommend it to anyone
Best wishhes from
D A Cookson

A great day out despite the unfortunate lack of steam.Fantastic crew and excellent meals with breakfast and a fantastic dinner served well by a superb crew.
I look forward to bring with you all again.
Wonderful weather,great views and a fantastic 90th birthday occasion.

Our overall experience of the day was very good - the seating, the food, the on-board service and punctuality all met our expectations. The downside was that we were advised a few days before departure that the traction had changed from steam to diesel and, worse, we were given no reason; at Paddington the train was not shown on any departure boards so finding the platform was a challenge.

A very good day out and the lack of steam traction did not detract from the wxperience.
Food and service were top notch.

A very enjoyable day out in spectacular scenery. The catering was very good, although vegetarians might have struggled with elements of the menu. Maybe think about offering a vegetarian option for the evening’s main course. All the catering crew were helpful and very friendly. The several ‘pit stops’ were rather tedious although we understood why they were needed, but we were kept fully informed. A pity it couldn’t be run with a steam loco but, again, we understand why this was not possible. Overall an enjoyable day.

The food in the first two hotels was cheap and of poor quality, we were let down on a trip that were part of the experience and feel one days notice of trip cancellation, was very cynical as the Railway Touring Company must have known well in advance that this trip was unavailable on the day booked which left quite a hole in the schedule with little to do. (The Waverley Paddle Steamer)

The organisation was excellent.
Cab ride
Fantastic railways nothing was too much trouble.

Prompt and helpful response during booking and making changes. Comfortable seats, an excellent breakfast and wonderful-sounding dinner (more on that later) with friendly and very helpful stewards and staff who all worked hard to ensure we had a wonderful experience. The one thing that didn't work for us was being served a four-course dinner at 3:30pm(!) during a heatwave. Whilst we appreciate the logistical reasons, as people who normally have dinner after 7:00 pm we simply could not eat at such an early hour. Suggest (a) please warn people of this so they don't eat lunch during a stop-over & (b) offer a snack alternative.

Fantastic day out , service was impeccable looking to book again .

No-one is perfect hence giving 4 Star, there is always room for improvement. We were reassured that we were on the right platform at the start of the journey after the Steward met us and directed us to where our coach would be on the platform. The staff on the train were ever so helpful, courteous and patient and so hard working. The toilet was clean. The food was delicious and nicely presented.
However, may we suggest that travelers with limited mobility (who uses wheelchairs etc.) be either boarded last or first (like the Airlines do). This would prevent a queue when boarding the train or when trying to stow away the said equipment delaying the staff trying to start serving tea & coffee.
Also, we think that the dinner was served too early. But you might have a logical reason for serving dinner so soon (maybe to accommodate passengers getting off at Preston?!).
Over all it was an enjoyable trip, day out and experience.

Very efficient response from my initial phone call, with follow up information via email.
All the staff we met were very friendly and helpful.

As always, the announcements are not very clear, made worse by the fact that other passengers continue with their conversations!!!!

Please do not print my name on the review. PJS ?

We boarded at Crewe looking forward to a nice freshly cooked breakfast and what we got was a breakfast that obviously was left over from the last pickup and was inedible. Also the stop at Ravenglass was quite chaotic as the stewards had trouble directing the passengers to their choice of destination I appreciate that the
company had to find a new itinerary for this trip owing to line closures but it could have been handled better Dinner was ok but the serving staff were not over friendly in contrast to the stewards who were very chatty We booked the premier class but the coach was an old tired BR first class. The engines were efficient and made good time and although we were not able to see all of the promised coastline the scenery we did see was enjoyable. However we won’t be travelling with this with company again

Super day, great staff/train crew and super train......
Great day out

I have used RTC for a least a decade and their organisational skills seem to grow better year on year.
Their booking process is simple and straightforward enough for even an old guy like me to manage.
A thoroughly enjoyable trip on The Mazey Cornishman, no delays to speak of arriving in Penzance and back home to Cheltenham within 3 minutes of the published times.
Food by Gravy Train was, as usual, excellent served by very friendly, efficient staff and the RTC coach stewards were a cheerful, friendly bunch.
I would use RTC a lot more if they did more trips picking up in this area.
A very enjoyable day out.

The travel was smooth and although the train was running a little late did not affect our journey. The tour manager was excellent. She kept us informed and knew a great deal about the Isle of Man and the places we visited and made sure no one was left behind on any of our excursions.

My only complaint was the way the Hotel treated us as a coach party. The hotel rooms were clean but extremely small infact tiny with no room to move around. Our evening meal was not served in the dining room where everyone else ate but in the breakfast room squashed up in a corner with little room to move. When asked why this was the reply was that we were a 'coach load' !!!
I find this rather disgusting as we are taking several rooms giving them good business and I do not expect to be treated as second class citizen because we are a group. Maybe your company would like to look into this with this hotel.

Apart from the poor treatment by the hotel the remainder of the trip provided by The Railway Touring Company was good.