The Great Britain III

It’s back by popular demand! Come and be part of the Great Britain III – a fabulous 9-day tour commencing Tuesday 6th April and continuing through to Wednesday 14th April, one day longer than last year. Although this tour has become a firm favourite with RTC customers it may be the last time such a lengthy tour will be available so sign up now while you still can!
New lines for this year’s Great Britain III are the Glasgow and South Western mainline from Carlisle to Glasgow Central, the Stranraer line from Glasgow Central and finally the West Coast mainline from Preston to Euston.
And just take a look at the locomotives we have requested: 6201 'Princess Elizabeth, 46115 ‘Scots Guardsman’, 45407 (Black 5), 44871 (Black 5), 61994 ‘The Great Marquis’, 60019 ‘Bittern’, 30777 ‘Sir Lamiel’, 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ and 34067 ‘Tangmere’. Here’s the full itinerary.

Tuesday 6th April
London – Bristol
Our train departs London Victoria late morning, hauled by 6201 'Princess Elizabeth', with a celebratory glass of champagne for everyone on departure. Today we travel through Woking, Salisbury, Westbury and Bath to Bristol.
A four-course lunch will be served to passengers travelling Premier Class and, on arrival at Bristol we transfer to our hotels for overnight accommodation and breakfast.

Wednesday 7th April
Penzance – Bristol
We depart from Bristol early in the morning to travel down the West of England main line, diesel hauled by D1015 ‘Western Champion’. We’ll visit Penzance for a break while our steam locomotives are prepared and attached to our train. At around 13:00 we steam out of Penzance, hauled by 30777 ‘Sir Lamiel’ and 34067 ‘Tangmere’.
We curve around Mount’s Bay with views over St. Michael’s Mount and the English Channel, passing through Cornwall over high, slender viaducts and through short tunnels enjoying beautiful scenery as we go. Just before arriving in Plymouth we cross Brunel’s masterpiece The Royal Albert Bridge opened by Prince Albert on 2 May 1859. Next it’s on to the more modern Saltash Road Bridge with superb views over the estuary.
We break our journey in Plymouth while our locomotives are serviced then go flat out for the assault of Hemerdon Bank, dropping down through Totnes and up again for Dainton Bank. Running along the sea wall, through Dawlish, is possibly the most spectacular stretch of railway in England. We pause at Exeter to take water before climbing up to our last major summit at Whiteball. At Taunton, we call for more water before heading for Bristol with ‘Sir Lamiel’ and ‘Tangmere’. We’ll stay overnight and have breakfast in Bristol.

Thursday 8th April
6201 ‘Princess Elizabeth’ takes us to Preston
In the morning we rejoin our train under the historic train shed at Bristol Temple Meads. Hauled by 6201 'Princess Elizabeth’ we climb steeply out of Bristol through Filton and Patchway before entering the four mile long Severn Tunnel, built by the Great Western Railway between 1873 and 1886. We take the avoiding line at Newport and on to the scenic Welsh Marches route, climbing through Wales to Llanvihangel Summit then dropping down to Hereford. We’ll stop off to visit Hereford before going north through Ludlow and Shrewsbury to Crewe, where 6201 'Princess Elizabeth' will take on water. The day’s final leg will continue along the West Coast main line to Preston, where we stay overnight.

Friday 9th April
Via Dumfries to Glasgow
We depart Preston mid morning, hauled by Royal Scot class 46115 ‘Scots Guardsman’.
Climbing Grayrigg Bank and passing along the delightful Lune Gorge, we begin our assault on Shap Fell. We pause for water at Penrith in the Lake District before heading through Carlisle into Scotland at Gretna Junction. Then it’s on through Gretna Green and Annan with distant views of the Solway Firth. After Dumfries we commence the long climb up to Drumlanrig Tunnel.
Some easier climbing brings us to New Cumnock in east Ayrshire, we now drop down to Kilmarnock crossing the Ballochmyle Viaduct – the highest extant railway viaduct in Britain – on the way. From Kilmarnock it is a stiff climb up 1 in 75 to Dunlop. From here we coast downhill to Glasgow Central where we arrive by early evening.

Saturday 10th April
Steam over the South Western to Stranraer
Glasgow Central is our start point for today’s leg. We are hauled by 44871 crossing the Clyde on departure and taking the GSWR route at Bridge Street Junction. We pass through Paisley, Dalry and Troon before arriving at the resort of Ayr. Here 45407 Black 5 couples to the front of the train and we continue double headed up to Girvan. It is a terrific climb out of Girvan up to Pinmore Tunnel, from where we descend to Pinwherry before taking the steep climb through Barnhill. From the Summit it is downhill all the way to Stranraer.
We return from Stranraer double headed with 44871 and 45407 over the steeply graded switchback of a line to Ayr, where we detach 45407 leaving 44871 to haul us back to Glasgow via Irvine and Paisley.

Sunday 11th April
To Inverness via Aberdeen
Hauled by 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ we depart Glasgow Central heading east through Coatbridge then north through Cumbernauld to Larbert.
You will enjoy marvellous views towards Stirling Castle climbing up to Dunblane and Gleneagles before entering Perth, where we take on water for our locomotive.
We continue running close to the Firth of Tay to Dundee. After a short stop we continue northwards through Montrose and Stonehaven. Here we enjoy fine views over the North Sea.
We arrive into Aberdeen and enjoy a two-hour break in the Granite City.
Refreshed after our stop in Aberdeen it’s on to the picturesque Great North of Scotland line to Inverness through Huntley, Keith, Elgin and Nairn. We pass by several distilleries before arriving in Inverness early evening.

Monday 12th April
A free day in Inverness
Today you can take some time for yourself or join our optional trip.

Monday 12th April
Optional steam trip to the Kyle of Lochalsh
Hauled by a former LNER K4 2-6-0 61994 ‘The Great Marquis’, you’ll enjoy a full Scottish Breakfast silver served at your seat soon after departure. Passing over the Caledonian Canal on the Clachnaharry Swing Bridge, we take the Kyle line at Dingwall possibly the most scenic line in the country. The route takes us up Raven Rock Summit and Luib Summit before taking water at Achnashellach. Then it’s down to the shore of Loch Carron for fine views of lochs and mountains. At the Kyle of Lochalsh you’ll have more then two and a half hours’ free time to explore this glorious area. There’s also a coach tour to the fairytale Eilean Donan Castle – one of the most iconic images of Scotland – and to Portree, capital of the Isle of Skye.
We return to Inverness in the afternoon and you’ll be served a 2-course lunch at your seat on the return journey. Arrival in Inverness will be around 17:30 for an overnight stay.
(Please note that this optional trip has limited accommodation).

Tuesday 13th April
Inverness to Edinburgh
We depart Inverness after breakfast hauled by 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ and 61994 ‘The Great Marquis’ double headed. We begin the climb up to Slochd Summit (1315 ft) immediately on leaving Inverness. This is possibly the most gruelling climb on the whole network! We climb for 13 miles at 1 in 60 followed by another 10 miles at mostly 1 in 60 before dropping down through Aviemore before commencing the climb up to Druimuachdar (1484 ft), the highest summit on British Railways.
We continue downhill through Blair Atholl and Pitlochry to Perth where we detach ‘The Great Marquis’ and continue in the very capable hands of ‘Oliver Cromwell’.
On leaving Perth we take the Ladybank line at Hilton Junction hugging the seashore of the Firth of Forth before crossing the magnificent Forth Bridge. At Dalmelly we take the Edinburgh line and we make our way via the suburban route to Edinburgh Waverley.

Wednesday 14th April
Return to London
Sadly, it’s time for the final leg of this epic tour! We leave Edinburgh Waverley Station by 46115 'Scots Guardsman' as breakfast is served on our special train hauled in grand style. We head south climbing up to Granthouse Summit before descending to Berwick, where we cross the magnificent Royal Border Bridge. We enjoy fine views over the North Sea of Lindisfarne and Bamburgh Castle, before reaching Newcastle. We enjoy a fast run to York. Here A4 Pacific 60019 'Bittern' fitted with two tenders will be attached to our train as we continue our steam hauled journey along the East Coast main line back to London Kings Cross.