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Farewell to the ACTS Class 58s...
“The All Good Things” and “The Blaze of Glory” railtour information
Posted 25 April 2008
It has been widely reported in the UK railway press that at the end of 2008 Dutch freight operator ACTS will be replacing their ex-BR Class 58s, ex-SNCB 6700, and ex-NS 1250 locomotives with more modern motive power. To mark this event and to follow on from “That Which Survives”, the 2007 tour in the Netherlands, Mercia Charters presents “The All Good Things” and “The Blaze of Glory”.
A booking form can be downloaded from here!
SATURDAY 21 JUNE 2008
“The All Good Things” will see us travel from Rotterdam to Veendam in the north of the country to visit the STAR museum line to Musselkanaal.
Departure from Rotterdam Centraal will be around 08.00 and will see us hauled by an ACTS 6700+1250 diesel and electric combination (in multiple!) to Utrecht via Gouda. Here, the tour must reverse and our main motive power for the day in the shape of an ex-BR Class 58, will take over the business end.
Leaving Utrecht we head directly to Amersfoort to join the first of two freight branches of the day.On arrival at Amersfoort our Class 58 will be replaced by a Volker Stevin Rail ex-Deutsche Reichsbahn V100 (DB202), as the freight only branch to Leusden (Amersfoort Pon) has a low route availability and Class 58s are barred. As soon as the branch has been traversed to Leusden, and the V100 has run round, we will return to Amersfoort.
Re-attaching our Class 58 we will then head directly to Zwolle, pass through Meppel and continue on towards Groningen.
At Haren, just short of Groningen, we take the connecting freight only spur onto the Nieuweschans line, which we take as far as Zuidbroek. Here we join the freight branch to Veendam, which is also the start of the STAR museum line to Musselkanaal.
At Veendam a preserved STAR locomotive will take over from our Class 58 and we will continue to the end of the 30 kilometre STAR operated section of the line. On the return journey the train will stop at Stadskanaal, the location of the lines small depot, for a short while so you may photograph the lines locomotive collection which includes two 2-10-0 Kriegsloks, and ex-NS Sik 200/300 shunting locos along with a number of industrial diesels.
Our Class 58 will again take over the train at Veendam and return us to the mainline at Zuidbroek. However, this time we pass through Groningen and head to Leeuwarden across the now privately run unit only line via Zuidhorn.
Passing Leeuwarden, we commence our return to Rotterdam and head down to Meppel and Zwolle. From here we take the slightly longer routing via Deventer, Zutphen and Arnhem back to Utrecht. After setting down passengers we rejoin our outward route to Rotterdam, arriving around 21.00
Requested route: Rotterdam CS (pu) – Gouda – Utrecht CS (pu)(rev) – Amersfoort – Leusden (Amersfoort Pon) (rev) – Amersfoort (rev) – Putten – Wezep – Zwolle – Hoogeveen – Assen – Haren – Zuidbroek – Veendam – Musselkanaal (rev) – Veendam – Zuidbroek – Groningen – Zuidhorn – Leeuwarden – Akkrum – Meppel – Zwolle – Olst – Deventer – Zutphen – Arnhem – Utrecht CS (sd) – Woerden – Gouda – Rotterdam CS (sd)
Requested motive power: 1 x ACTS Class 58, 1 x ACTS 6700 + 1250, 1 x Volker Stevin Rail V100, plus a preserved STAR locomotive.
SUNDAY 22 JUNE 2008
Today’s tour departs Rotterdam around 09.00 and will first travel to Roosendaal near the Belgian border before heading to the coastal town of Vlissingen hauled by an ACTS 1250+6700 combination.
After a short photo stop, the train will return to Roosendaal now hauled by a Class 58, passing through the station and on to Breda, for a reversal. From here we head to Dordrecht where the 1250+6700 will be detached leaving the Class58 in charge for the remainder of the day.
The train will then traverse the short freight branch to De Staart, and after a further reversal will return through Rotterdam and on towards Amsterdam.
Passing Gouda and Woerden we head up through Breukelen to Amsterdam-Bijlmer where we join the short freight spur to Diemen Zuid and then the freight line through Watergrafsmeer Yard. From here we head directly to Amsterdam Centraal and onwards to Haarlem, Lieden Central, Den Haag HS, and then on to Rotterdam Centraal, arriving around 1800. This should then allow passengers to begin their journey home to the UK.
Requested route: Rotterdam CS – Dordrecht – Roosendaal – Bergen op Zoom – Goes – Vlissingen (rev) – Roosendaal – Breda (rev) – Dordrecht (rev) – De Staart (rev) – Dordrecht – Rotterdam CS – Gouda – Woerden – Breukelen – Amsterdam Bijlmer – Diemen Zuid – Watergrafsmeer Yard – Amsterdam CS – Haarlem – Lieden Centraal – Den Haag HS – Rotterdam CS
Requested motive power: 1 x ACTS Class 58, 1 x ACTS 6700 + 1250
ACTS have been asked to provide a different Class 58, and 1250, and 6700 on “The Blaze of Glory” to those used on “The All Good Things” (and hopefully different from those used on the 2007 tour). Both tours will consist of 6 coaches, which will include a buffet car provided by a Dutch preservation group.
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Fares for “The All Good Things”:
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If booked before 30th May £79/98€ per person
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If booked after 30th May £120
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Fares for “The Blaze of Glory”:
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If booked before 30th May £79/98€ per person
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If booked after 30th May £120
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DISCOUNTED Combined fare for both tours:
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If booked before 30th May £150/185€ per person
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Not available
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DOWNLOAD A BOOKING FORM HERE!
Please note that these prices are “tour-only” fares and you must arrange your own transport to/from the tour and associated hotels etc. The Best Western Crown Hotel at Rotterdam is only 5 minutes walk away from Centraal station, alternatively there are a number of B&B’s in the surrounding area as well. If you want us (the C58LG) to help you find some accommodation, we will happily help!
If, however, you wish to take advantage of a “complete package”, both Mercia Charters and Pathfinder Tours are operating an all-inclusive option from Birmingham, Coventry and Milton Keynes (Mercia) and Severnside stations (Pathfinder Tours). Prices to cover everything (road travel from the UK to Rotterdam, accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, and both tour tickets). Prices for this start at £375 with a single room supplement of an additional £90 if required. This ‘all-in’ package can only be booked through Pathfinder or Mercia. Please see their websites for more information.
If you have any questions or queries about this tour, please contact the Class 58 Loco Group by e-mailing Paul Fuller or by post to: 107 Woolaston Avenue, Cardiff, CF23 6EW.
We look forward to receiving your booking and seeing you aboard this exclusive tour!
 
Note the scale of the Sunday (right hand) map is larger than the Saturday (left hand) map!
GENERAL INFORMATION:
The train - will be formed of 6 preserved non air conditioned vehicles, including a buffet car from which refreshments should be available throughout each day.
Photo stops - We have asked for a number of photo stops to be programmed into train.
The exchange rate - used for calculating the sterling fares for this tour is £1 = €1.25
Travel insurance - We strongly recommend you obtain travel insurance to cover for travel problems, cancellation, illness, loss or theft of belongings, and costs associated with unavoidable delays for the duration of the whole tour and your stay in Europe and any other potential problems. In the UK, travel insurance can be purchased online, and from the Post Office, supermarkets, and Travel Agents. You are also strongly recommended to obtain a European Health Insurance Card
Passport - you must be in possession of a passport with at least six months validity to join this tour
MERCIA CHARTERS Conditions of booking
Tickets are issued subject to our ‘Standard Terms and Conditions for European Tours’ and the additional conditions in this section.
When you apply for and use tickets for this tour, you accept our conditions.
The fares shown on this leaflet are for the tour(s), as advertised, in The Netherlands only
Our fares do not include your transport costs to or from the tour, your meals or your overnight accommodation before, during, or after the tour date(s).
We require a minimum of 140 (one hundred and forty) bookings per day to ensure that these trains will run.
We will examine the position on 30th May 2008 and if there are insufficient bookings the tour will be cancelled. In the event of cancellation, our only liability will be the return of any and all monies paid to us for this tour, and passengers will be notified in writing within 5 working days of the decision being made to cancel the train, and our website will be updated within 48 hours of the decision.
Tickets and final details will be dispatched approximately 8 days prior to the date of travel.
Cancellations will be dealt with in accordance with our ‘Standard Terms and Conditions for European Tours’.
The requested routes, traction, depot visit(s), and photo stops listed are subject to final confirmation from the operators, and also availability on the day.
We reserve the right to alter and amend the specification of the advertised train(s) at any time, should the need arise.
Reminders (extracts from our ‘Standard Terms and Conditions for European Tours’)
We will make every effort to run the tour as advertised.
Neither we, nor any individual, will accept any liability for any loss, or for any additional expenses incurred by any passenger, by reason of ejection from the train or by reason of delay, cancellation or failure of arrangements for any part of the tour including, but not limited to, the substitution of any motive power or re-routing of the special train(s).
You shall not have any claim against us, Mercia Charters, or against any individual, if you miss any onward transport connections as a result of our or your late arrival at any starting point or any point en route. This includes all or any part of the tour.
A copy the ‘Standard Terms and Conditions for European Tours’, which gives full details of all the conditions applying to your booking, is available on request or may be downloaded from the Mercia Charters website which can be found at www.merciacharters.co.uk
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