The Railway Touring CompanyReviews 

It was a good trip on the Chiltern Explorer! Would happily do 1st class again but would like to request cream with the scone in the afternoon

Trip was a great day out . Staff on the train were well presented and friendly at all times. B coach steward seemed to stay at one end of the coach and not interact with the rest of the coach. Food way well prepared and presented.

such a disappointing trip travelling Premier dining that I had been looking forward to with my husband and daughter. Joined at taunton, an hour after everyone else and many were eating their breakfast. No problem there but we were then treated as an inconvenience. We were rushed, every time I asked for something (like bread basket after the pathetic half a slice of toast and scrambled egg) I was told it was too late but grudgingly I was brought a cold round of toast, asked for a cup of tea and was told I now had to pay for it when clearly others had been enjoying cup after cup - I had eye rolling and curt replies from the stewards as if I was making outrageous demands. Evening service was better but the food portions and quality disappointing - a 2 pack of jacobs cream crackers with miniscule portions of cheese. Everything seemed skimped on. I am comparing them with Midland Pullman Company and Pathfinder Tours who I have travelled with on many occasions and enjoyed excellent meals and service. This is meant to be a premium service and it was not. I don't usually write a bad review but I wrote to the company after the trip to voice my concerns and was ignored. They had their chance.

ON TIME COMFORTABLE EXCELLENT SUPPORT STAFF GREAT DAY OUT

We were well looked after by the staff, good atmosphere onboard, knowledgeable guests onboard, great city for a couple of hours walk and a market & cathedral to boot (Chester).

A very good and well organised tour

Very well organised tour , with friendly and knowledgeable leader.
Would be better if one or more free days were included , to allow for exploring the immediate area.

I have done a considerable number of tours with Railway Touring and as usual everything within the control of the company was excellent throughout the day.
The Settle to Carlisle Railway rightly deserves its place in the lists of *the best railway journeys"

Excellent organisation. Catering was superb with great staff. Fortunate to go on a day that the weather was good. Highlight was the steam train and the opportunity to get close up at Preston.

Plenty of helpful stewards on board, well organised and paperwork arrived in plenty of time. Only problem on the day was a points & signal failure, which was a Network Rail problem and beyond Railway Touring Company's control. The stewards provided free hot drinks to cover the 1hr 20 min delay and regular updates so no major problem. The actual Settle to Carlisle under steam power part of the trip was really enjoyable.

Just completed their Autumn in Alsace tour & what an enjoyable experience it was. The trip was based in the charming town of Colmar which was very handily placed to reach all the other locations of the itinerary by short coach or rail journeys. Whilst the 4 heritage railways visited were the main attractions for me, this wasn’t just about trains. This is a fascinating area historically & culturally & the trip is designed admirably to provide a taste of its charms. Special mention needs to be made for our guide, John Bullock, whose knowledge of & enthusiasm for the area was positively infectious. We had a full itinerary for the 7 days of the tour & my one suggestion (even though it would add to the cost) would be to extend it by one day which people could use as a free day to explore at their leisure & choice. There was plenty to see in & around Colmar I didn’t have time to visit & the day we had in Strasbourg barely scratched the surface of what that city has to offer.

The ladies I have dealt with at RTC have been brilliant, the boys totally unhelpful, never identified themselves.
The change to get home one hour later was unacceptable due to age and help and male operator not willing to help even though plenty of time. Result didn't travel, forfitted fee

Tremendous day out travelling on the Railway 200 trip from
London to Stanhope and Newcastle. A very long day but everything went to plan and the train was warm and comfortable. Friendly stewards and staff and a fantastic experience all round.

As a ‘Grane Engineering Museum’ volunteer I am interested in anything relating to engineering and industrial heritage / archaeology etc so it doesn’t get much better than riding on a train being hauled by a steam engine, visiting arguably the most important place in the world in terms of railway history and its pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution ! To see so many amazing and important locomotives together was a “once in a lifetime” experience - Sans Pareil, Locomotion No. 1, the Advanced Passenger Train ( A.P.T. ), a High Speed Train ( Inter-City 125 H.S.T. ) and a highlight for me as a proud Lancastrian - the prototype DP1 English Electric DELTIC - all together in one building !!!!
It was a long day but one I will NEVER forget !! I will be recommending the Railway Touring Company’ to as many people as I can - I was given the recommendation by “Railway Keith” who is a volunteer at the East Lancs Railway. I am hoping to arrange trips to various places in the future and I hope to use the Railway Touring Company again. I would like to recommend the East Lancs Railway to everyone; maybe you could come to Grane Engineering Museum in Haslingden when you get off the train at Rawtenstall !!

A thoroughly enjoyable day out. The staff were amazing, being both professional and friendly. Stewards very visible throughout the journey, answering any questions or queries. Communication from the company was outstanding.

We were in carriage A. Our table had already been laid up for breakfast and then later on our return, for dinner. Silver service to the table. Food was piping hot, fresh and tasty. Plenty of tea and coffee available, plus alcoholic and soft drinks.
The carriage was exceptionally clean and well turned out. Plenty of room for a step back in time.
We got off at Plymouth and had 6 hours to explore the city.

Well planned itinerary, good guide, nice fellow passengers.

We had a lovely day. ALL the staff were friendly and helpful. It was good that we were fully informed throughout the day of when we would arrive and leave each station. We enjoyed the banter with Geoff in the Buffet Car who was very friendly. Another guy whose name I didn’t get was also very helpful, giving us information about the train and advising us of places we could visit in Plymouth. He also led us through the train and prepared us for when we were to leave the train at Yatton ensuring that we left safely. Thanks to everyone for a very enjoyable day

A great day out on an historic day. Very comfortable carriages considering the long time spent on board.
Excellent meals by Gravy Train Catering (Very hard working staff!)

I have been on several Railway Touring Company trips and I must say that I was disappointed that as this was such a special trip not more was made of the fact that it was the 200th Anniversary of The Railway ..There were no announcments as we went over Skerne Bridge or for that matter when we were actually on The Stockton / Darlington line ...no special souvenirs given out ..nothing to make this special occasion any different from one of your "run of the mill" tours ..I was disappointed !!

A lovely day out on this 200th anniversary of passenger rail. It was just a bit too long for us, but perhaps that can't be helped. We travelled on some interesting routes.
Perhaps a bit more information would have been useful, the intercom didn't work very well. It was an old train after all. It would have been nice to have spent a bit of time in some of the places we went through and there was only 1 stop were we got to see the engine.