The Railway Touring Company Reviews 102

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.

A fantastic day out on a lovely comfortable train with great hospitality.

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.

Had a great time on board the railway 200 special train trip, fantastic staff and great company with other train enthusiasts, long day from 6.00 am to 11.45 pm but was well worth it in the end, seiing all the great trains at shildon.

A brilliant and memorable day out on the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Many thanks to the Railway Touring Company for making it possible

My wife and I, in our very late seventies, went on the Railway 200 Special from Carnforth to County Durham. We had first class seats which were very comfortable and the excellent staff worked tirelessly to keep our table tidy and supplied with food and drink. Because of scheduling problems beyond the control of the Company, the total length of the trip was two hours greater than originally advertised and we found a journey of almost 18 hours too long at our age. So any future trips will be shorter. But that is no criticism of a well run company that works hard to look after its customers.

Good organisation, fantastic scenery, excellent trips, knowledgeable guide and friendly tour manager.

My husband booked the Royal Duchy Steam Journey as a surprise for me as it it was a Bucket List wish of mine to take a steam train journey.
They first emailed in August 4 dsys before to say they had to switch steam engines then 2 days before the trip they emailed to say the engine was broken and couldn't be fixed so the trip would be led by a diesel engine. This is not what was booked or wanted we called up to e stonewalled with The Ts & Cs wall. They said sorry but no refund as journey still going ahead. Not understanding the reason of the booking and my daily failing health. Eventually we were offered a move to September 28th where we had to battle for what we paid for as was only offered 1st class and a refund on the premium extra we paid for...we argued this was not like for like as they kept saying. Eventually we were given the seats held incase of 'emergencies?' LOL.
We had to spend the weekend in a rainy Bristol as no refund on hotel as change was too late. Now we have had an email repeating the saga of August. Spoke to a manager today who stood firmly behind the Ts & Cs wall. We can transfer to a different route or they can hold our £790 over for 6 months incase I can travel i am dying and getting sicker by.the day.
What an awful unempathetic company. Their Ts & Cs are poor and they know this. Many other maybe smaller steam trains seem to run daily why can't theirs. They need to stop falsely advertising their wares.
Disappointed beyond belief . Never recommending unless you get your magnifying glass to read Ts & Cs.

I booked the Cumbrian Coastal railway tour for my husbands 60th at the beginning of August. A couple of weeks later they emailed to say that unfortunately due to works on the line they had to make it a Mountain trip instead. I accepted this after a bit of a moan as obviously these things are subject to change from time to time. The trip was booked for 20th September and at around 4pm on the 19th September (with around 12 hours to go before heading out for the trip) they emailed to change it again. This time apparently no steam engine available so they were supplying a diesel. If I wanted a diesel tour I would have driven there in my car. I quickly called the company and spoke to the only person in the office (apparently) a young lad. I asked if I could move the date of the trip and was told NO so I asked can I have a refund then? I was told NO. The young lad told me that he could not authorise either. So I asked to speak to someone who could. I was told that person had conveniently left at 3pm. Absolutely fuming at this point. I hung up and called my credit card company who told me that The Railway Touring Co had everything sewn up tight in their terms and conditions so that no one had any redress should any booking require any changes at any time. After discussing with my very disappointed husband we decided not to attend the trip at all. We did not want to associate with people who treated customers in this manner, I thought that their appalling customer service would most likely be reflected in the staff employed on their trains too. I offer grateful thanks that I didnt book the very expensive option but it still cost me £230 that I can ill afford. I wish I had seen these reviews before I booked as I definitely would not have entrusted my husbands birthday present to them. Would categorically recommend no one use them unless you are willing to be disappointed and get offered a trip you didnt book and didnt want. EDITED to add I left this review in September2025 and the company has just deigned to reply 6 months later. Tells you everything you need to know! I still dont recommend them and I still would never use them. I highly recommend you avoid this company, check out others as there are plenty and make sure YOU READ REVIEWS!

A complete shambles without any customer service at all.
We booked a 'Steam' train. This was cancelled two days before the trip with the Railway company saying the steam train had broken down. Phoned to request a refund or some form of compensation but met with complete indifference.

I can’t possibly award more than one star as the trip simply didn’t happen. I paid the best part of £400 at the beginning of the year for a fully catered trip to Weymouth. Then the trip was cancelled with about 1 week’s notice due to non availability of a suitable loco, which I found strange as they claim to have about 12. The trip was rescheduled to September and then cancelled again. I got my money back, in full, with no problems, but I would rather have had my trip. I can’t see me booking another trip with this company, there are several others.

I had a wonderful 6 night holiday with this company. The tour was ‘Coc o’ the North and our tour manager, Andy, couldn’t do enough for us.
Everything was so well organised and I really enjoyed all the train rides. As a solo traveller I was a little apprehensive, but I needn’t have been. Now looking for my next holiday 😊