steam train trips liverpool lime street

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Flying Scotsman

Saturday 18 december 2021, the flying scotsman - liverpool to carlisle, departing: liverpool lime street.

Join us for a great day out to remember aboard our heritage steam hauled train which will take you on a scenic journey along the Settle and Carlisle line. This trip is scheduled to be hauled by 60103 The Flying Scotsman. The Flying Scotsman set two world records for steam traction, becoming the first steam locomotive to be officially authenticated at reaching 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h) on 30 November 1934, and then setting a record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive when it ran 422 miles (679 km) on 8 August 1989 while in Australia. Departing Liverpool around 07:30 we will be hauled by a vintage diesel engine as we make our way to Hellifield, where the journey really begins. We change engines in Hellifield to the 60103 The Flying Scotsman  for the journey along the famous Settle and Carlisle Railway line.

Enjoy the stunning Dales scenery as we make our way through Settle and over the famous Ribblehead Viaduct. Continuing north from Ribblehead we plunge into Blea Moor tunnel, the longest on the line. We then enjoy sweeping views along Dentdale as we pass through the highest station on the line, Dent. The stunning scenery continues as we head north to the more gentle landscape of the Eden Valley, the Eden Gorge and our destination - the border city of Carlisle. First opening to passengers in 1876, the Settle - Carlisle line takes in 20 viaducts, 14 tunnels and countless beautiful vistas along its 72 mile track. This historic line travels across the stunning Pennine hills, showcasing the English countryside at its best. After a break of around two hours in Carlisle, with its pedestrianised shopping centre, Castle and cathedral to enjoy, we return along the Settle and Carlisle line to Hellifield where we change engines to one of our vintage Diesels for the final part of our journey to your home stations.

PREMIER DINING

Coaching stock will consist of vintage Premier Class vehicles (Mark I or Mark II vehicles), refurbished and appointed to a very high level of comfort.

Premier Dining is First Class with a little extra luxury and is perfect for a special occasion. Passengers will be served a full English breakfast with complementary Bucks Fizz on the outward journey. A delicious four course dinner preceded by Champagne will be served on the return journey. Dinner will be accompanied by a quarter bottle of wine per person and mince pies to finish, along with tea or coffee.. A complimentary service of tea or coffee on both journeys. We are able to offer a vegetarian menu with 7 days advance notification but regretfully we are unable to offer any other special dietary requirements (i.e. nut allergy, vegan, gluten free diets etc). View our sample menu We also ask kindly that passengers do not consume their own alcoholic drinks in Premier Dining Class

PREMIER FIRST CLASS

Our traditionally furnished First Class carriages allow you to travel in style. The coaching stock will consist of vintage Premier Class vehicles (Mark I or Mark II vehicles), refurbished and appointed to a very high level of comfort.

Premier First Class passengers will be served a breakfast roll on the outward journey and sandwiches, a scone, jam and butter will be served on the return journey. To accompany this, there will be a complimentary service of tea or coffee on both journeys. Passengers will also have access to the buffet carriage for the purchase of light snacks.

STANDARD CLASS

Our Standard Class carriages offer the same train experience at exceptional value for money. All our standard class passengers travel in refurbished vintage Mark I or Mark II coaches and will have access to the buffet carriage for the purchase of teas, coffees and light snacks.

A child ticket is for a child aged 16 or under.

Supplement for a private table for two in first class and dining £20.00 per passenger. Fares are subject to a £3.75 booking fee.

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Steam Train Trips, Tours and Rides

Day Trips Including A Steam Engine

Picture: Paul Nicholson

Steam Train Trips, Tours and Rides 2023/2024

While we do not run or book any steam train trips or rides, we try and identify in the below list the majority of steam train day trips and tours operating on the rail network for 2023 and 2024. Note that parts of the journey may be intentionally pulled by a diesel or electric locomotive.

Please check / confirm on the promoters website for cancellations and steam traction / other changes to these trips, particularly with the upcoming strikes.

The Pick Up Area section indicates the rough area of pick ups. See promoters website for exact details

During hot dry periods it is possible steam engines may be replaced by diesel or electric locomotives

While we do not run or book any steam train trips or rides, we try and identify in the below list the majority of steam train day trips and tours operating on the rail network for 2023. Note that parts of the journey may be intentionally pulled by a diesel or electric locomotive.

"All Trips" selected - click other options to filter

Settle & Carlisle Fellsman Event

Settle & carlisle fellsman, thu 23rd may 2024, saphos trains, pick ups between :, crewe & wigan.

Engines Involved: Steam / Diesel or Electric

Settle & Carlisle Steam Special Event

Settle & carlisle steam special, sat 25th may 2024, northern belle, darlington & newcastle, the shakesphere express event, the shakesphere express, sun 26th may 2024, vintage trains, derby & coleshill parkway.

Engines Involved: Steam

Windsor to Norwich & Bressingham Steam & Gardens Event

Windsor to norwich & bressingham steam & gardens, tue 28th may 2024, steam dreams, windsor & eaton riverside & clapham junction, welsh marches express event, welsh marches express, thu 30th may 2024, high wycombe & bristol temple meads, the golden age of travel by steam event, the golden age of travel by steam, london victoria, the cumbrian coast express event, the cumbrian coast express, sat 1st june 2024, rail touring company, london euston & preston.

Engines Involved: Steam / Electric

English Riveria Express Event

English riveria express, crewe & bristol parkway, the mersey express to liverpool event, the mersey express to liverpool, tyseley & crewe, wed 5th june 2024, crewe & clitheroe, the dalesman event, the dalesman, thu 6th june 2024, york & skipton.

Engines Involved: Steam / Other

The Tynesider Event

The tynesider, sat 8th june 2024, london kings cross & peterborough, the lakelander event, the lakelander, leeds & preston, coventry & crewe, the ffestiniog express event, the ffestiniog express, dorridge & crewe.

Engines Involved: Steam / Diesel

Tue 11th June 2024

Chester & preston, thu 13th june 2024, west kent to winchester event, west kent to winchester, tonbridge & bromley south, the bath & bristol steam express event, the bath & bristol steam express, sat 15th june 2024, swanage & southampton, leeds & manchester victoria, london to paignton & kingswear via dawlish event, london to paignton & kingswear via dawlish, london paddington & newbury, sun 16th june 2024, birmingham snow hill & stratford upon avon, thu 20th june 2024, the cumbrian moutain express event, the cumbrian moutain express, sat 22nd june 2024, woking & salisbury, the red dragon to cardiff event, the red dragon to cardiff, tyseley & cheltenham spa, tue 25th june 2024, paignton & bristol temple meads, the swanage belle event, the swanage belle, wed 26th june 2024, london victoria & basingstoke, the scarborough spa express event, the scarborough spa express, thu 27th june 2024, carnforth & york, the cheshireman event, the cheshireman, sat 29th june 2024, london euston & nuneaton, sun 30th june 2024, worcester shrub hill & droitwich spa, tue 2nd july 2024, wed 3rd july 2024, blackpool north & clitheroe, the north wales coast express event, the north wales coast express, sat 6th july 2024, london euston & crewe, northampton & watford junction, the white rose to york & scarborough event, the white rose to york & scarborough, birmingham new street & york, the waverley event, the waverley, sun 7th july 2024, the end of southern steam event, the end of southern steam, tue 9th july 2024, thu 11th july 2024, the golden hind event, the golden hind, milton keynes central & maidenhead, the white rose event, the white rose, sat 13th july 2024, the cumbrian mountain express event, the cumbrian mountain express, crewe & preston, sun 14th july 2024, liverpool lime street & chester, leicester & coleshill parkway, pendle dalesman event, pendle dalesman, tue 16th july 2024, lancaster & clitheroe, thu 18th july 2024, the west somerset steam express event, the west somerset steam express, sat 20th july 2024, bedford & reading, sun 21st july 2024, tue 23rd july 2024, the dorset coast express event, the dorset coast express, wed 24th july 2024, sat 27th july 2024, the royal duchy event, the royal duchy, sun 28th july 2024, bristol temple meads & exeter st davids, wed 31st july 2024, thu 1st august 2024, sat 3rd august 2024, wolverhampton & bristol temple meads, sun 4th august 2024, tue 6th august 2024, the kentish belle event, the kentish belle, wed 7th august 2024, london victoria & bromley south, thu 8th august 2024, sat 10th august 2024, sun 11th august 2024, thu 15th august 2024, sat 17th august 2024, poole & westbury, lincoln & wakefield, sun 18th august 2024, sat 24th august 2024, the cotswold venturer event, the cotswold venturer, london victoria & didcot, slough & westbury, sun 25th august 2024, wed 28th august 2024, thu 29th august 2024, sat 31st august 2024, hereford & preston, hull & wakefield, sun 1st september 2024, tue 3rd september 2024, wed 4th september 2024, bournmouth & bristol temple meads, thu 5th september 2024, the stratford flyer event, the stratford flyer, sat 7th september 2024, norwich & peterborough, sun 8th september 2024, wed 11th september 2024, thu 12th september 2024, sat 14th september 2024, liverpool lime street & preston, tue 17th september 2024, thu 19th september 2024, sat 21st september 2024, the coast to coast express event, the coast to coast express, liverpool lime street & sheffield, the golden arrow event, the golden arrow, birmingham international & watford junction, telford & chester, wed 25th september 2024, shrewsbury & bristol temple meads, thu 26th september 2024, the atlantic coast express event, the atlantic coast express, sat 28th september 2024, london waterloo & basingstoke, wed 2nd october 2024, peterborough & potters bar, thu 3rd october 2024, sat 5th october 2024, norwich & shenfield, wed 9th october 2024, worcester shrub hill & bristol temple meads, sat 19th october 2024, coventry & chester, sun 20th october 2024, sat 26th october 2024, nottingham & sheffield.

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The North Wales Coast Express

Sunday 14th july 2024.

The North Wales Coast Express is a special steam hauled summer train that runs from Liverpool and Chester to Holyhead. It provides an excellent opportunity for passengers from Merseyside and Cheshire to experience the excitement of travelling by steam train along the picturesque North Wales Coast railway line. Passengers have a choice of three destinations: the seaside town of Llandudno, the historic city of Bangor, or the port of Holyhead.

Our train leaves Liverpool Lime Street Sunday morning, hauled by a magnificent steam locomotive from the Carnforth pool, and then makes its way through Edge Hill cutting to Broad Green, where we will make a stop to pick up. Next we pick up at Warrington Bank Quay. Running via Frodsham, we reach Chester, where we pick up further passengers. On leaving Chester, we pass through the ancient city walls and cross the River Dee into Wales. We steam alongside the Dee Estuary, with views across to the Wirral Peninsula. We pass through the coastal resorts of Prestatyn, Rhyl, and Colwyn Bay along the delightful Irish Sea coastline, which is well known for its fine beaches. We stop at Llandudno Junction where passengers for Llandudno can take the service train to spend time at this popular seaside resort. From Llandudno Junction, we continue westwards along the North Wales Coast Line, crossing the Conwy estuary on Robert Stephenson’s Tubular railway bridge, with Edward 1’s castle overlooking the town and bridge. The railway line runs very close to the Irish Sea as we pass through Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan, with magnificent sea views across to the Island of Anglesey. We stop at Bangor station to set down those passengers who may wish to spend time visiting this historic city, with its cathedral and restored pier. Our train crosses the Menai Strait on the Britannia Bridge and enters the Isle of Anglesey. We now run across the Island through Valley to enter the sea port of Holyhead, where there will be time to visit the town or marina whilst our steam locomotive is turned and serviced for the return journey. Our train leaves Holyhead, steam hauled late afternoon, and stops at Bangor and then Llandudno Junction, to pick up passengers who opted for a visit to Llandudno. It continues via Chester and Warrington Bank Quay to Liverpool Lime Street, stopping at the same stations as on the outward journey, to set down passengers.

Available Classes

Premier Dining includes a full English breakfast and a four course dinner freshly prepared on board and silver served at your seat.

First Class includes morning tea or coffee with a bacon/breakfast roll and a muffin and an afternoon service of tea or coffee with a savoury of the day followed by scone with butter and jam.

Standard Class includes a reserved seat usually at a table for four.

Please Note

Tables for two can be guaranteed in Premier Dining and First Class for a supplement of £30 per person (subject

to availability). A buffet car is available and serves tea, coffee, snacks and light refreshments.

Catering - Further Details…

*Premier Dining not available from Chester

*By service train from Llandudno Junction

Destination s Route

Approximate timings shown

The Old Stables, Estuary Road, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 2HL – Phone: 01553 661 500

© 2024 | The Railway Touring Company Limited | Founded by Nigel Dobbing in 1997 | All rights reserved. This work remains the property of The Railway Touring Company Limited and may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, without permission. Website: LucidSynergy Ltd.

CALL: +44 20 3640 8887

Northern Belle

Experience exquisite luxury train travel aboard the Northern Belle

A step back in time to the 1930’s, Northern Belle luxury train journeys evoke a sense of opulence during the golden age of travel. This luxurious yet intimate train transverses via the glorious Great British countryside en-route to some of Britain’s most exquisite destinations. The Northern Belle is a luxury locomotive like no other, with exquisite carriages evoking a sense of 1930’s high-class style and liveried stewards that combine to offer a genuinely authentic experience. Sumptuous cuisine compliments every journey with lavish five-course dinners effervescent afternoon teas and specialist journeys with bespoke designed menus. A well-stocked bar is also on hand to provide you with any beverage you may desire. Wherever you choose to go, there is no finer way to experience the genuine opulence of 1930’s rail travel. The Northern Belle is the finest example of vintage carriages the UK has to offer and is dedicated to providing a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Timings are provisional and subject to network rail confirmation 7 days prior to departure.

Contact us, we're here to assist

Call us on 020 3640 8887 or email us below

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Steam trains set to roll into Liverpool Lime Street this weekend

Two locomotives will depart on special trips to Carlisle and Holyhead

• 13:13, 31 JUL 2015

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This weekend will see two grand steam trains roll into Liverpool Lime Street station.

The two locomotives will be working special rail tours that will depart from the station and head for Carlisle and Holyhead as part of trips operated by The Railway Touring Company.

On Saturday, a Princess Coronation class steam train, Duchess of Sutherland, will depart from Lime Street at 6:35am, heading up north to Carlisle.

The Duchess of Sutherland is no stranger to Liverpool, having been based at the Edge Hill depot for many years in the 1950s and 60s.

Then on Sunday, a Stainer Jubilee class train called Leander, also a common sight in Liverpool during the popular steam locomotive days, will leave Lime Street at 10:31am and head along the North Wales coast to Holyhead.

These are two of only four steam locomotives set to visit Liverpool this year.

To find out more about steam locomotive rail tours, visit the Railway Touring Company website .

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Liverpool Lime Street Steam - The Early 1960s

Railfan-guest, june 14th, 2022.

Like the wider Northwest of England, the end of steam was nigh at Liverpool Lime Street in the early 1960s. In a continuation of our look at this fascinating time of British railway history, Hugh Hollinghurst shares with us his knowledge of the era, covered with the wider history of Liverpool's railways in his Amberley Books title: Liverpool's Railways Through Time .

All photographs by Roger Golder.

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This content requires the base game Train Sim World® 4 on Steam in order to play.

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Downloadable Content

Buy train sim world® 4 compatible: spirit of steam: liverpool lime street - crewe route add-on, buy train sim world® 4: steam icons bundle bundle ().

Includes 6 items: Train Sim World® 4 Compatible: Peak Forest Railway: Ambergate - Chinley & Buxton Route Add-On , Train Sim World® 4 Compatible: Spirit of Steam: Liverpool Lime Street - Crewe Route Add-On , Train Sim World® 4 Compatible: West Cornwall Steam Railtour Add-On , Train Sim World® 4 Compatible: West Cornwall Local: Penzance - St Austell & St Ives , Train Sim World® 4: LNER Class A3 60103 Flying Scotsman Steam Loco Add-On , Train Sim World® 4: East Coast Main Line: Peterborough - Doncaster Route Add-On

About This Content

Key features.

• 36-mile (58 km) route from Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe, as it was in 1958
• Historically accurate details, trackwork and infrastructure
• 15 authentic stations
• LMS Jubilee Class Steam Locomotive in BR Late Brunswick Green livery
• LMS Stanier 8F Class Steam Locomotive in weathered BR Late Unlined Black livery
• Mk1 FK, TSO, BSO and BG Coaches in BR Maroon and Blood & Custard liveries
• 16t Mineral, 5-plank, Conflat and Standard Van Wagons, and a 20t Brake Van
• All-new authentic steam locomotive simulation
• Highly detailed, feature-rich, driving cabs with accurate true-to-life performance and handling
• Authentic and detailed sound recordings, recorded from the real locomotives
• Journey Mode featuring over 24 hours of activities for you to master
• Accessible Training Modules and 5 detailed and engaging scenarios
• Extensive 24-hour Timetable
• A selection of Route Tasks to complete
• Livery Designer, Scenario Planner and Creators Club compatible
• Powered by Dovetail Games’ proprietary SimuGraph® vehicle dynamics engine and Unreal Engine 4® technology
• Download size: 5.2 GB

System Requirements

• OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11
• Processor: Intel Core i5-4690 @ 3.5 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X @ 3.7 GHz
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 460 with 2 GB VRAM or more
• DirectX: Version 10
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 80 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
• Additional Notes: Requires mouse and keyboard or Xbox Controller
• Processor: Intel Core i5-9600K @ 3.7 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 3.6 GHz
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB or AMD Radeon RX 5700 with 8 GB VRAM or more

©2022 Dovetail Games, a trading name of RailSimulator.com Limited (“DTG”). "Dovetail Games", “Train Sim World” and “SimuGraph” are trademarks or registered trademarks of DTG. Unreal® Engine, ©1998-2022, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Unreal® is a registered trademark of Epic Games. Portions of this software utilise SpeedTree® technology (©2014 Interactive Data Visualization, Inc.). SpeedTree® is a registered trademark of Interactive Data Visualization, Inc. All rights reserved. Produced under license from SCMG Enterprises Ltd. Permission to use the LMS Trade Mark is granted by the Secretary of State for Transport. . All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Unauthorised copying, adaptation, rental, re-sale, arcade use, charging for use, broadcast, cable transmission, public performance, distribution or extraction of the product or any trademark or copyright work that forms part of this product is prohibited. Developed and published by DTG. The full credit list can be accessed from the TSW “Options” menu. 

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REVIEW: Train Sim World 2: Spirit of Steam: Liverpool – Crewe

Steam has finally arrived for Train Sim World 2 , with Dovetail Games bringing an engaging route to the game for the first time.

The first route to feature steam for Train Sim World 2 is the 36 mile route from Liverpool Lime Street, authentically replicated for virtual runs with steam power.

Dovetail Games very kindly sent RailAdvent a copy of Spirit of Steam to review – here is what we think!

What's included for the price?

Included in the £29.99 asking price is the aforementioned 36 mile route from Liverpool to Crewe, an authentic LMS 8F locomotive and an LMS Jubilee locomotive.

Also included in the route is a variety of wagons and Mk1 coaches – everything you need for a full steam ahead trip from the comfort of your own home.

What's great about this new feature for Train Sim World 2 is the tutorial section. This really goes into detail to teach you exactly how to drive not just the locomotives, but also the route, such as how to read what the signals means, so great for beginners too.

The tutorials are so much better than a paper or PDF manual, especially since the tutorials direct you where to click to do certain tasks (such as turn on the small and large ejectors for example).

15 stations feature in the route, with a variety of junctions, viaducts, yards to keep you entertained on the drive.

Optimisation and Detail

Whilst detailed, the route remains playable, with a good 40-60fps throughout our time playing this game in a number of scenarios.

Detail on the route is good for most of the route, unfortunately there are a few sections where line-side vegetation just disappears (bushes, fences etc) – I would love to see a few more line-side assets added to push the authentic feel – thankfully – you are busy most of the time keeping your speed up that you may miss the empty spaces.

On release day, there was a lack of track joint sounds throughout the entire route, but Dovetail Games has since released a patch which now brings track joint sounds to the route.

All the animations in the game are smooth and high quality, walking through the Mk1s is lovely and you can see the hard work that has gone into modelling them.

Moving onto the audio side of things, custom sounds have been brought to the game for the Jubilee and 8F. You get a decent chuff if the loco is working hard, but i would have liked a few more whistle modes, seems very high pitched and a little boring with just one mode.

We have reviewed a number of TSW routes, with the Isle of Wight and Arosa Line routes only having one train to drive – thankfully Spirit of Steam doesn't fall into this category. Both the 8F and Jubilee have different characteristics when it comes to driving so will keep you entertained for hours.

General Gameplay

So – what is this brand new route, simulation and locos like to drive? Well – simply stunning. The most recent update brings a major downside to a plus. It's great to get the train up to speed and then sit and watch the loco and wagons roll past with the well known ‘clickety clack' noise.

The driving is engaging and fun. I'd put it in the sweet spot when it comes to difficulty, not so simply it's boring, but not too difficult that you spend 30 minutes trying to release the brakes.

It's nice to see a variety of locos modelled, so you don't end up driving the same specific loco, each Jubilee also comes with its own nameplate.

What's great to see is the community really getting behind this DLC – with lots of free re-skins already appearing for the locomotives.

Any Bad Points?

Whilst there are a few points that make you feel like the route isn't finished, such as the apparent lack of scenery in some places, I hope that the route will be updated in the future and other steam routes will follow if this is a success.

There are other things that we have found, and backs up the “not finished” feel, such as the lack of coal on the fireman's shovel – however again, this is updatable and is a well-known issue.

Finally – it's a shame that the yards and scenarios don't seem busy enough for a steam route, yards can be empty and you don't see many AI trains at all – but perhaps this is to do with being also available PlayStation and Xbox.

Final Thoughts

Rounding off this review with three words. Steam. Is. Here.

We have been waiting for steam to come to TSW2 – which brings its own benefits above Train Simulator Classic – we loved playing with this route and cannot wait to see where Steam in TSW goes next.

The route is available through Steam for £29.99 – which considering the backend work gone into just bringing the locos to the game is not too bad at all.

You don't need any other assets or routes for Spirit of Steam Route to work, just Train Sim World 2 itself – so I'd recommend you get this route and add it to your collection.

Want to see the route in action? Make sure to follow the RailAdvent Twitch channel to see when I go live streaming the route: twitch.tv/railadvent

Thank you to Dovetail Games for allowing us to review this superb route and sending us a copy.

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