[VIC] Enthusiast Tours vs Tourist Trips (was: high speed tours (was: [VIC] R766 and R711 Ballarat tour.))

[James Brook <ajmbrook@ozemail.com.au>]

Almost all of Steamrail's 2000 tours apart from the 38 ones are not completely enthusiast
tours. Even the diesel day tour to Echuca on February 5 will have lunch "at one of the fine
hotels or restaurants located in the heritage wharf precinct." On the Quambatook tour a few
years ago, you had lunch on the train, ie: a Steamrail hot dog. If people want to go on a
more tourist style trip then they should go on the Echuca weekender or the Steamrail family
type tours. I think Steamrail should run a few enthusiast trips every year. They shouldn't
try to introduce tourist style elements into almost every tour they run. For a rail
enthusiast the whole point of going on one of these trips is the journey, not the
destination. I know I would rather be travelling than spending a few hours in some town with
nothing much to do. The ARHS always run real enthusiast trips and they seem to have alot
more people on them than some of the Steamrail tours. The one real enthusiast trip Steamrail
is running next year is on the weekend when many people can't go on a tour! (I'm not the
only one) I think Steamrail could have planned it on another weekend, even if it had to be
in 2001. Because of this I can't go on one of the few broad gauges lines left in Victoria
that I haven't been on (Quambatook - Robinvale). I just hope they run a diesel weekender up
that line soon. 1998 was one of Steamrail's best years for a long time. 2000 is looking
rather ordinary.

--
- James Brook -

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