What is the point of having an immaculate loco at the head of a train hauling a rake of coaches in multiple liveries? When I travel on a charter train I prefer the coaches to have matching liveries. I want to be proud of the train and not just the engine.
That's a very valid point. As a former Charter Trains Manager, I always managed to turn out an immaculate train (The Blue Pullman - then, rather sadly, The "Stobart" Pullman as it became known for a while. Idiots knew *nothing* about the railway industry and only lasted 9 months, but that's another story ...)
Fact is that locos are the treasured assets and people spend inordinate amounts of time and money making them look fabulous, which is all well and good. But when it comes to the stock, well, who is interested in maintaining a rake of Mk I's or II's as a hobby? Not many ...
Despite the fact 80% of the passengers will not be gricers and their accommodation - for what is often a very, very long day out - is far more important to them than what is at the head of the train. And these people represent 80% (or more with first class) of the revenue of course. They want toilets that flush (very difficult now Network Rail provides so few places where you can get water); they want heating (or air con) and lighting that works and preferably, they want *clean* stock, that doesn't look like it has just come out of a WWII scrap siding to do a troop movement!
These are all basic things that a lot of railtour operators forget or treat with very low priority and I am appalled at the condition of some of the stock I see on railtours. A train is a traveling hotel - that's why the power load on the loco is referred to as "hotel power" - and many operators of today should pay a lot more attention to this basic fact.
If Joe Public is going to continue buying railtour tickets, they want to travel in a degree of "hotel luxury" and that includes a brand image (aka livery) and functioning basics like working toilets / lamps / clean seats / heating etc.
I'm not being overly critical here, but a lot of the stock I see on certain operators tours at the very least needs heavy overhaul, or at the worst, condemnation.
