Ratio of 1st class seats on railtours and heritage lines

[DK123GWR]

What proportion of seats on heritage lines and railtours should be 1st class? I am imagining that for most railtours the answer will be very high in order to justify a premium price tag, whereas on heritage lines it would be very low in order to maximise capacity. I am talking mainly about using BR Mk1s, with perhaps some GWR coaches if they are available cheaply. I am looking at a rake of 2 on my heritage line (representing 4, unless I end up with a B-set) and a rake of 4 for railtours (representing roughly 8). Any suggestions for suitable formations?

Edited July 2, 2020 by DK123GWR
I have discovered that question marks exist.

[Nick C]

Most heritage lines favour TSOs when it comes to Mk1s - on the MHR we don't sell first class tickets (though I know other lines do). It's also pretty common to see catering vehicles included (though maybe not for the next few months under Covid!), so a typical 4-coach formation might be RMB, TSO, BSK, TSO. If you were including first class then you'd probably have a CK instead of one of the TSOs, or a BFK or BCK instead of the BSK.

 

We also have some TSOs with the first couple of seating bays removed and replaced with loose seats - these are marshalled adjacent to the brake end of the B*K to allow for wheelchair access. The Bluebell have fitted lifts to a couple of their TSOs for the same reason.

[EmporiaSub]

The IOWSR have suspended their First Class.

[adb968008]

Tbh you could mix just about anything together for a preserved line.

so much possibilities, i’m surprised there aren't more preserved railway layouts.
 

I built one such, 20 years ago, a 1990’s 2 mainline platform station, with the two through fastlines rationalised into a single.

Then added a bay platform (with a preservation era 2nd added bay platform), with the goods shed converted to a loco shed.

(A track layout much like west Ruislip except its LUL not preserved), about 18ft long on the front).

Not too dissimilar to how Eridge, Chinnor or Cholsey looks today. Sadly none of those existed in the 1990’s and it was panned as being too unrealistic and something that would never exist. I was told several times a preserved railway is a branch line and nothing more. I was a teenager at the time and was easily disheartened so after thousands of hours put in by several of us, it was binned, after only 3 shows. I left the hobby for 2 decades and made do with a small plank layout whilst I lived in the US for a few years in the middle period.

 

Today though I think such a layout would be more acceptable and i’d be more inclined to ignore such comments. If I build another, it would be very similar.. the options available for merging modern and preserved is endless.

 

 

Edited July 11, 2020 by adb968008