Gala Guides

Hi All,

I work for a heritage railway (I'm sure you can guess which) and we're thinking about the role that Gala Guides play. I'd really appreciate you spending a couple of minutes to let me know what you think about them.

Does anyone collect gala guides?
Do you think they add anything to the event any more or have become surplus?
Which railway creates a good guide and why?
What would you like to see included?
Would you be bothered if there was no guide issued?

Any other thoughts or suggestions would be great.

Thanks for your help.
Gemma

 

The problem with producing these guides IMO is of late so many Locos advertised not being available on date for a wide range of reasons, and unless you have your own printing services can be expensive. If you include timetables these generally would have altered by date of Gala, with similar problems with contents. Recently we got up to about v5 due to different reasons, all of which cannot be forseen. The numbers of printed copies to get costs down often mean many left over afterwards, to complaints then from members of waste and cost. Pricing is the final hurdle, it has to be of a decent quality to tempt visitors to purchase at the same time not being priced to high to prevent sales. In these days everyone has a phone with decent camera to take their own pictures. I would say no to a normal Gala Guide unless it is a special event like 100/125/150 years celebration or something when a lot of visiting engines are present. These are my ideas not any Railways own plans/ideas, but cost/sales and correct info are deciding factors generally. It is sometimes better to sell your own railway guide with self printed timetables with loco allocation sheet where this is achievable. I do like to keep copies of where I have been but the Gala guides don't really carry enough. I wouldn't worry if they are no longer available except special events (A4s), may notbe helpful to you, but mine is more the negative side.That's my 5 peneth worth, over to you all.

 

Two points that may be worth considering :

1) A downloadable PDF with train times and - if possible - loco workings such as is produced by KWVR that needs updating once by heritage line and downloaded by those who wish to know what is working. Treat this as publicity material as it may encourage visitors - and costs little to produce.

2) Have a visitor's guide for sale at a price less than £10:00 (the psychological barrier) as a specific event souvenir; I am minded to consider something along the lines of those produced for the SSS series of events at Llangollen where locomotive details; timetables and loco workings were included in the price. This was an excellent souvenir of the event.

 

I think the gala guide has a better audience in the general public rather than the enthusiast as it can inform and educate the casual visitor who turns up not necessarily expecting an event. A properly put together guide should be informative and useful and not just a timetable hastily chucked together when the availability of engines and stock is known a few days in advance of the event! (No offence intended to anyone but I have seen some awful attempts at guides, not just railway ones)

 

In general I find gals guides for themed galas, such as what has been produced at Llangollen for the last few themed galas is great, and tend to give plenty of information on locos and the theme they are putting across. As for guides for a non-themed event, unless there are particularly interesting visiting locos these tend to be wasted on me, as I tend to just purchase the full timetable (with freight, loco allocations etc). As normally at these events you tend to just get brief histories (similar to what is already on the web), full timetables and adverts.

 

It is nice to get something in addition to a ticket when you hand over your £20+ for a ticket at a gala, however getting a guide or not getting one is hardly a deal breaker. the MHR ones in recent years have all been nicely done; the single sheet at the SVR diesel gala this year I could have taken or left, it didn't add much to the day esp as it was on the web.

 

Gala guides are of no interest to me. I just want a timetable which I expect to be free to download. If people want a guide then fine but don't force everyone who just wants a timetable to have to buy and carry round all day, a glossy A5 booklet.

 

I Echo the above, the recent SVR Diesel Gala timetable I thought was ideal, easy to understand, a little bit of info about where to get food and drink etc. It was also available a few days for download and print off so you could work your moves out. Mid Norfolk have done somthing similer in the past too. Nothing frivolus it just does what it says on tin.

 

I misread the title of this thread as "Girl Guides". Took me right back to my teenage years for a moment!

 

Are you also someone who expects to be able to attend the event and take photographs from the lineside for free? Remember that the proceeds from guides go back into the railway holding the event so it all helps to keep these events going.

 

Are there any figures available on the extent to which people turn up and take pictures for free? It is an oft made comment on here but I've never seen any evidence to back it up. For example I will often visit the MHR at gala times, buy a ticket, and then go off and take pictures. Sometimes I don't even bother to travel on the line. My choice, and no complaints from me. However, I'm sure there are people who see me standing near the railway will think freeloader, not knowing the facts.

 

Weighed up against those who want to travel behind a specific loco and don't fancy the risk of travelling half way across the country to find it does one trip first thing in the morning then nothing bar a demo freight at lunch time!

 

Unless there is a way to check linesiders it is difficult to substantiate, however we have regular checks on Foxfield Bank at the Galas and always find someone who not only hasn't bought a ticket but also flatly refuses to offer any financial contribution. It was the way the comment I quoted earlier was worded that hit a nerve, as if jamesd saw it as a right to have a free timetable and never mind the time and effort that has gone into preparing it.

 

There are those who will line side without putting anything in to the kitty but just how many people with a camera are that way inclined is difficult to tell. I know many who do chip in one way or another though.

 

I would be more than happy to patrol the bank with my large dog and frighten them into paying

 

I certainly didn't read jamesd's post in that way.

 

Thank you everyone, your feedback is proving very useful.

We already supply a free timetable, both an electronic version and a paper on on the day.

We are finding that there is increasing stock left over at the end of our galas and were curious as to whether our estimates were being generous or if people simply weren't picking them up. We don't charge for the guide.

Regards.

 

Might be worth thinking how people get hold of them. If you're going to give them away, could be easier (and have more impact) if you handed them out to everyone with tickets at the ticket office.

 

I don't take a camera with me to railways (apart from my phone), I just go to travel on the trains for which I'll buy a ticket, day rover or whatever. If a gala has a visiting engine that I want to travel behind then I would like to see a roster to ensure I get the best value out of my ticket. I don't want to do railways out of money, quite the opposite in fact, I want them to benefit from my ticket money but I expect to know what I'm paying for in terms of haulage. Diesel enthusiasts expect this and get it for free, why should steam enthusiasts be any different?

 

^ Exactly what he said. By all means produce a gala guide, but I'd aim this far more at the family market with an explanation of why the weekend is special, not as an excuse to charge for what is, after all, a piece of advertising.