Should lines withhold loco roster information at galas?

I think it is more than fair to pay a fiver for an accurate roster. Then those that enjoy viewing from the lineside, or platforms, but choose not to travel are contributing to the event. In the same way, rosters should be handed out free with all tickets.

 

Myself, Flange Bandit and another girl went around carrog's roads offering the photographers the change to purchase one.

 

And sold a good few to be honest, hey we even got abused by one guy who looked like he had eaten all of the pies..........all week. So we were very polite back to him which served to make the chap even madder, if your reading this mate we only laughed all the way back to the platform. \/

 

I think the KESR has got it about right for their forthcoming gala. There's a simple timetable available for downloading plus a list of the locos scheduled to work during the gala. That's sufficient info to start planning a visit. The detailed roster/WTT for those who need to target certain locos and/or workings seems good value for money and I'll be getting one as long as they haven't sold them all by Sunday morning.

 

The problem with making a roster available on the internet beforehand is you WILL get some photographers who will print it off, pack their lunch cameras etc and then drive to the lineside, photograph what they want before going home having had a good day and not contributed a penny.

I found this at SSS2 when I went collecting donations off linesiders, one refused to give me even 50p because he was there to take pictures in public places and 6880/Llangollen can't charge for that.

So publishing the times only on internet as we did, in my mind is the correct way to go about it. If you want which locos are on which trains, then it is only right you pay a small fee for this information so if you do indeed plan on just taking pictures then at least you have put some money in the tin.

As for getting a sheet of paper with the days roster upon purchase of a rover, hmm maybe. One side of the coin, yes easier for visitors to carry around and maybe if you ask for 50p or something you could get income off someone who doesn't want to pay £3-£5. However not everyone wants this, it is mainly the enthusiasts. Joe public are far more likely to buy a souvenir guide, as a piece of paper with times and numbers doesn't mean much to them. Plus it could take sales away from any brochures/guides which earn more per sale, and end of the day galas need to make their money, otherwise they wont be run again and such sales do help towards the cost of staging such shows.

 

Hi,
Just to be clear. Since the non-appearance of 34007 at the 2007 Spring Gala, and the amount of earache we received, it has become SEPT policy to run every guest engine every day at special events. This will always be the case.


cheers
Keith

 

If timetables are not published then some people will not attend.

Not publishing the timetable is a no brainer and also gives the railway a bad reputation.

 

...who could well be the freeloaders that the railway can do without anyway.

 

Chessie,

I am actually referring to those who actually are willing to part with their hard earned cash.

Advertise and you will get more people attending spending their pounds, shillings and pence.

Dont advertise and some will stay away.

And that could make a difference between making a profit or not.
If you dont cover your costs there is a good chance that the event wont happen the following year.

Free loaders will come anyway.

 

Sums it up well. If you're paying nothing, you lose nothing if you don't see the loco/train you want. If you're buying a rover, it makes a difference, and must be known IN ADVANCE.

 

All this taken into account, in a circumstance which I found out about, publishing the loco diagrams CAN be a bad thing, say if the 'train' arrives on time but it is effectively 1 hour late (eg. the train is 1 hr late but fits in with the next train of the day) and the loco diagram has been published then the railway will get complaints of 'not the right loco' as the loco, not the train is late, whereas if they do not publish the diagram, it can be got away with.

INSTANCE

The loco is published for the 1pm but turns up on the 2pm as it is 1hr late.

 

That seems like a pretty poor cop out to me... If there is good reason for the delay, I can't see why enthusiasts (ie those who want, and understand, the loco rosters) wouldn't be understanding, and the families etc will most likely be none the wiser.

 

If I recall correctly, those railways that have in the past with held timetable information (rightly or wrongly)
have ahd alot of negative press and publicity on railway forums and magazines.

Negative press and reputation is easy to get.
Getting a good reputation for running excellent galas takes alot of time and consistant hard work.
Also listening to what fare paying punters say is also a good thing.

There are some railway(s) that dont listen and dont learn.

 

It's simple...

Charge for it...

those who want to know will pay, those who dont care.. wont.

First thing I do is look to buy a roster when I arrive.. and i'll gladly pay for it.

If they say "its a secret".. then I take that in to consideration next time If I go... unless of course they say "its totally unscheduled and a surprise even to us".. then thats part of the event.

 

But the point is, those travelling x00 miles to travel behind a particular loco won't be too happy to turn up, pay for a rover, pay for a roster and THEN find that said loco isn't in use that day or has finished its workings... and the excuse "some people might've used it to enjoy the gala for free from the lineside" won't gel when there are still hundreds of photographers, and those who wanted to support the event are out of pocket!

As I've said before, I'm not necessarily against paying for a roster, but I am against having to pay over the odds for a full glossy brochure just to obtain such info, and if I can't get the roster in advance I won't go. It's very easy to upload a roster on the internet, password protect the site and charge £1 or so for a password.

 

One person would pay and then he'd go and publish it on National Preservation or some such site. Or at least distribute amongst friends...

 

Is this any different from selling booklets though? Nothing to stop one person from copying this booklet to their friends...

 

And it happens, but it at least takes more effort than pressing forward on your Email.

 

Exactly..

Then all your hard work is for nought, to be honest how many gala's are there where not everything advertised is in steam, and if so it's usually becuase it's a no show or a failure in which case the advance / online copy will be wrong anyway.

If your looking for the 1 out the 12 engines in steam.. why not phone and ask "is my engine x running on this day?" But generally most people go for the 12 not the 1.

As for £5 for a glossy brochure.. if your going to spend a whole day on the line side, not buy a ticket then no matter what it is your paying for.. £5 is a cheap day out and thats the least to contribute.

To be honest i'm against UK Steam being a free service, as I unashamably admit to maximising use of this site, but short of sending a donation (which I did for WCRC's 1T57 and a few others that really grab me) there's not much I can do, however if they had a subscription with a donation to the various owners then I would certainly do it.

Maybe i'm alone in my conscience, but at a gala, I buy a ticket, a brochure, a schedule and start as soon as the door opens and leave as soon as it closes.. In that time I may make one of two rides, walk one or two miles and take 100 or 200 pictures, drink 1 or 2 pints and make 1 or 2 friends, but I make sure I pay a good day outs price one way or another... at the SVR gala I had little to else buy, so I surprised the Patriot guys with a nice donation just as they were wrapping up. In short I pay my way and wish everyone else did who doesnt intend to ride.

What really irked me.. was the SVR gala where a non-paying photographer turned up at Bewdley, I was stood behind the fence alone, however he went trackside, stood in full view in front of me delibrately blocking my camera and took pictures of 60007, he was quite arrogant, so I took his picture, which annoyed him..
Turns out his picture was published in the last steam railway (as there was only me an him there) I now know your name and have your picture however i'm too polite to name and shame.

 

Hi Chessie most diesel fans are not freeloaders and go for mileage be hind locos rather than taking photo’s all day.