Edmonson tickets a lost "cause" for ever?

No, merely being a s**** a***

 

Temper temper!

 

No shouting please.
This obsession with little bits of cardboard seems like a classic piece of straining at gnats.

PH

 

It's a bit like arguing with the Black Knight from Monty Python.

But remember Edmondsons belong in a museum, and Ivatts belong on the IOWR but your MN, Castle, buffet cars etc have no place on a modern authentic tourist attraction heritage railway (with special appeal for coach parties).

 

Can anyone help me? Where do I find the DIS like button?

Robin

 

Odd you should say that. We do agree on something!

PH

 

Now, now Paul. In another thread you said that gricers often fail to realise that others have different opinions. Going by this thread, I reckon you're a gricer.

 

flyingsotsmans123"s "Temper! Temper!". Was not in capitals.

 

Missed this when Tom posted it - absolutely spot on - and passenger counts are far more useful than EPOS data for annual timetable discussions. Some types of business may be able to react to such data, the main users of EPOS in 'real' business may use it to manage demand with pricing but I can't see that working on preserved railways.

The argument has become very repetitive because those who see Edmonson tickets as old fashioned and belonging in a museum have still failed to explain what EPOS does that Edmonson doesn't, certainly to the extent that justifies the cost. So far, the main argument for them seems to be 'they are old hat' (like steam trains), nobody notices then (or rather, nobody who matters) and the IoWSR uses them, so it must be right! None of which are reasons to spend £10,000s on re-equipping for EPOS! And I am the person who said why try to use an unreliable 70 year old diesel crane for a job a modern loader could do more reliably!

As for speed, I have just been for a coffee at a local hotel that has recently installed EPOS. It took twice or three times as long to put 2 coffees through the system as a manual system with a price list and a carbon order pad (equivalent to Edmonson). As a late lamented founder on a certain line, who had worked Newcastle Central Booking Office in his earlier years (pre-Beeching/Tyne & Wear Metro), used to say 'waiting for Auntie Eadie to find her purse takes longer than issuing an Edmonson'.

Steven

 

Not quite true, the bats are used by station staff to relay the 'Right Away' to the crew. Without them, they would using their arms instead. There was supposedly RA being installed at Highley, certainly in the Up direction (to Arley) but that one has gone quiet.

 

Heavens! this is a fast moving thread, However I doubt any presently held opinions will have changed.

Regarding the photo of the two tickets; whilst the Bluebell one is very pretty and charismatic it does not have the information on it that could be of historical use to a researcher of ticket history in, say, 20 years or so time.
The G&WSR one has journey, classification, date, cost and name (presumably). Although initially I thought the name might refer to timetable colour!
I suggest a future historian, would see the present day as history and as such could well see the G&WSR ticket as valuable history reference.

 

I can't say the thought has ever exercised me before but having read this thread the only reason I can see for having EPOS is to make the end of day tallying up a bit easier (at some capital expense)... Perhaps swapping 'next train boards' for modern PIS is a good analogy here as that would surely be a bit easier too
I understand edmondsons machines are mechanical and go wrong and need bits manufacturing. God forbid that a heritage railway would use old, unreliable, labour intensive machinery that requires skills and dedication to maintain
Paul talks about gift aid and coach bookings. Gift aid can't be claimed on anything where a service is provided...for example a train journey. I can understand EPOS in the shops esp where second hand 'gifts' which may be gift-aidable may be sold but there is no need to extend that same system to ticket sales...apart from in railways where tickets are sold in the shop. Re, coach bookings, for most railways that would be the tail wagging the dog and a simple email confirmation ticket would suffice.

 

ok so, they ought to use their arms in true old school fashion, rather than current issue bats. It grates

 

There are certain circumstances where Gift Aid can be claimed by railways on travel. It is only applicable where tickets are sold by a charity (e.g. IoWSR), relies (as for museum entries) on complex pricing arrangements, and raises questions in my mind about whether the tickets sold are for travel and so eligible for the VAT concessions thus applicable. Reliance on HMRC agreement on an unusual use of Gift Aid seems a flimsy economic justification for using EPOS.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Wasn't it a case of mistaken identity over a raised arm that caused the Reading accident c1910? (While obviously the chances of a crash are few - the dangers of starting away due to miscommunication ought to be minimised as much as possible)

 

Agreed, I do have some sympathy here. I feel I could only make a judgement on whether if it were needed if I were actually a stationmaster/guard or whatever at that location.

 

Not strictly true as the Talyllyn Railway Company (which allows pax to gift aid fares) is not a charity, but it is wholly owned by a charity.

 

Naturally.

PH