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Rother Valley Railway

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by nine elms fan, Nov 4, 2012.

  1. domeyhead

    domeyhead Member

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    No it doesn't. That is an entirely subjective statement, easily disproven and not really helpful to the general conduct of this thread.
     
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  2. H Cloutt

    H Cloutt Member

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    Latest facebook post [Train Robbery page] from another person states 'Those of us who live locally can confirm that this work was done at the end of last week. It’s been clearly seen from the road. And the work was still being done early this week as well."
    As has been stated in earlier posts the pictures indicate that the tree felling was done some time ago. So what the poster has seen is something else. Difficult to see much from the road unless you stop and look.

    Harold
     
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  3. nine elms fan

    nine elms fan Part of the furniture

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    Deleted.
     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2019
  4. 2392

    2392 Well-Known Member

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    Indeed there are those who live near the NYMR, hate the Moors with a passion. Though are quite happy with the cash it generates........ On a Bank Holiday weekend a few years ago when the Midland/HSBC bank was still diagonally across the road from Pickering Station, the cash point was out of cash as were the others too around the Market Place by the way and I had a local bemoan to me along the lines of ....."Bloody Tourists. Emptying the cash point!" Not realizing I was sort of one too! As I'd popped out from the Railway to get some cash :rolleyes:.
     
  5. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    As always, there will be those who will welcome any extra income tourists can provide in Robertsbridge, Since the bypass, I would think the town has become a bit of a sleepy Bywater, some will no doubt prefer that, but for some, it will have been the kiss of death to their businesses if they relied on passing trade, i'm sure that most of us, no matter which side we support would want an amicable outcome hostility only makes outcomes harder ,
     
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  6. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    “Bloody Tourists. Emptying the cash point and spending it in the local economy!”

    Tom
     
  7. 2392

    2392 Well-Known Member

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    In one there Tom;)!
     
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  8. 2392

    2392 Well-Known Member

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    Yes indeed martin. Kirbymoorside, just along the road from Pickering is like that a sleepy little "Bywater" a one horse town, where even the horse got up and left. I still find it somewhat surprising that the HSBC closed the Pickering branch, but kept the Kirbymoorside branch open......... Granted trade/business is/was most seasonal, i.e. high in the summer, low in the winter.
     
  9. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    I have lived most of my life in an area frequented by lots of tourists for a fair proportion of the year - many have second homes in the area.
    It is a two edged sword. Income for the area is increased but not totally and the local area does not always benefit in the way that supporters of tourism proclaim. Large places such as supermarkets send their money elsewhere usually, as do some other large retail companies. There are spin offs in that extra employment is created but generally it is low paid, seasonal and often casual. For the larger part of the year state benefits support those who opt for that type of employment. The only true beneficiaries in this case seem to be young people working during their college/school holidays.
    Many tourist town centres are either full of tourist attraction shops or charity shops.* Many restaurants and fast food outlets close out of season which adds to more empty looking businesses. Curiously in the Torbay area most supermarkets and retail stores which sell non tourist products have moved to outlying 'business parks' type places which are more easily reached and generally have products which local residents need. The local authority gains in revenue from car parks, taxes etc. but has to provide extra facilities and staff.
    Those not employed in the tourist trade find their car journeys take much longer with the consequent rise in fuel costs.
    It is a swings and roundabouts affair: how you see it depends on which ride you take.
    The current 'green' crusade will, I am sure, expand and change peoples leisure habits. I think consolidation to be far more prudent than expansions as far as heritage and some other leisure style attractions are concerned.

    I often wonder, when figures are mentioned about the benefits of the reverse side of the coin is considered. Those with vested interests. for whatever reasons. financial, political or simple empire building, loudly proclaim the benefits. The down side is usually regarded as untrue or nimbyism. There is merit in both viewpoints as far as I can see.

    * True or false I cannot say, but it has been said that coach companies prefer to take their (usually retired) patrons to certain towns on account of the number of charity shops in that town.
     
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  10. Bean-counter

    Bean-counter Part of the furniture

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    Fine, decry the value tourism if you like but consider this - if there weren't tourist shops and tourists in the place, what would there be? Town centres are dying (huge debate, won't start it here). If you didn't have cafes, souvenir shops and the like, you would probably have NOTHING - empty shops. Where I live, there are plenty of empty shops yet landlords with tenants still change the locks if the rent isn't paid on a property that has been empty more than open the last couple of years. Empty properties decay, the area starts to look tatty and other businesses leave.

    I am really sorry if the visitors delay you driving around, and you may well be right - there wouldn't be a problem without them - for starters, there is probably a good chance that wherever it is your progress to is being impeded wouldn't be there and you wouldn't have any reason to go into the area that is visitor infested!

    (Oh, and we wouldn't have ANY steam railways, even/especially the DSR, without the horrid 'visitors'!)

    Steven
     
  11. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    I am not decrying tourism, I have have lived among it for a long time. I was trying to put the other side of the coin - not easy in a heritage forum I admit. I have benefited from tourists and been handicapped by them. You win some you lose some.
     
  12. 2392

    2392 Well-Known Member

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    Can but agree with both Greenway and Steven. As any of a series of attractions [in this case a {proposed} railway extension] can be a nuisance bring visitors into an area and swamping it.
     
  13. H Cloutt

    H Cloutt Member

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    Another branch of the Robertsbridge Tree watching team have turned there attention to Gray Nicholls who have harvested one of their Willow 'woods'. At least it's a break for RVR for a bit.
     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2019
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  14. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    I think that there are some very genuine downsides to Tourism, a toxic combination of low paid casual employment and sky high house prices & rents spring to mind.

    I have in te past described parts of Paignton as 'The Land that Taste Forgot' and there are major issues about the quality of whats on offer in many areas.

    For obvious reasons I would like to see more of the UK 'Travel & Tourism' spend spent in the UK, BUT in a way that maximises the benefits to the areas where it is spent
     
  15. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    The inconsiderate evils of the modern world. Steam railways. Cricket bats. Is there no end to it?
     
  16. michaelh

    michaelh Part of the furniture

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    I think that there are some very genuine downsides to Tourism, a toxic combination of low paid casual employment

    Are you seriously suggesting that Tourism is preventing high paid permanent employment?
     
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  17. MattA

    MattA Member

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    For some years I lived in a city which seems to have an economy revolving around tourism. Funnily enough, most residents seemed to loathe anyone who dared to spend any time in the city, spending money and contributing to the local economy. And I very much doubt that it was the only such city...
     
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  18. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Well-Known Member

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    I work in London which has some obscenely wealthy people, some of the worst poverty in the country, and an endless stream of tourists. None of them seem to have anything much to do with each other from what I can see.


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  19. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

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    This is the case world-wide. I was born and grew up in Bermuda, and it was exactly the same there.

    Noel
     
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  20. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    If it means that businesses in an area all orient to tourism and others get crowded out, then possibly. Although, personally, I’d tend to look elsewhere for why employment in an area is predominantly low paid and casual.


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