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Spa Valley Railway Winter Steam Up: 7th - 8th January 2023

Discussion in 'Galas and Events' started by WesternRegionHampshireman, Sep 10, 2022.

  1. WesternRegionHampshireman

    WesternRegionHampshireman Well-Known Member

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    Line-up:
    34072 "257 Squadron" From Swanage.
    2890 "Douglas".
    Diesel TBA.
    https://www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk/...h-visiting-bulleid-pacific-34072-257-squadron
     
  2. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    More Spam. Excellent! The perfect antidote to post Christmas blues.
     
  3. WesternRegionHampshireman

    WesternRegionHampshireman Well-Known Member

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    Honestly, I thought since they had some chocolate and cream coaches, they would have booked something Great Western, but, it's something I suppose.
     
  4. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Bulleids worked chocolate and cream on inter-regional trains etc. Not only that but they have some BR(S) green ones too.
     
  5. WesternRegionHampshireman

    WesternRegionHampshireman Well-Known Member

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    I know. :)
    4 full greens and 1 half green/half blue-grey.
    I just think it would be nice, that's all. :)

    Remind us of those days in Cornwall, maybe instead of mince pies, they should give away free pasties. :Hilarious:
     
  6. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    there is a lovely Peter Gray image of a grubby U on a chocolate and cream on the Withered Arm .
     
  7. D7076

    D7076 Well-Known Member

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    And more than slightly related to the fact it’s there for the highly financially successful Polar Express season in December …
     
  8. ruddingtonrsh56

    ruddingtonrsh56 Member

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    And the fact that the Spa Valley is the official Eastern Outpost of SLL and they mainly own locos of ex Southern Railway heritage / design (shocking, I know) a SR loco makes most sense for the railway. At a time of a cost of living crisis where we don't know how much things are going to cost even a month or so away, booking an additional loco to run just 1 or 2 weekends at a time of year with all the additional costs of a short term hire, transport, fuelling an extra loco, requiring even more money to be brought in to break even, when everybody's budgets are a bit tight post Christmas is perhaps not the most financially sound idea. That's even before you start thinking about what locos are actually available for hire. Also, just because the railway owns coaches painted one particular way, doesn't mean they have to hire in locos that perfectly match them. Far better get one more running day out of a loco that is being brought in for a far more lucrative, but also in a way, exclusive, event around the same time.

    Also where does it say they'll be giving out free mince pies?
     
  9. WesternRegionHampshireman

    WesternRegionHampshireman Well-Known Member

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    Well, it isn't particularly advertised.
    Last time I went, which was 2018, when they ran 564, Ring Haw, Ugly and Sister Dora, you brought a drink and got a free mince pie with it.
    Good initiative, getting rid of those left overs from Christmas.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2022
  10. WesternRegionHampshireman

    WesternRegionHampshireman Well-Known Member

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    You know, that's a funny thing?
    These railways are charging higher and higher prices for smaller and smaller enthusiast events, yet, they don't DARE scrap, Christmas weekends, Thomas weekends, family weekends, beer festivals, bus and car rallies or period weekends.
     
  11. ruddingtonrsh56

    ruddingtonrsh56 Member

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    Maybe because, unlike steam galas, for the majority of those less enthusiasty events (with the exception of Thomas events in some cases, and maybe pre-Christmas events depending on the home fleet), the base-line cost to the railway to put the event on is lower. They often won't need to hire in locos specifically for the event (which has associated costs around transport, steaming fees (which are always higher per day for shorter hire periods) and then potentially putting up a loco owners rep in nearby accommodation), they will often run fewer locos on the day (so only, say, 3 locos in steam, rather than 5 or 6, so so that's roughly half the coal and water usage and wear and tear to locos), and may even be able to outsource some elements of the event (e.g. provision of classic vehicles, actors for the period event) to other organisations, thus reducing the planning and organisation the railway needs to do in the run up. And that's before you consider the fact that pre-Christmas services, whether they're Santas, Polar Expresses or something else, are almost universally the most lucrative running events on a heritage railway's calendar, so why on earth would you get rid of your biggest money earner?

    As fuel and transport costs increase, and as we continue to deal with the reduced locomotive availability that is a symptom of a world where COVID deprived heritage railways of a year or more's worth of restoration time, enthusiast galas will cost more and more to put on, so railways either have to charge more, find ways to make them cheaper to run, or both. It's simple economics - sadly railways are not immune from the cost of living crisis anybody who has watched a TV show called 'The News' will be aware of. It's not a funny thing at all. It's a perfectly sensible business decision, and one which is likely needed if we still want to have the diversity of heritage railways we are blessed with today in 10 or 20 years time.
     
  12. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Christmas, Thomas and family weekends likely bring in far more money than many enthusiast events. If you can magic up cheaper fuel, transport and hire charges, then I’m sure the railway would put on a bigger event for you.
     
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  13. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    meanwhile on planet WRH , a gala isn't a gala without a model railway catalogue of visitors . Glass overflowing that railways have unlimited budgets to bring big coal hungry engines just to keep him happy

    As Ian said , Christmas, Polar Express, Beer Festivals , Gin trains , Childrens events etc almost certainly bring in way more profit and cash than a steam gala
     
  14. 3855

    3855 Member

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    Don't forget 75F now appears to be a sub shed of 26d .......
     
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  15. Paul Grant

    Paul Grant Well-Known Member

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    And still wont attend anyway because of some nebulous transport issues.
     
  16. WesternRegionHampshireman

    WesternRegionHampshireman Well-Known Member

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    It seems that the Winter Steam Up has been pulled from the website.
    Guess it's not happening anymore.
     
  17. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    One thing to reflect on is that During December Spa Valley will have hosted Polar Express which I suspect will push volunteer resources to the limit whilst maximising revenue for the railway . We forget these unsung people without whom railways wouldn't function . We also need to be sensitive that they need a break too
     
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  18. WesternRegionHampshireman

    WesternRegionHampshireman Well-Known Member

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    True, true. :)
     
  19. WesternRegionHampshireman

    WesternRegionHampshireman Well-Known Member

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    Last edited: Dec 13, 2022
  20. torgormaig

    torgormaig Part of the furniture Friend

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    That reminds me of the occasion some thirty years ago when we had both 34027 and 34072 at Grosmont and they were rostered out on the same day. One well known driver (Wakefield for those who know him) booked on and prepaired what he thought was his loco for the day:(. The other driver booked on an hour later and was delighted to find his loco already preped for him:).

    I think like Wakefield, young Mr Hampshireman has got the two locos mixed up here.

    Peter
     
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