North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion

I reacted to what you wrote. That’s all.

 

Ok, now you may react to what I clarified for you.

you went straight to a company/railway/society implementing it essentially in bad faith and imposing it, whereas I was assuming, possibly foolishly apparently, that a railway/company/society might decide to do something after properly thinking it through and consulting everyone then need it to happen because it’s what the majority want. After thirty years in railway preservation societies I’d like to think it was mostly the latter.

 

Also, you never know who the person who is your guest might be- they might be a person who would consider volunteering, or a person who might consider making a donation one day.

On a more personal note;
We had a lovely experience on the NYMR a few years back, the fireman on 'Repton' invited my daughter on the footplate whilst static in one of the stations and had her sat in the driver's seat (she was ecstatic).

The fireman let her put a couple of very small shovels on the fire with his help.

Completely made her weekend.

She still talks about when the "Kind fireman let her try the shovel on the big engine".

First impressions count- and inspiring the next generation is paramount to steam railways surviving.

 

How kind. Same response. It’s about balance. You have to balance the needs of the crews, the training needs and the opportunity to earn money. Sensitivity is required to the likely fact that footplate crews may not be the most willing customer facing staff. There’s not much you can do about that.

 

In my earlier post I mentioned a driver who did not want footplate experience people on his locomotive. For the avoidance of doubt, in my experience, most NYMR crews are quite happy to take them.

 

I agree the dislike of footplate riders is rare, but we did end up with them on every trip at one point on my line and then the resentment grew rapidly.

 

Even the Moors isn’t that greedy. Yet.

 

That's probably only because the thought hasn't occurred to them yet, though. Give 'em time!