NYMR 40th Anniversary Spring Steam Gala 3rd - 12th May 2013

My four days (M-Th) were most enjoyable. The railway is so good that you can usually work around most of the problems presented and have a great time. But praise over and back to the ranting!

I do wonder if the majority of the positive posts here are from photters, who drive up, take a few pics and drive home, so they are happy if a few 'random' steam trains chuff up the banks. The railway and local tourist industry depends more on those staying a few days, filling the b&bs, eating out, buying beer and of course buying rover tickets for the railway. I even get there by public transport. For these tourists there has to be some certainty that their bus/train tickets, accommodation costs etc is money well spent and initially you can only go with the advanced advertising. Remember a family ticket is £48 to cover the whole line, although £42 seemed more common this week = 2 x concessions tickets.

The NYMR currently gives a good impression of a steam operated Central Trains on a bad day (if you never experienced CT then ask someone who has). The advertised timetable was more or less abandoned on the days I was there and even by the early evening, there was no clarity on what might happen the next day. Cancelling first or last trains is naughty; I stayed in Grosmont and the advertised start of day 09:30 didn't run W/Th and what happened to passengers assuming their last train home was 17:00 ex Pickering (cancelled) I know not.

At least the 10:30 Grosmont was steam, but take Thursday if staying in Pickering: 09:00 D7628, 10:00 D5061, 10:42 Saloon cancelled and the first steam was 825 on 11:00, as it was Weds too.

Timekeeping was attrocious, although the timetable structure and crossing points means that doesn't matter too much as the everything carries on as expected, just a bit late. Those going home by bus/train may need to be cautious though of connections.

The front line staff were never informed about what was going on and on occasions were giving wrong advice. I know most are volunteers, but their lack of customer service/communication skills was showing.

I have to question the ability of the NYMR management currently. There appears to be an accute lack of resources and their vision for the Gala was probably never deliverable, so it came down to firefighting, sorry - bad choice of word there - I mean last second decision making under stress. The volunteers and employed staff are doing a great job, but many are not happy bunnies. I wonder if some decisions are made for the photters rather than a meaningful way of running a railway.

I suspect some resources were being held back to ensure the railway can deliver around the two weekends. That is reasonable, but as I said in an earlier post, I question the promotion of a 10 day festival when the middle days were no different to normal other than 69023 on its saloon. There should have clarity that it was never intended to use the 'rare' locos on the middle days.

I worry a little about the ability to deliver the Gold TT in coming months, although fingers crossed there should be more locos available by then (but will there be crews?). Timekeeping needs addressing though and if the speed restrictions means it becomes impossible, then decisions need making. Needs extra resources, but locos dropping down a duty rather than running round could recover many minutes.

Rant over! As I said above the NYMR is a 5-star railway and even on bad days it is good! Highlights for me were 61264 on the Battersby on Monday - what a stonking performance! 61306 looks superb and on Monday it was used slightly more than advertised, so I got my fill of the B1. Wednesday was a good example of unexpected bonuses giving the customer that glowing, real value for money feeling - working around D5061 and D7628, it looked an average sort of day, but then the 13:30 Grosmont diner produced 29 + 825 DH, returning on 15:00 T+T with 29 in lead, which led to 16:30 Grosmont with 69023 + 825 DH! Then early evening with nobody around, on the viewing platform on shed - lined up in front of me: 60007, 61306 and 62005 (I'm an LNER man by the way!).

I hope all goes well this w/e. My chum still there reports today is looking good. I'll be back for next Gold TT if not before.

David

 

Sands on. Was it a bit slippy? It certainly was yesterday! Had to use them with 825 and that's quite a rare occurrence.
Disappointingly, a lot of empty seats on that train.

 

After a battling the weather most of the day today heres my efforts from the last Friday of the Gala.

NYMR 40th Gala - Gallery Two

 

I can't disagree with a lot of what you have said here. One of the big problems with a gala is that there are a finite number of train paths and, on 'gold' days, these paths are fully utilised so a gala is little different in many respects. In terms of trains, the additions can only really be shuttles (passenger or freight) at either end of the line and the Battersby runs, the timing of which is largely outside NYMR control.

I was driving 825 on Thursday and trains never got more than 10 minutes late. (OK, they shouldn't even be 10 minutes late.) I don't know exactly why but I suspect it was down to the shuttle. Only one of my trains left its starting point late and that was the 15.00 ex Pickering, awaiting 69023 clearing the Pickering-Levisham section with a shuttle. As regards the cancelled shuttle, this was down to a broken spring on the drawgear of the 'Old Gentleman's Saloon'. The GW saloon was worked through from Grosmont to take its place for the later shuttles.

Cancelled trains is a big problem, both for public and staff and isn't undertaken lightly. It puts locos and coaches in the wrong place for their next working and, with only two sets passed for EVL running it can create real problems. A cancelled last train also generally means a cancelled first train the next day due to stock positioning, which is what I think happened on Wed/Thurs.

I disagree with the use of the diesels over the gala, except in an emergency. The public have come to accept the NYMR spring gala as a steam one and will automatically be disappointed if their train is not steam hauled. I also think that a 10 day gala is a huge overkill that cannot be adequately resourced and the Railway really does need to take a step back and rethink things.

As for the gold T/T, I'm sure that it can be crewed but loco availability is going to be severely stretched, IMHO, especially with 60007 going to the NRM at a critical time. That will then leave just 29, 45428, 61264, 75029 & (hopefully) 92214 for what is theoretically a four loco timetable. Let's hope that 63395 is repaired in time to replace 825.

 

When is 45428 likely to return, never turned a wheel since Santa season (or before possibly?)

Cheers

 

I agree. I took a friend along yesterday, and I was surprised that the day rover price was £23, £5 more than a normal running day, despite the only difference being the Pickering - Levisham saloon shuttle, which had a £10 supplement payable anyway! If I'd realised I probably wouldn't have taken her, and gone on a normal running day. We were on the 12.00 from Pickering, which was a few minutes late leaving waiting for the almost empty shuttle to arrive, all the way through to Grosmont. Quick look round the shop before 825 to Goathland, cuppa and a walk round the village, then 61264 back to Grosmont.

As the 15.30 from Grosmont was booked to be D5061 and the 16.30 was booked to be 60007 on the teaks, I said we should go for a walk down to the shed and have a look round, only to find 60007 being disposed. Ok, I guess the 16.30 must be the B1. Nope, that came on shed shortly after for disposal too! It had only worked 1 round trip, what was the point? 75029 was tucked up in the shed too, after only working Gros-Whit-Pick-Gros. We wandered back to the station to await 825 on the teaks, only to be told the 16.30 was cancelled, and the next train to Pickering was 18.30! But at the least the tea room was staying open, instead of shutting early, so time for a cuppa. Nope, no hot water so no tea available! Coffee it is then.

About 16.45, D7628 could be heard burbling around down by the shed, and soon arrived at platform 3. 45407 appeared a couple of minutes late, and the 25 was put on the rear to save running round at Whitby, and also to allow 45407 to be cut off when back at Grosmont to work the diner. As we only had Grosmont rovers, we didn't bother going to Whitby to kill some time, although one of the ticket inspectors on the platform later said we could've gone for a free ride.

It later turned out the reason the 16.30 was cancelled was because the signalman at New Bridge had tried to route 825 into the same platform as the shuttle! Due to the chaos at Pickering, 45407 got turned round at Levisham, and D5061 on 15.30 got held for an hour at Goathland! Some people at Grosmont got put in taxis for Pickering, and to be honest I wish I had asked too, rather than hang around for the rat back to Pickering, even though it was a very entertaining run. Not a good day at the Moors, the third day I've been there in a week, and twice got stuffed by cancelled trains.

It's a lovely line, but it seems to be going downhill rapidly these day. Locos should not be working one round trip and then being disposed, especially not during a "gala". £23 was excessive, considering the only additional services running incure a £10 supplement anyway. The cancellation of the 16.30 must've been known about before the 15.30 departed, so why wasn't an announcement made, or written on the chalk boards?

 

Thanks for the update on friday afternoon, you was lucky, we trecked up a steep hill opersite green end at 1pm, got totaly soaked for two hours but managed to get 825 and the black 5 some how. Then the sun came out and it all looked perfect, looking down over the cattage's at esk valley. Gresley and B1 dropped down, so that made 3 steam in grosmont, looking good! A tad after 3.30 I heard Gresley's whisle and I know that my early purchased loco roster was a work of fiction, my hope were high as I saw steam passing the shed a few moments later, only for it it stop and the informouse 24 to apear over esk valley cottages, is it me or has the 24 done the most milage I wonder? Still as slumped back down there still the 4.30 I said to penny, at 17:50 I gave up the wait, after several dozen whistles, nothing ever appeared and we stomped back to tge car parck at the cottages. Got back at 16:15 I decided to go to the top of the hill to catch the 16:30, yep you guessed it another diesel at around 16:40. Well that was teh last straw, left to go back to my static van , could have traid the diner at 17:20, but I had had enougth for one day.

With the weather going down hill on saturday I left eraly being our last day in the static van, we may be back on sunday, but the thought of seeing that 24 once more we may go to KWVR instead.

We hope NYMR managed to find what they have lost these last few years, as we miss the days before the whitby service started, when you would be very unlick to see a diesel sitting in a steam path, and at an gala it was unheard of.

 

I visited for 3 days last weekend for the first time and, given the good weather, I really enjoyed it in spite of the late running/cancellations etc. I thought about doing a return visit this weekend so i sent an email on Wednesday asking which loco's WOULD be running. ( I need to organise respite care for my wife to enable me to go.)

I received a reply on Thursday that simply said "Sorry, we do not have that information at this time". I repeated the request on Thursday evening and got a quick reply that said "We are working on the timetables at the moment". I never asked for a timetable, I simply wanted to know which loco's were running. We are talking STEAM here, you don't just switch them on. If there isn't a fire in it , they don't go. Are they being deliberately obtuse.

After sending another email making my feelings known i asked if they would give me that info' when they have it. (at no time did they OFFER to do that) and i eventually received the info at 8.30am this morning, which was, by that time, useless.

I can only hope for a great improvement in the future for the sake of the NYMR.

 

A video from the final Friday and Saturday of the gala;

 

Really enjoyed that Austin, particularly liked the last sequence with the Black 5 heading off into the distance at a deserted Moorgates.

 

Thanks very much Stuart, I decided to stay out for the diner before heading to my lodgings for the night, 20 minutes before the train came the sun was perfect but obviously it didn't last. First time I've ever been able to pan at Moorgates!

 

Pictures of my time at the NYMR this year can be seen here;

http://www.blackhatrailwaypictures.co.uk/f422134103

Have to say that the food at the stations at Pickering, Goathland and Grosmont has been brilliant this year as Ive spent an absolute fortune there this year. Nevermind train fares!

 

A few pics from Saturday 11th here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldsteam/sets/72157633473820249/

 

My shots from the NYMR Gala: http://www.flickr.com/photos/frank47524/sets/72157633477798331/

 

Another short vid from the first day - 'Standard Power' (I took a lot)

 

Hi,

I went on both Saturday's and had a Brilliant time got rides with all the loco's I wanted to.

Ben

 

Here are two short clips for SR 825 fans from the first day of the NYMR Spring Gala

 

It was out on a test run yesterday, hopefully we should have it available for traffic next week

 

It will be doing some running in first before entering traffic

 

Good news about Eric, thanks for the update, certainly needed soon when 825 bows out and 45407 returns to mainline duties.

No idea how far off Q6 & 9F are for peak season running and SNG due to spend some time at York NRM.