MHR Diesel gala 2009

This is quite an interesting debate but not really relevant to this thread. To get back to the diesel gala - was it a success? Was it well attended? I see the problem of lineside trespassers has reared it's ugly head again....

 

Friday apparantly was sparse, Saturday when I was there was well patronised, Sunday I have no details as yet.

I saw a lot of new faces on the Saturday I have never seen before and Tin Beere the Marketing Manager had produced a very nice booklet of thr event and what was running although I feel that this booklet should have been better advertised.
I also think that as a new guy Tim has been testing the waters for future events. Mistakes have been made and with hindsight certain actions would be changed. That said the old adage of "Those that never make mistakes never make or learn anything", cvertainly springs to mind here.

Just my humble opinion.

Best regards
Chris

 

Diesel events are not my cup-of-tea so I don't attend them. I understand why these events are held in the late spring/early summer because most of the diesels, perhaps all, don't have steam heating unlike steam engines.I also note that more railways are holding steam events during this period. Please can we have more?

The steam enthusiast has to put up with cold, short days and, quite often, poor light. Please MHR can you do a steam event in July/Aug next year?

Regards

 

True, but do bear in mind that steam locos are running throughout the summer, whereas many diesels are confined to the one weekend per year. Ok, it's not the same as a gala, but it is there...

 

I hope this conversation doesn't get very dull and boring to others, but ...

The MHR is about 60 miles from home, the Bluebell is 65 or so.

On 'normal service days' the MHR runs service two, which amounts to a train every hour, or thereabouts. (On gala days the MHR runs a train every forty minutes or so.) On Sundays the Bluebell generally runs a three train service, two service trains, one Sunday Lunch train.

Two trains an hour vs three.

No contest, I'll go to the Bluebell. BUT ... if the MHR could expand say the 'Bus Rally' event to be a steam gala and a bus rally then I'm in. For that Sunday I'll go to the MHR; I'm pretty indifferent to the buses, they have their virtues but I cannot raise much in the way of enthusiasm for them. This is not the case for a steam and bus event. The home steam fleet and a visitor from wherever ... I'd be there and I think others might too.

I think, and I'm not wanting to be unkind here, that the is a tendency amongst the preserved railways' managements to compartmentalise their customer base into 'this or that'. The truth is that they are preserved railways, and most of them (the MHR included) have an ethic that they are steam preserved railways. I'm all for using these non railway themed special events on the railways to expand their customer base and improve their 'bottom line', but I can't help but wonder if the 'bottom line' would be even further improved if these non-railway special events were expanded to explicitly include the steam railway enthusiast.

Just an idea [-o<

Regards

 

I realise this isn't the done thing, but I have posted a response to many comments about our Gala at the following link:

http://www.wnxxforum.com/interactive/vi ... &start=325

Kind regards

Tim Beere
Marketing Manager
The Mid Hants Railway 'Watercress Line'

 

It might not be the 'done thing' but it is good to see a senior member of a railway management team actually attempting to communicate! Please carry on, do!

Regards

 

Hmm. Surely the 40th Anniversary of Southern Steam was about a big a steam gala as you could imagine, at the MHR? This was held in mid-Summer, in sweltering hot heat in 2007.

Surely it is a case of balance, and giving everyone their fair turn? Diesel enthusiasts have to put up with 'cold short days' each year too, ya know...Lets keep it fair and square, we're all in the same boat.

'm sure the MHR will do another steam gala in the Summer in the future.

 

What many of you seem to forget, MR chessie, is that this is a FREE forum for us to voice our opinions. Therefore, having visited the MHR many times over the past 6 years I have noticed that the loco fleet has gone down.

The fact that 41312 and 73096 have left service, i agree, is not their fault. However, the fact that they are relying on the fact that 850 came to them as well as 5224 coming in on hire will be costing them money, which is why I say what I say. The owner of 60019 wants it go on more mainline, however MHR need to keep it there, the only problem is actually getting 60019 to where it would need to be.

The reason that i said 92212 was supposed to be in service in July was what I was told by a member of MHR station staff at a railway event. He also said that the railway needs to get a move on with the overhauls. I appreciate quality, not quantity. The reason I say they should suspend douglas' overhaul is that it is taking up workshop space, which could be used for the diesels 33208 and D3358.

What i meant to criticise when saying how long engines take to overhaul is these stupidly optimistic dates for re-entry the MHR set, ie Black 5 2008, 5 years of service from the u-boat.

I did say that it was and still is a good railway. It's just that they need to address the loco shortage problem better.

 

Maybe your source should get some engineering knowledge, he is only station staff after all and while he's doing that and not in the engineering dept. as far as I'm concerned he doesnt have any idea what actually goes into restoration. if you think you can help speed up restorations come and volunteer but to say the black 5 is taking a long time is wrong, we're doing a QUALITY job and a quality job will take as long as it needs, a small dedicated group are restoring it so its going to take longer than an army on it. What you forget is we also have a number of other overhauls at the moment as well as locos that are requiring fixing as well as maintenance and running a railway at the same time as well. Maybe if 850 wasnt here we'd be in a pickle but end of the day it is and we have 34007 and 60019 and 33053 if needs be. All Railways have loco shortages just look at the bluebell recently but once these loco overhauls all roll out at roughly the same time there will be redundances of locos in the yard, we always knew it was going to be a tough year hence why the general manager has brought in 850 and 5224.

 

Well Mid-hants news is rather vague on how many people work on these locos and how regularly..................

 

Well seen as your local railway is the Mid Hants why don't you pop down and find out rather than critising, People will be pleased to show you around... You may even be surprised how much work actually goes into it and how far progressed a lot of locos actually are

 

It'd be one more if you lent a hand......

 

Well last year i popped down nearly every month, but seeing as i have my exams at the moment, it is not possible. However during my long summer holiday I was wondering about volunteering, if I could only afford the bus fares....................

 

Could someone tell me why there were some diesel cranks shouting out “my lord” at the MHR gala and what does it mean?


Thanks

 

Well said that man, I could not have put it better myself.

We have agreed to disagree in the past, but credit where credit is due, who have struck the nail on the head here.

Best regards
Chris

 

To return to the title of this thread....

It might be an idea for the MHR guys to look at their gala and then compare it with successful diesel galas.
With an open mind look at the differences between theirs and others and see where they went "wrong".

Take on board what other successful diesel galas have done and next year try something similar.

Just a suggestion....

 

When the diesel spotters are shouting out my lords it just means they like what is going on, just the same as them flailing really. I think it's called bellowing. I quite like diesels but that is one step way too far...

 

I saw people flailing and doing what looked like a nazi style salute :-k

 

I too am going to be back down there in the next few weeks!!..... \/