SVR General Discussion

I have found the GM receptive to constructive suggestions. Hinting that you have some on here is frankly pointless if you are not prepared to share them with those having the ability to consider implementing them. I'm not sure how you can reliably conclude that somebody does'nt want to engage with you if you hav'nt tried engaging!

Yes we miss John Leach, Peter Edkins and quite a few other who are no longer here. But we are in 2022 now.

 

Are there any plans over the winter to address some of the p-way issues. I notice there are now several TSRs along the line.

 

I haven’t hinted that I’ve tried to contact the GM, or that I have ‘something’ on Ms Smith I’m no longer an SVR member but I have several friends and relatives who are members, what I find interesting is I hear the same things from different people about the same things.

I know Mr Leach and Mr Edkins are no longer with us but both of those people were decent people in charge of their respective departments, in fact I’d regard them as pretty forward thinking regarding their respective departments at the time.
I certainly think they knew how to engage with their audience.

As someone from the outside looking in I have to say the SVR IMO seems to have gone backwards in certain respects regarding engagement with those who it should keep in touch with.
The cock up regarding my partner and I’s membership about 5 years ago didn’t endear those in charge to myself and my good lady.

 

That leaves Tripadvisor and Google Reviews as the only avenue.

 

Some, yes. There's quite a bit in the newsletters that will be published on Thursday.

The two major current speed restrictions are at Sterns and Alveley Woods.

Sterns is on a geological fault. It had some work done last winter to reduce the weight on the landslip but it still has movement detection and ultimately needs considerable and expensive stabilisation work.

Readers of Branch Lines will recall the recent work with Geobear in connection with the land movement in Alveley woods. There's a report in the New Civil Engineer https://www.newcivilengineer.com/sp...ise-shropshire-railway-embankment-27-09-2022/

In both cases the TSR will remain in force for the foreseeable future.

 

I'm under the impression that the Alveley woods restrictions will be lifted (or at the very least modified) after a period of monitoring (6 months?) with no movement detected.

 

And the can of worms has just been opened.
If that is the attitude from now on about these sort of events, then here is the simple idea: Don't run them.

Be in everybody's interest, especially now that money is clearly more important than making memories.

 

Sponsored advert on Facebook this evening. Nice shot of the the Flying Pig. In Worcestershire...!

 

I’ll make a comment on the catering at bridgnorth. We couldn’t afford to buy tickets for the steam gala as we had bought members tickets for the steam gala at nymr but thought we would go svr autumn gala and spend some money in the tea rooms and bar to at least put some money in the bank but the only food available to buy was some chicken sandwich and it was vile none of us could stomach it so they went in the bin and we headed off into Bridgnorth for some good fish and chips. We then did the same for the diesel gala but bought our own food but had a few pints. Had we had a good meal at the steam gala we would have eaten again at the railway but put off for good now shame really as we wanted to put some money behind the till but the food was that bad

 

I’m guessing those in charge at Shrewsbury have taken a leaf out of Vlads book?

 

But there’s people like yourself that give yourself a migraine when there’s a delay in information about running events like this.

 

Yes, that is the sad fact.

 

So your interest is just in seeing different locos? Not in there being other different things to see or ride in? Railways run gala events to make money that helps keep them viable, so they have to appeal to the widest cross section of people, but there is a saying that "you can't please everyone all of the time". As long as the numbers they do please outweigh the numbers they don't they'll do what they think pays best, and that might include less hired in engines and other, more imaginative, "sideshows".

 

Indeed. Of course steam locos is a large reason we visit steam galas, but hardly the sole one, and often not specific locos. It's actually quite rare for me to visit a steam gala primarily for a specific loco. The recent NYMR one I would have had just as good a time had it been home fleet only, given there was the number of engines there (and the variety) to sustain the action packed timetable. The shunting at Levisham, a ride in the teak coaches, running into darkness, a look in the LNERCA workshops etc. All just as much if not more of a part of why I enjoyed the weekend as any specific loco.

 

Well, yes, I do like seeing different locos.
But I also like riding behind them, purchasing tickets on the day, buying snacks, drinks, gifts etc at the railway.

The thing is, I really don't know what think, I try and be positive about these things and get called "Fantasiest" and "Unrealistic", then when I'm agreeing with the average Joe, I'm getting called "Ungrateful" and "Miserable".

Honestly, If money wasn't used as a weapon all the time and it was more about just enjoying the here and now then an event; home fleet, guests + home fleet or mixed traction, would be throughly enjoyable, I guess you can't feel sunny when there's storm clouds hanging over you.

I 100% agree with you, variety is what someone like me absolutely craves, I wouldn’t mind whatever the circumstances, doing something different.

SVVR night rides.
NYMR Whitby - Grosmont shuttles.
GWSR freight train.
GCR mail drops.
Bluebell, IOW, KESR vintage coaches.

I just... it gets very exhausting reading constant negativity all the time, which is why I just said "get rid of them" because, they are being weaponised by tight fisted grumps to put real enthusiastic people down.

 

Money is not used as a weapon, money is the thing that lets any business function. Make a profit (or a loss for a short period) then the business will likely survive. Make an ongoing loss and it will not survive (unless you are an airline in many countries).
I am afraid I get very annoyed about those who say it is "not all about the money", because in real life it is, 41 years working in a procurement role taught me that.

 

Of all the reasons that I occasionally get a little bit exasperated in helping organise galas, randoms on NatPres typing whatever doesn't really feature.
If postings on here affect you that much, it may be worth considering whether this is really the forum for you. While you are here though, you really do need to remember that you don't need to worry about any gala, because it's not you making it happen. You either go if you like the look of it, or you don't if you don't.
Also, galas are not the be all and end all of the preservation movement! There's lots more to heritage railway life than galas.

 

Ironically, it's you that doesn't seem to realise that you are the one weaponising money, not the railways staging events. They are trying to stage events that they think will appeal to a broad cross-section of enthusiasts. You, on the other hand, seem to be saying "unless you give me exactly what I want I won't both coming. That is of course your prerogative but if you don't bother to go but 5000 others do the railway must be seen to have got it right.

I'm suggesting that the days of 2-3 engines visiting for an event are receding, what railways will have to do now is other things that will be attractive - at the NYMR in the past it has been to have an engine laying over between turns at Pickering as well as Grosmont, in future it could be a case of doing that, but turning the loco as well in the hourly gaps.

 

Speaking from memory only these days, I'd rate working parties rarher more important than galas. Show me the working party which ever needed a gala to happen first.