Swanage Railway General Discussion

Repeated taps can be expensive (depending on the exact set up) since there is often a per-transaction fee. So if that fee is, say, 20p and you want to donate £5, then collecting it in one tap means the charity gets £4.80 - the transaction fee is 4%. If you collect it in five £1 taps, the charity only gets £4 - the fee is 20%, a big difference.

Tom

 

CAP, a national charity who amongst other things run a course to help you manage your finances better, advocate for the use of cash wherever practically possible (so for example, obviously not your direct debts!)
I have to say, my wife's recently switched to being almost exclusively cash and I can absolutely see how it improves management of personal finances.

 

Others also charge a mixture of per transaction and percentage, which make small transactions expensive. That's before you consider that these cost money to buy, and usually need to have stands or cases on top of the basic reader, which adds to those costs. A tablet based donation device cost my church over £800 a year or so back.

 

The best option would seem to be a terminal where the user enters the total amount they want to pay before tapping their card. Such terminals seem to be quite readily available,

 

Indeed there is a cost, but this needs to weighed up against the extra revenue it will generate. With cash usage falling, organisations need to do something different to avoid donations drying up.

I’ve heard that people donating by card tend to donate more than those donating cash. I suppose that’s because people will set an amount like £5 or £10, rather than just checking in the shrapnel
from their wallet.

 

I still regard the one we installed at church as a distress purchase, and am really glad of the kind donor who subsidised it. The extra per donation generosity is welcome, but far from a magic bullet.

Ultimately, my view is that they have increased our overall operating costs, while adding limited additional value to donations. On the other hand, they have also ensured that donors can give when they don't necessarily carry cash any longer.

 

I think this is probably true. I was in a church in Wiltshire on Saturday which had a card reader set at £5, so I donated that. If they'd just had a donations tin it'd have been less.

However the difference is the church was free to enter, whereas at Swanage I'd have bought a costly travel ticket. So while I might still donate some shrapnel to a donation tin, I'd be less inclined to give a £5 donation on top of my ticket.

 

QR codes in unattended spaces are somewhat risky. They can be covered with a scam code, and this is already happening.

Note this bit specifically:

 

The donations machine in the booking hall at Corfe takes whatever you want to give. When portering at Corfe and the booking office is closed (usually last down train) and customers turn up. I get them to use the donations macchine to pay their fare with and advise the guard.

 

That started in 2022. I had to call by bank due some transactions that were not by me on my account which I thought someone got my details after using a parking App, and the guy I spoke to had just go caught himself by scanning a QR code when parking and it was new to him and his colleague s and they get briefed weekly.

 

Hi All,

The first episode of the new Save Your Railway series is now live. The video looks into some of the reasons behind the launch of the campaign and the issues the railway has faced in the last few years as we chat to Trust Chairman Frank Roberts. We also receive an update regarding the Herston Carriage Shed Appeal from Trustee Alex Atkins who discusses some of the reasons that have slowed progress.

I hope this answers a few questions and there will be more to come in future videos.

 

Sadly, this video is better at asking questions than providing answers. Swanage Railway is not unique in this by any means.

 

Not sure I agree with your naturally biased view of anything not happening on that rock in Swanage Bay.
There was some very valid (and honest stuff) around the carriage shed situation. Of course in a post Covid inflation world if the ring fenced money is enough no one will know until the quotes come back. I have been involved in many situations where the budget has been blown by what comes back, but negotiation and spec tweaking can reduce the impact.
I viewed it as a two pronged message, one the situation that needs to be explained to much of the public (and surprisingly some on here) of the general escalating costs of running a Heritage Railway, and the other specific updates on projects.

 

and what questions would they be? Might be more helpful if you asked said questions this video asks?

informative video, maybe Josh add a link on the YouTube channel description, had to go to the website to find it, some might not keep up the good work ladies and gents, here’s to many more years ahead of preservation down in Swanage

all the best
Matt

 

The answer, which you won't want to hear, is to concentrate on the visitor attraction function and do away with the public transport aspiration. All the effort and expense which has gone into "the extension" just makes me weep.

 

(Deleted)

 

To me, It isnt just the huge amount of effort and expense, it is also the harm to Swanage Railway's reputation caused by the raising and then dashing of the expectations of the local community.

Whilst I fully appreciate that the impact of the £2 bus fare has been considerable, to keep on mentioning it will not, in my opinion, endear Swanage Railway to local councils, Morebus and others with whom maintaining a fruitful working relationship with is so important.

 

Firstly though the World is a Different Place from when the idea was first conceived.

Secondly there was a brief window in which it could be done - or not at all.

Finally of course the railway does have a main line connection which means incoming charters - OK a mixed blessing on The Swanage but as other lines have discovered it means that you can use things like weedkilling trains, offer training to 'main line' staff etc

 

Maybe. But if those bodies object to the outcome, but won't will the means, and the £2 fare is a material factor in nothing happening, they shouldn't be surprised if the railway do mention it.

As much to the point, the decision has now been made. It is now for the railway to show how it will develop, so that the discussion can move away from this decision.

 

Good video, hope a good building contractor for the carriage shed will tender and be appointed.

Noticed on FB a "Jurassic Crompton" charter from London to the Swanage diesel and beer gala with the LU 4TC and 33012, plus 2 other locos has been announced.
https://www.branchline.uk/fixture.php
So might have both a LU 4TC and the SR 3TC working in push pull mode at the gala?
At £49 each way the charter is likely to be sold out quickly. Hopefully more mainline charters will follow during the summer.