SVR General Discussion

Said party might have been booked months ago before anyone knew that 46100 and Tornado would be running. BTW it's not Half Term in Worcestershire until next week.

 

Indeed, there's busy and then there's potenially dangerous which the 10.30 on saturday was getting to. We were strongly suggesting people waited to the next one (which was 60163's train....).

 

"There's busy and then there's potentially dangerous"....as KJE7812 mentions. The 11-45 departure with 60163 was very crowded, so if the 10-30 was worse then I assume travelling conditions were even more uncomfortable.
My concern is not "my" experience, as a long-standing SVR member ( no pun intended....) rather how many members of the non-enthusiast public will be deterred from returning again in the future. Some older passengers who could not find a seat on the 11-45 decided not to travel. Had they also tried to travel on the earlier service? I wonder if they waited for the first afternoon service, or simply asked for their money back and went elsewhere?

I'm not sure if the numbers turning up were entirely due to the celebrity motive power. I heard a group of people saying that they had no idea a "famous" locomotive was up front. I think there were a relatively small number of enthusiasts actually travelling, it was in the main just the general public who had turned up in large numbers on a decent Autumn day for a trip up the Severn Valley, maybe to Highley and the Engine House, which the kids like, and has a reputation for good food and a place to watch the trains go by.
No doubt the SVR marketing people will know the answers to this conundrum. I hope they were out and about to witness the situation.

Please don't misunderstand my caution. I'm all for full trains on the SVR, but there's "full" and there's "overcrowded". I still maintain that irrespective of the motive power, taking out 70-odd seats to group travel on the busiest Saturday departure from Kidderminster (even on a "normal" Saturday) was unwise.

I hope the SVR responds by going for a one-off timetable "C" next weekend with four morning steam departures up to 12-45. Maybe now is too short notice.

46118

 

It wouldn't have needed any extra boxes open but it would need changed box hours. However that would probably be a relatively minor issue compared to the other things mentioned.

 

Anyway, 34027 announced as the other service loco this coming weekend.

 

I think this hasn't been picked up yet on here, the preview edition of next years timetable:
http://www.svr.co.uk/pdf/Brochures/SVR Calendar Timetable 2016 Preview Edition.pdf

 

The SVR played host to a training excerise for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service involving a mock rail crash at Eardington. There's a short clip on BBC radio shropshire's FB page

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153045277040670

 

Express Points *and Web Round Up* ezine are now up http://www.svrlive.com/Pages/ExpressPoints.aspx

Patrick

 

Well, normal service has ceased till after christmas with the festive service (more or less next year's A service). In the meantime is lots of trains and people with the main Santa services close to being sold out and the rest are mostly full as well.

 

With no service till February 13th, it's time for much needed winter works.
The track is being renewed either side of crossing cottage on Erdington Bank. This section of track has been subject to a 15 mph speed restriction for most of the season which certainly hampers any attempts to make up time between Hampton and Bridgnorth. I gather new drainage is also being put in at the same time.
The platform canopy at Bewdley is having its sheeting replaced as the current is life expired. Also at Bewdley the installation of the gates and speartop fencing at the bottom of the drive continues.

 

February 13th

 

D'oh, the cat was distracting me as I wrote. Edited it now.

 

I have had a look at this years timetable not any major changes I can see but does look if the C timetable is Diesel on the one turn all year including late march I don't know if 45060 has working steam heating.

 

Is that from the online calendar? As the preview paper copy says "although a steam engine will be used on March 26, 27 and 28" and the staff site suggests steam on CS1 as well.

 

That is from the timetable on the website.

 

As for the question of 45060 having steam heating, I don't think any of our men are passed for steam heat boilers.