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SVR General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by threelinkdave, Aug 20, 2014.

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  1. michaelh

    michaelh Part of the furniture

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    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.
     
    michaelh, Oct 19, 2015
    #141
  2. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    I find it strange to say that a train was busy, not helped by parties. Parties that are pre booked are definite bums on seats and as such are surely the preferred option to potd customers.
     
    RalphW, Oct 19, 2015
    #142
    Sheff and michaelh like this.
  3. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    Unfortunately that's not a new thing either. I guess one of the problems is that you may only have a limited window to fit their trip into their itinerary.
     
    Pete Thornhill, Oct 19, 2015
    #143
  4. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    I think he meant the overcrowding. Parties or no parties that train was going to be full.
     
    Pete Thornhill, Oct 19, 2015
    #144
  5. Kje7812

    Kje7812 Part of the furniture

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    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....).
     
    Kje7812, Oct 19, 2015
    #145
  6. 46118

    46118 Part of the furniture

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    "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
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2015
    46118, Oct 19, 2015
    #146
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  7. Forestpines

    Forestpines Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
    Forestpines, Oct 19, 2015
    #147
  8. Kje7812

    Kje7812 Part of the furniture

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    Anyway, 34027 announced as the other service loco this coming weekend.
     
    Kje7812, Oct 20, 2015
    #148
  9. Kje7812

    Kje7812 Part of the furniture

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    Kje7812, Nov 1, 2015
    #149
  10. Kje7812

    Kje7812 Part of the furniture

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    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
     
    Kje7812, Nov 5, 2015
    #150
  11. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    D1039, Nov 10, 2015
    #151
  12. Kje7812

    Kje7812 Part of the furniture

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    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.
     
    Kje7812, Nov 29, 2015
    #152
  13. Kje7812

    Kje7812 Part of the furniture

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    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.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2016
    Kje7812, Jan 4, 2016
    #153
  14. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    February 13th :)
     
    D1039, Jan 4, 2016
    #154
  15. Kje7812

    Kje7812 Part of the furniture

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    D'oh, the cat was distracting me as I wrote. Edited it now.
     
    Kje7812, Jan 4, 2016
    #155
  16. Ruston906

    Ruston906 Member

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    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.
     
    Ruston906, Jan 4, 2016
    #156
  17. Kje7812

    Kje7812 Part of the furniture

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    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.
     
    Kje7812, Jan 4, 2016
    #157
  18. Ruston906

    Ruston906 Member

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    That is from the timetable on the website.
     
    Ruston906, Jan 4, 2016
    #158
  19. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    It actually says -
    So there is your answer, it doesn't matter if the diesels have working steam heat or not as if they don't they'll just use the DMU which I am guessing will be the case for the late March workings.
     
    Pete Thornhill, Jan 4, 2016
    #159
  20. olly5764

    olly5764 Well-Known Member

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    As for the question of 45060 having steam heating, I don't think any of our men are passed for steam heat boilers.
     
    olly5764, Jan 4, 2016
    #160
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