Severn Valley Railway Autumn Steam Gala 21st-24th September 2017

For all those complaining at the cost of the WTT. The loco allocations are always displayed on posters free of charge for everyone to see at Hampton Loade all weekend. Always have been for as long as I have visited SVR galas (since 1993 if you must know!).
If you need the loco allocations in advance there is a charge which has been £5 as has been stated for a number of years. This is aimed at photographers as well as travellers (who don't always travel) and gives every movement. Tbh I think this is good value for what you get.
Or, you can attend like me and spend the first couple of hours trying to work out what is working which train and inevitably getting it wrong - adds to the fun really!

 

I don't have any particular problem with paying £5 for the WTT, but I'm still not entirely sure why the same practice isn't followed in the spring! Other than "the autumn gala's a bit bigger" I can't think of a reason why this should be.

 

The simple answer to these used follows.....
There isn't a wwt light because it is cheaper for the railway to do one print run on the WTT for staff and public than two separate ones, so a WTT light would mean paying the same for less, weather you want the extra info or not (And the number of people asking "where is this going now?" Suggests that people do) this would make little sense.
The reason the cost hasn't been the same for the spring the last couple of years is because the info hasn't been available until very late. Charging people for a WTT that contains little extra info to the public time table other than the shunt moves, I suspect, would be bad

 

As a photographer I've always thought five quid is a bargain to be able to plan the day and when to shift locations, there is always a time in the middle of the day when everything is is tender first. I just can't understand why anyone would think otherwise.

 

I can't understand why any real enthusiast would object to parting with a fiver To get full information on the weekend's workings and put a little bit of money into the railway as well.

 

An excellent weekend, great to have the Autumn Steam Gala back where it belongs. Thank you SVR. A few of my photographs from the event;

 

And two locos in the Engine House at Highley during the Gala that I would love to see running again in the future (time, funds and how much work is needed permitting, of course);

 

I don't think the original post was objecting (I certainly didn't read it that way) I think it was a sensible question, hence me and others attempting a sensible answer.

 

You'd then get the same people moaning about having to pay for an online version on the basis that it cost the railway nothing to produce it.

 

No it wouldn't - the reduced hard copy run (and resulting increased unit cost for hard copy) would still be required as staff cannot feasibly use an online version so the saving is not there.

 

It ain't broke anyway, so why fix it?

 

First of of our film from the gala, we start in the early hours of the morning.

 

Hi guys, cracking couple of days at the gala on Friday and Saturday, some photos are attached.

More can be found at https://railwaygalleries.smugmug.com/Severn-Valley-Railway/Autumn-Steam-Gala-September-2017

Video also available

 

My only complaint about the WTT is mine never showed up in the post! Though I will blame Royal Mail for that rather than the railway, indeed when I explained to the ticket office at Kiddy the nice chap there provided me with one.

I went for the full experience this ASG - arrived at the railway Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday afternoon - travelling Saturday & Sunday. Failed to get any sleep on the night trains, not because of the other passengers I should say but more because I'm a fussy sleeper, same thing happened when I last travelled overnight in 2015. Got a few hours napping in the car, but I was pretty exhausted by the time I got home Sunday. Nevertheless, the show on offer kept me going - 12 locos in steam over the weekend isn't bad going...
A good line up of visitors, particularly Repton and 564 which both look superb. Being from East Anglia it was fun to see a GER loco drawing the crowds in GWR territory.

An album of photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/djcs_trains/albums/72157687181840094


4am at Kiddy


Erlestoke on the Sunday morning run, as discussed earlier in this thread @jtx

 

Should have gone to the beer van at Bewdley. A few bottles of 2857 and anyone will sleep well. Lol

 

Three of the buggers...Clearly 14XXs are a bit of a handful! Joking.

 

Meisterschosse. Dave. Shame mine was in black and white. Makes me feel so old...