Edmonson tickets a lost "cause" for ever?

Well you would be wrong,

 

I appreciate the trouble you've taken to illustrate my (rather facetious) point. You dismiss my post by labelling it an 'enthusiasts view'. The case rests.

 

Bingo!

 

Not all enthusiasts but quite a few.

PH

 

I'm curious as to how many of these people claiming no one cares about cardboard tickets have actually gone through a train of 8 carriages and clipped them all.

For many kids it's a highlight, something to break up the monotony of the train ride. Even if Dad has looked after all the tickets, very often they'll all be passed out to everyone so they can hand them over to be clipped, if I've got time then I'll let them have a go with the clippers, maybe plonk my hat on them, a great picture for the family and that day out is suddenly much more memorable.

As has been said, like a lot of things, it's probably something that normal passengers wouldn't notice by their absence but they do notice their presence. Plenty of people recognise them as being part of the heritage experience even if they aren't old enough to remember them in "real days".

 

the whole day out for Joe Public should be , as far as possible, a step back into another world, to entertain and educate. Rolling up at an authentic booking window (where you have to stoop to talk to the Clerk no doubt) and be able to watch your ticket be selected from the rack and dated in the time honoured way is part of the "show" . Going to the shop counter to be issued with a till receipt doesn't do it for me.

 

Pretty sad if this is dependent upon whether or not pasteboard tickets are issued or not.

PH

 

I'm very much of that impression, its all part of the time past gone experience that we try to give people, that's why station staff wear authentic uniforms, why footplate staff like to have the proper look, why ticket inspectors go through trains checking tickets, its all part of the show.
It starts with the very first impression, the station building, , the booking office, posters on the wall the booking clerk taking your ticket from a rack dating it on a dating stamp what I hate is you go into a booking office, that looks authentic, and the ticket is a computer printed bit of card, or paper, it to me says, we really are not that bothered about authenticity ,
where as an Edmondson card, says they are trying to keep some element of how it was. then you go out wait for your train, you look at whats about, that restored waiting room, period furniture, its all about giving an impression that you have somehow gone back in time, until your child moans, " I can't get any Wifi "

 

I can appreciate this argument save it seems to matter little what sort of ticket gets clipped. By the way, perhaps perhaps we should avoid the suggestion that "monotony" forms any part of the experience of riding these lines.

PH

 

That depends, I can think that to a restless child, used to instant entertainment, a railway jouney can be a bit boring, some of course, if they can see and hear the locomotive, the smoke, the sound of the whistle, the clickety click of wheels on joints, will be more interested, and to me its the small things that make it, , like one day when I was on a firing turn, my Brother turned up with his two young kids, so of course, they came up , we were about to run round , so driver told them to stay put, , told me you can take her mart, so I drove the engine, as we ran round , the very first thing they told my brother and his wife, uncle martin drove the engine and we watched it go round the train , but its all about making every visitors day that little bit special.

 

I should stress I only had small children in mind when making that comment!

 

How are you not seeing that the Edmonson ticket ritual can be as much a part of the experience as any other? Just because no one hung a watercolour of an Edmonson ticket in an art gallery, that does not mean that people from all walks of life are not having their own warm, fuzzy Eric Ravilious moment as they exit the ticket office with an old fashioned ticket in their hand.

If a railway wants to provide a little bit of theatre of a level somewhat more than the Tesco experience, then more power to them I say!

 

Just wanted to jump in and say: every time I have been on the South Devon, and the last time was within the past month, the Edmonson ticket is the one the TTI has cared about.

(and to jump back on another point, I show my SVR pass at the ticket office, and very politely and tentatively say something like "I understand I may be entitled to free travel on your line?" Quite often the booking office clerk won't be aware of the scheme so I always make a point of reminding them they receive the same benefit on the SVR and invite them to come and visit. There has only been one railway, which I won't mention the name of, where the clerk made it clear he didn't really believe me and thought I was trying it on, but was giving me the benefit of the doubt.)

My children (age 4) would be greatly disappointed if they didn't get a ticket to attach to the fridge when they get home. Clearly I have corrupted their innocent minds...

 

"How are you not seeing" that it matters not for the ticket clipping ritual if the item is pasteboard, paper or plastic. Coach party visitors will not have individual ones anyway and this is the section of the community most likely to remember pasteboard tickets in everyday use. Far more important to devote attention to cleanliness and condition of rolling stock as well as the manner in which visitors are treated.

PH

 

Why do you keep insisting that it is an either / or? Do you suppose railways say "we were going to clean the carriages, but decided to issue Edmondson tickets instead"? Far more likely that attention to detail begets attention to detail, i.e. a railway that cares about the overall customer experience will care about all aspects of that experience - including tickets and cleanliness.

Tom

 

Quite how you think printing cardboard tickets as opposed to plastic ones might distract someone from cleaning the train is beyond me... And if we assume you agree that a naff supermarket receipt isn't enough for a ticket clipping and you've got to have something made up, you might as well make it an Edmonson anyway. I promise you Paul, you underestimate how many people, even if they didn't know they knew, know that cardboard tickets are heritage items. The fact that coach parties don't get tickets has absolutely no bearing on the matter - but, for the record, I've had a few coach parties who have specifically requested cardboard tickets so they could all be clipped.

 

Indeed, and many expect them to be clipped when official TTI guidance for the SVR is that day rovers only need to be done once. I sometimes do a second one on request.

 

I echo what those two guys above said far better than I ever could. Thank you Tom and Alex.

 

Yep, I've had to do that on occasion too, I do explain that if we carry on like this they won't have anything left at the end of the day!

 

Might be worth passing the name on so a reminder could be sent to the railway in question.