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News from The Talyllyn

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by ellisteph12, Jan 10, 2014.

  1. Paulthehitch

    Paulthehitch Well-Known Member

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    I think, Howard, that suspension of "all day" tickets is a preferable alternative to bumping up fares by selling tickets on a compartment basis. The F.R, are doing the same as the T.R. but charging slightly less for a comparable mileage.

    I know there is no question of "profiteering" in the slightest but this area is not the Cardigan Bay equivalent of Deauville or La Baule and a bit of caution surely is in order.
     
  2. I. Cooper

    I. Cooper Member

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    It seems the SVR are still running 'all day' tickets ...by spacing the timing such that the train you book on takes 'all day' to do one round trip.
    It's advertised that you have the use of your allocated compartment all day, but then the train you're on only does one round trip, so it isn't really 'all day' in the previously accepted sense of being able to make multiple trips back and forth


    I understand the Talyllyn is fully booked for the first dozen or so trains of operation, which I guess is about a week with the current timetable of two departures a day.
    Next weekend their timetable changes to 4 departures a day for the following week (which is the timetable they ran on the member's trial runs).
    Seeing the hoards at the beach and the numbers at campsites on the coast I'd say there's potentially a good supply of passengers in the area for them.
     
  3. nine elms fan

    nine elms fan Part of the furniture

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    Just been on Railcam at Abergynolwyn station coaches were packed with people, none were wearing a mask of any sort, station staff were masked, mabye people are immune in Wales. :rolleyes:
     
  4. Paulthehitch

    Paulthehitch Well-Known Member

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    It's not so much whe2ther there is a "potentially a good supply" of passengers or not as whether those people have the slightest interest or not and are willing (or able) to fork out the substantial sums required per head for singles or couples to travel.
     
  5. Paulthehitch

    Paulthehitch Well-Known Member

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    As I said in another post, Cummings has a lot to answer for.
     
  6. I. Cooper

    I. Cooper Member

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    Each compartment will seat 6 people. £60 per compartment potentially means £10 per head.
    From observation the TR usually has family groups travelling whilst on holiday, not trainspotters travelling on their own. It's not unusual to find a couple with a pair of children, possibly with Granny & Grandad as well.
    Normal fares in 2019 were £17.70 (excluding the gift-aid premium) or £4.50 for children. So a family of four would have been £44.40, add in a pair of grandparents (not uncommon) and you're now at £79.40. Therefore rather than being extortionate as some seem to be implying, in some not unusual circumstances it can be twenty quid cheaper than normal, other circumstances it's twenty quid more.

    Granted for someone on their own or aa a couple it's more expensive, but then it's less expensive than a compartment on some other railways and if you really wanted then there's nothing stopping you becoming a member of the TR. As a member you can potentially have free travel on the 15:15 departure on the green timetable days. There are also specific members trains on Wednesdays and Sundays departing 18:30 in the evening. Membership is currently £30, so half the cost of a compartment but you can potentially then have a number of 'free' trips - so there isn't necessary any need to "fork out substantial sums" if you're not too fussy on when you travel.
     
  7. Paulthehitch

    Paulthehitch Well-Known Member

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    Jt is not whether it is extortionate but whether it seems so. What is undeniable is that it is £10 dearer than the F.R.
     
  8. I. Cooper

    I. Cooper Member

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    The railway state that they do not require people to wear masks, it is an individual choice.
    Each compartment of the carriage has a transparent PVC divider between it and the adjoining sections of the carriage.
    If people don't feel a need to wear a mask when they're lying next to their partner in bed, or when they share a car journey to arrive at the railway, why would they need to wear a mask when they're sat next to them in an enclosed carriage compartment seperate from others?

    Also don't forget Wales has a generally more enlightened view on masks anyway. In England I now have to put a mask on to pay for my petrol despite it being a wide open room with clear markings to keep ample distance from others - who aren't there because I only go for petrol when it's quiet and there aren't any other customers, and the staff are behind large plastic screens - the mask is a pointless waste. In Wales there's no such legal requirement to wear a mask when there's no benefit to be gained from them. The fact that what's on offer is a round trip from 'A' to 'A' again without splitting the journey on which gift aid is claimed also makes it awkward to claim the railway is providing 'public transport' as well.
     
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  9. talyllyn1

    talyllyn1 Member

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    That is only true if one or two people occupy a compartment. The FR fare of £50.00 per compartment includes the first two occupants. Further adults are £25.00 each and children £1.00, up to a maximum of 6 per compartment. So if you have Mum, Dad, two kids and 2 grandparents the total would be £102.00. If 6 adults travel together it is £150.00 - that's £90.00 more than the TR. The TR fare of £60.00 is a flat rate for up to 6 occupants. As ever, it pays to read the small print!
     
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  10. talyllyn1

    talyllyn1 Member

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    It's also worth noting that in addition to the PVC dividers between compartments, each alternative compartment is locked out of use, so passengers are well spaced on the trains. In contrast, the FR are using plywood dividers between compartments, with all of them in use.
     
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  11. nine elms fan

    nine elms fan Part of the furniture

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    Not true on railcam all of the carriage doors were open while passengers got out to use the facilities toilets, cafe etc all without masks.
     
  12. talyllyn1

    talyllyn1 Member

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    Well I didn't see the footage, but it I don't think you can see ALL of the carriages from the block post camera. There are full height partitions to the saloon ends and the first class sections, so the empty compartments are not necessarily evenly spaced.
    However, you don't have to take my word for it. Study this video of the same train that you observed running through Rhydyronen:-



    There are empty compartments between each set of passengers.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2020
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  13. lostlogin

    lostlogin Member

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    I have not seen the railcams today, and will check tomorrow. My understanding was that passengers would be locked in and that alternative compartments would be not used. Obviously if one family booked two compartments then they might be next to each other. I believe the trials from this week may have made them reconsider leaving all compartments unoccupied but I would not take that as gospel.

    It is not free seating, i.e. I don't believe you choose your compartment but that as people have to pre book when you arrive you find a reservation label on your compartment. The locking in, which is unusual for the TR is to control the flow of numbers leaving a train and like the FR I believe masks are given or made available to the passengers. As you are effectively in your own compartment I don't think you have to wear your mask when on the train which may lead to passengers not wearing when they get off. This seems to be the case on the FR as well looking at webcams as many people there don't seems to wear masks when getting off the train at either end.

    As for all carriage doors being open, again I have not seen if that is the case, but that may simply be to ensure as much air flow through a carriage when not occupied to disperse any virus if any party has. That is simply a guess. From watching the weekly walkabouts when the TR have been explaining the measures they are putting in place they do appear to be being fairly thorough with each carriage being subject to cleaning and some sort of fumigation between trips. I think they were also intending to run this weekend with a maximum of 30 odd a train before they increased to 50 odd. To me the pressure with regard to social distancing is not when on the train but when getting off the train to visiting a café. That just not just apply to the TR but to all railways, how do the FR cope at TyB on a wet Tuesday when there is an hour lay over between return trips. How do the SVR control social distancing if it is pouring down and a train load are desperate to get under cover in the engine house.

    I am sure all railways are doing the best they can under the current circumstances.

    I will not criticize any railway on pricing. When you have lost a large portion of the season and it appears those that are running may only be at 20 to 50% at best of what normal numbers might be prices will reflect this and I appreciate that it might seem to price out individuals. To me the FR price of effectively £25 an adult seems high when the normal price for the same trio is £17 and a full round trip £26.40 but we are not in normal times. They have limited availability and prices will reflect this.

    Finally I have watched on the TR's facebook page the "re-opening" train being waved off by the local MP. She is the Co Chairman of the UK parliaments all party group with regard o heritage railways. From her comments it seems they are trying to press the UK government to try and support the sector.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2020
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  14. nine elms fan

    nine elms fan Part of the furniture

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    Go on railcam when there is a train in the station, two carriages can clearly be seen, as i say all doors were open and people got into all compartments on departure.
     
  15. talyllyn1

    talyllyn1 Member

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    .

    If one of those carriages was the first one (No 21) it has a saloon at the east end, which takes up one half of the length. This has more than one door, but is classed as one compartment for Covid purposes and can only have 6 passengers. The next carriage is No 19, a first/third composite with full height partitions. It possible that you saw adjacent doors open on this vehicle. All passengers are allocated to a compartment and are not allowed to change. Where a PVC divider is used, the next compartment is kept empty throughout the journey. For the first time in TR history all doors are locked before departure and unlocked on arrival to stagger egress onto the platforms. This is the same as the procedure used by the FR.
     
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  16. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    On the NYMR the risk assessment says that all those doing safety critical work should not wear masks but I understand other staff are required to. (I've been on holiday so still catching up on things.)
     
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  17. andrewshimmin

    andrewshimmin Well-Known Member

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    A query about Abergynolwyn: when the loop is not in use, it seems Tywyn bound trains often (but not always?) stop in front of the signal box, i.e.at the eastern end of the station, a long way before the loop, with the engine not even under the station roof.
    I noticed this again on the webcam today - despite torrential rain, when you would have thought the passengers might have appreciated the station roof.
    What is the reason for this?
    (TRPS member! I've wondered about this for a while, but never got round to asking....)

    Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
     
  18. LNERandBR

    LNERandBR New Member

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    My only thought is they do have to go to the blockpost to exchange the single line tokens. Could be they have to do this before they can pass the first signal within the Abergynolwyn area.

    That would need to be confirmed by a working TR member tho ;)
     
  19. lostlogin

    lostlogin Member

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    I believe it is part of the Covid 19 planning as normally the train would stop with the carriages opposite the station building. Current operating instructions for Covid 19 require the loco on a down train travelling to stop to the east i.e. before the station canopy. Similarly an up train will stop with the end of the train to the east i.e. past the station canopy

    I can not see a reason given for this but it probably is to ensure the best chance of ensuring social distancing. If the train stopped in the normal place and people are queuing for the café or sitting at the outside table it would be difficult to maintain this when people alight or board the train especially if passengers are going the opposite way to each other on the platform as some head one way to the toilets and some the other way to the café. Where the train stops now most passengers when the train stops will head in the same direction.

    Carriages are also presently locked. This is not standard practice but has been introduced to control slightly the flow of passengers as they alight from the train to aid social distancing.
     
  20. TalyllynGM

    TalyllynGM New Member

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    Just to answer some of the questions/comments above!
    • We are only filling every other 'compartment', you will have seen adjacent compartments used but that is where larger groups had booked and could seat next to each other. We do fill adjacent 'compartments' on the open carriages - thought there would be enough fresh air!
    • Pricing is now set at £40 for 1-3 people or £60 4-6 people occupying a compartment. We have also re-introduced discounts for HRA interrail pass holders, GLTW card holders and other reciprocal railway arrangements (still pre-booking required)
    • We do stop the train short of the canopy at Abergynolwyn, that is purposely to be able to control the queue into the Cafe. It never rain there.....
    • Masks are enforced in any indoor space, but not once on the train.
    We are running daily until 29th November, and are still experiencing strong loadings. The demand is still around!
     

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