Mid Hants Spring gala

Mid Hants Platform Tickets.

I posted the message on the Bluebell yahoo forum asking if the Bluebell issue platform tickets on event days to which I understand the answer is yes. I was very disappointed at being asked to pay £40 to go on the platform and watch Tournado pass through. I did'nt have the time to travel on the trains or actually wished to yesterday. I was expecting to pay £2 or £3 ahead for the privildge but not £40.
I normally visit the Mid Hants three or four times with my family and friends and travel on the railway,partake of refreshments and visit the shop. I am also in the process of arranging with my local Rotary Club to bring a coach load of senior citizens for an afternoon in May with a cream tea all being supplied by the Mid Hants so I can be hardly described as not spending money or supporting the line,but I don't like being ripped off
The Mid Hants really need to take this on board and cater for everyone! by the way at the time of my visit the platform at Ropley was fairly empty so my presence would not have been a problem!
I'll not be rushing back in a hurry on an event day regards,Tim (A)

 

I would have thought any sensible company would have had the policy of look the punter in the eye and unless they were obviously fffing it (to use bashers jargon) to sell them a reduced price ticket.

Remember a satisfied customer will tell 5 other people and tends to come back.

A dissatisfied customer will tell 10 people and will tend not to come back.

 

LOL, only if I can use some barbed wire and have four towers in each corner.

Regards
Chris:

 

I'm sure you are right Chris, but please don't tar us all with the same brush.

I pays my money.

And if the farmer had anything about him, instead of shouting at people, he'd take a fiver off them each himself.

 

Yaaawwwnnn.
More whinging about the Mid Hants. But I don't think that this is an enthusiast or even a photographer "thing". Wherever you look on the Internet there seems to be this prevailing attitude of "Now that I've got the Internet I've got a voice; therefore the whole world revolves around me and any businesses that fail to take on board my every suggestion deserve to be damned with the strongest possible criticism".
Well frankly, you can spend so much time trying to cater for the whims of every "potential customer" that it's hardly worth bothering - you'll never please everybody. If Ropley Works suddenly unveiled a fully working Leader tank, you can bet your bottom dollar it would be the wrong flippin' colour for somebody.

The Mid Hants is a pretty broad church that tries to put on events that have a wide-ranging appeal, and paid staff and volunteers alike do their level best to make those events as enjoyable as possible for those who attend . If the timetable slips a bit then it's likely to be for a pretty good operational reason - our crew spent much of yesterday waiting at signals, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

As for platform tickets, could we really have got any MORE people on Alresford footbridge yesterday?

 

You're dead right Simon - I really don't get selfish, self centred people whingeing about other peoples' best efforts.

 

The thought never entered my head Simon which is why I said that not all are as honest as ourselves, jusy a few who spoil it for everyone else.

Best regards
Chris:

 

This was not just a steam gala, it was a gala with Tornado visiting. No doubt, this fact was well advertised locally. We have seen throughout the country the massive amount of public interest in Tornado. Have the Mid Hants thrown away shedloads of money and a massive amount of goodwill in not selling platform tickets that would have enabled people, many local, to see Tornado close up, not from a farmers field. It should be remembered that you do not have to travel on a train to spend money at a preserved railway.

 

Fair point, but I do wonder sometimes if you have to be satisfied with a certain level of business. What I mean is that there were times yesterday when if there had been more people on the platforms it could have been dangerous. As a driver running into rammed platforms it does cross your mind what could potentially happen if one of those nearest the platform edge should be pushed or overbalance. Most preserved railways, including ours, are on country lines whose facilities were designed for twenty passengers a day or whatever, Waterloo we're not.

 

So as to get the most runs out of Tornado.

 

As you said, that happens when last minute passengers rush for the train. So we (as station staff) haven't got time to explain premium fares have we?

In fact, we will be concentrating on dispatching the train safely.

 

Were you the person I spoke to at Alton regarding this matter?

 

Agreed Ralph, "Tornado" was the star of the three days.

I spoke to several people on the platform at Medstead and indeed on the yard tours who were not Rail enthusiasts who had come specifically to see "Tornado" which I suspect is down to their very slick and well oiled publicity machine, the way they operate is superb.

Regards
Chris:

 

Which means closing the doors to the platform half a minute or so before departure time. Isn't that what the oerating procedure says? By doing that you, or someone else, then has time to explain to any last minute passengers about premium rate fares on special event days.

Don't leave it to the TTI , who is in the front line once the train is on the move. Checking tickets and answering visitors questions takes time without having to explain the railway's fares policy for special events. Not only that, on occasions back in my 'good old days' as a TTI I had to cover two or even three trains on the same day, which meant it was impossible to ride each one for its full journey. Try TTI'ing on a full 5 or 6 coach train when you can only cover Alresford to Ropley before having to leave the train to cover a return working. All of 7 minutes allowed if you're lucky.

 

It would be nice if they were centrally locked then, maybe that would be possible. I always try to have all doors closed and train crew ready a minute before hand, so we can go bang on time. I could say don't leave it to platform staff - we are operational, not revenue, but I wouldn't as I always like to help others out.

 

Well let me go over it one last time.

I went to the Gala

I paid my twenty quid

I took some pics

Then I got on the train

The timetable fell to bits

and

no one made any attempt to explain what was going on in fact a lot of the staff seemed to hide at that point

Now you may think that's ok but I don't.

So where's the selfishness self centredness or whingeing about other peoples' best efforts in that?

 

Last post from me on this as because widge said earlier - yawnnn.
You make assumptions about what the staff were or were not doing because they were not doing exactly as you wanted - which sort of answers your last question.

 

And as someone who is clearly more informed than your typical 'Joe Public' visitor about what goes on during galas and special events, it was still too difficult for you to work out for yourself what was going on?

 

yes, how could I? I'm little more than Joe Public.

See earlier posts.

 

I've made no assumption, but I do expect them to provide a service.
That's what they are there for and if they cant then they shouldn't be there.

If you want to be front of office staff then you need front of office skills. If I wanted to work in the workshop, I'd need engineering skills, which I don't have, so I don't.

As I said earlier I used to defend the Midhants but now I understand why it has the reputation it has.

You guys had the chance to put things right but all you've done is attack those who dare to point out that things were less than perfect.