Severn Valley Spring Gala 23-25 March 2012

Perhaps both the WSR & SVR are missing a trick if money is quite that tight and should be offering advance purchase spring gala tickets as the "must have" Christmas present!!

 

Personally, I don't see the clash as a problem. I'm very excited for the gala, so glad they have got a Spring gala next year after an absence this year. For people, like myself, who live North of Bridgnorth this is great news, the WSR is way too far for me to travel anyway.

Fingers crossed for some West Midland Spring Sunshine!

Thanks,
Lewis

 

Good point, I didn't think about Easter.

 

I think the moral of the story is: what is inconvenient for one isn't for another.

 

I for one am really looking forward to this gala, after there not being a spring gala last year and there being no galas on the other railway near me, the GWSR. No4492 should look splendid on the Teaks! And, according to Steam Railway at least (!), it seems like there will be another opportunity to see No:828 as well, even better!

 

Well if its true a chance to ride behind a different a4 well least it will help bank balance as will not be bothering there must be locos of a type not seen on the line available seen there a fasination with easter region visitors for every gala

 

September gala for me I think... Can't argue with the logic behind an A4 - I'm sure it'll bring in the crowds, and people will flock to take 'authentic' photos of an A4 on a rake of teaks pulling into a GWR country station - but it's not for me! Bring on 1501!

 

How about authentic pictures of it out in the countryside? It isn't hard to avoid all railway paraphernalia, even from a station if you give it some thought.

 

I do retract the phase "Quite frankly I wish the SVR all the worst over this" , but it is "a totally stupid decision".

No, I haven't booked all 9 days, can't afford that, but neither can I afford to throw away the £35 deposit paid on the B&B. As for your remark "WSR certainly doesn't deserve you if that is your attitude", I spend a lot of money at the WSR at every steam gala with even more money spent in the local community, which is, after all, the reason for these galas. I would doubt if the WSR would want to loose that money or the publicity my films of the event affords the railway. I think I would turn your phrase around and ask if the railway preservation movement deserves or needs the competitive attitudes that are growing within the movement. Railways are going to go under if this continues.

 

If I follow this correctly, there are 3 Galas on the 2nd weekend of the WSR event. There is another potential problem from this clash - availability of guest locos. Particularly at the end of the winter maintenance period, the number of available guest could be limited and many railways will want to ensure their stars are available at home for Easter just afterwards. Sometimes transport costs can be shared when Galas happen over consecutive weekends, but this clearly isn't possible for those on the same weekend either.

Another reason why everyone could loose out, but the circumstances here seem perhaps difficult to avoid.

Steven

 

I wonder if it would push the price of hiring and transport up too.

The entire situation is ridiculous. I hope that the railways will, one day, come to the conclusion that these big galas are self defeating. They just fuel the desire to have the biggest and the best, or to attend the biggest and best and surely that isn't a good idea, especially when railways start to compete over the same weekends, to have the biggest and the best. I think its time to start scaling back these galas.

Many enthusiasts, including myself, only visit railways during their steam galas anyway (I used to go to the Bluebell once a month but I don't have the time anymore). One result of this is that the home fleets are only seen infrequently and so are always 'fresh' as it were. One of the best galas I've been to recently was the Llangollen's last SSG when there weren't any visitors.

There are a number of reasons for these limited number of visits, like too many galas, the use of diesel locos at times other than the steam galas and just the desire to do something else sometimes. It is nice to have a change from time to time.

Perhaps the 'Heritage Railways Association' could broker a truce in this daft competition.

Regards

 

If anyone can post a link to a photo of it (after the event, obviously!) which looks like a 1930s railway scene, I'll eat my hat! However, I'm sure many people will come for a ride behind the A4, so all credit to the SVR for bringing in more crowd-pleasers.

 

Challenge accepted, but please provide some rules that can be adhered to. I will upload my chosen photo onto here after the event, where it can be independently judged whether to have completed the challenge successfully or not. In the event of my victory, in lieu of you eating your hat, a donation to the SVR will suffice.

This could be fun

 

IMHO the WSR has, over the years, merely responded to the market demands. The recent "two weekend" format was introduced for the Spring Gala event to help spread the passenger loadings, and it has succeeded in that aim. How much longer it will be necessary very much depends on how many visitors are attracted to the event in 2012 and beyond.

As far as clashing with Gala events on other railways, each railway is a business in its own right and, I guess, decide which dates are likely to bring in the crowds. Part of that decision must involve considering possible competing events (which can include local and distant. If other events are later announced around the already-announced dates then so be it. Whether we like it or not, the bottom line is profit and that involves competition.

The WSR events always turn in a profit, sometimes good sometimes only just. So I imagine the WSR will continue with Galas for some time yet. But given the major source of annual income is probably from the daily train services and other special services I very much doubt the WSR would bother if Galas consistently ran at a loss.

The HRA is probably not in a position to dictate the commercial direction of its member railways. All it can do on any topic is discuss and if agreed, issue guidance.

Co-operation between those in the heritage railway sector is generally healthy but when it comes to the crunch, good old market forces will come to the fore. After all, if it really was a matter of survival, as a WSR supporter I'd rather the WSR survived at the expense of any other railway. I sincerely hope it never, ever, comes to that. I'm sure supporters of other railways will quite understandably want to substitute their own fav railway for "WSR".

The discussion on this thread probably deserves many of the posts being moved to a new thread on the topic of "competing events"?

The above are my thoughts only (I'm just a mere WSR volunteer).

Steve

 

It seems that some people (or one at least) are getting very het up about a situation that could at best be described as a mild inconvenience. To put this in context the SVR is (at closest points) 120 miles from the WSR and 130 miles from the MHR. The SVR DO have an overlapping 'catchment area' (Gloucestershire, Bristol and parts of Wiltshire), but most who live in the major catchment area of the SVR (the West Midlands) would not even consider travelling 120-150 miles to get to the WSR for a gala (I speak as one of those people).

Railways and centres that are closer to the SVR than the WSR include: the Great Central, GCR(N), Peak Rail, Ecclesbourne Valley, MRB, Churnet Valley, Chasewater, Foxfield, Llangollen, East Lancashire, Ribble Valley, Welsh Highland, Ffestiniog, Vale of Rheidol, Talyllyn, Bala Lake, Snowdon Mountain, Llanberis Lake, Northampton & Lamport, Chinnor & Princes Risborough, Didcot, Gloucestershire & Warwickshire, STEAM, Tyseley, Battlefield, Nene Valley, Dean Forest, Pontypool and Blaenavon etc etc etc etc etc. Should they ALL avoid clashing events?

The spring gala season is short - running roughly from the end of winter maintenance until easter when the main running season starts. Next year this basically leaves about 4 weekends during March. If the SVR has a major programme of maintenance which prevents it from running full line until into March (and needs some bedding in time) then what options does it actually have?

Incidentally I agree that this year's Llangollen SSG was superb and contains much which other galas could learn from. Though I do wonder how successful it was financially as visitors weren't exactly pouring onto trains.

And DoNZ on the teaks down the Valley? Yes please.

 

Agreed! Well said!

Thanks,
Lewis

 

Yes there are a lot of lines closer to the SVR than the WSR but I'd say both these lines are the premier two western region railways and two of the longest three in the UK (as far as I'm aware). Many of the lines you mentioned too are narrow gauge/museums/depots and railways that have galas at other times of year such as ELR (January, February and October) & GWSR (during May/June and December, usually).

 

As stated earlier, with only a few weekends to accomodate Spring Gala's I feel that all 3 have done as much as they possibly could. Let's just enjoy the railways whilst we can and encourage them to carry on!

 

I still say not best choice you can see a a4 with teaks just need to go to the north yorkshire moors and its authentic there. As time are going to get harder needing to think weather a realy want to go to events needs to be something more than A4 that was there 3 years ago.
The T9 would have got me there but here is hoping