The Talyllyn in trouble ?

not being funny Paul but it is unlikely that passengers are going to look at the TR website and follow all the links to get to minutes of meetings! more likely to go to about, travel and facilities... however members like having minutes and notes from the different meetings available to us.

if you as a passenger use all the links necessary to get to the meetings Via Preservation society and internal information i deem you to have an interest in it! are you just having a pop at the TR where ever possible?

cheers

AT

 

As someone who has shared many years of debate with Paul over a pint during the "Hitch Fortnights" at Llanfair, I can assure you that Paul is a quite a likeable person and his criticisms are meant constructively and kindly. I understand because of his background, he has a more of an interest in the commericial realities of railway preservation than most volunteers, and has many ideas on opportunities in this area which he has shared about many railways on this forum. He has not singled out the TR for special attention - its just that this thread is about the commerical issues which is his specialist subject.
He is just as observant about the railways (plural) and the long established locomotive owning group he has been involved with for many decades.

Kind regards,
Gareth

 

Couldn 't possibly comment Gareth (about myself that is)! You are right about my motivation though. Whilst railway preservation could do with a spectacular failure to give it an idea of what constitutes reality, the last railway I would want it to happen to is the T.R. I said this early on in the thread. It was the first of its kind and thus an inspiration to all but this is also a problem. If you have been doing something for longer than anyone else there is a particularly human tendency to consider one cannot learn anything from the newcomers. Human beings are tribal and tend to regard the other tribe with suspicion. For example, there has been the odd remark on this thread about the F.R. being impersonal. In my experience both when crewing a visiting engine (understandably) and as an anonymous passenger (commendably) this far from the case. Everyone can learn from everyone.

Basically, every pound spent on operations, which does not have to be spent, is a pound which can be applied to repairs or paint or buying new sleepers or, indeed, avoiding paying overdraft charges. The T.R. has many advantages. It is a unified body which owns all its own equipment. It does not run trains with stupidly large , expensive, motive power. It just needs to avoid "we've always done it this way", another instinctive human reaction!

Paul H.

 

I've just realised that it's 37 years this year since I last visited the TR!!! I must put that right before too long; however it's definitely more than a 'day trip' from Durham!

I've been reading this thread with great interest; it seems that one big problem is the location, which is not ideal for day trips, even from the traditional catchment area of the Midlands, & the second is that what used to be a regular source of income; coach parties, has collapsed because of the issues with the local hotel that used to cater for the coach trips. That; of course, is outwith the TR's control, but it also highlights how peoples' use of local facilities changes. Incidentally, yes, the roads are in good condition, but again there's a mindset amongst some these days that if there's no motorway/good dual carriageway 'A' road going somewhere, then a possible trip to that location isn't particularly attractive...

Couple it all with ever-rising costs & reduced disposable income, and if we're not careful it all gets into a vicious spiral where no-one wins.

The TR is almost unique because of its gauge, & that hampers the traditional route to increasing visitor numbers with guest engines. However, as pointed out, it does have 2 unique selling points - the fact that it was the pioneer preserved railway, & also its genuine link with Rev Awdry & his books. The first point scores with the gricers; the second with the 'normals', as the saying goes.

These are difficult times for everyone, but I do feel that the TR will survive.

Mark

 

...What a great shame that the TR stopped short of the beach, a great resource for customers !

 

Now that's unfair. We're all only trying to help you and Paul has made some excellent ideas and suggestions. A website-"lite" is no bad idea, and you can have a separate website for the enthusiast, the member and the volunteer. Have a look at Severn Valley Railway and SVRLive for inspiration.

I'm afraid that, to me, you've generally seemed quite anti-change on this thread, which is a pity as that is what this is all about.

 

Apart from a bit of WHR bashing in the whole this thread has been positive, people are really concerned for the TR, in a discussion like this there"s bound to be critic, but at the end of the day the fact there is a problem at the TR and that it's been made known and not hidden away untill it's too late to do anything about it, is a healthy positive sign.

 

Yes maybe it was unfair, but Paul highlighting that perhaps the minutes of meetings which are on the TR website shouldn't be there under internal information, as if it would have some sort of detrimental effect to the TR's passenger figures is ridiculous to my mind.

Believe me I am not anti-change at all, far from it but change has to be made to things which have an effect to passenger figures and IMHO removing minutes and putting a link to another website to get the same information is going to do nothing. Sorry.

Cheers
AT

 

Well, I couldn't of put that better!

Cheers

 

This thread has been far more open and positive than any discussions about these issues which ever take place on the TR's internal e-discussion group - whch is almost moribund anyway, perhaps that tells a tale in itself!

 

The website at first glance is attractive, nice colours and photographs. But it is also very busy! Maybe the railway needs to ask any web designers who are supporters (i.e. will do this for free!!) to suggest a redesign to a cleaner simpler shell for visitors?

Another idea - if ll those who've posted here and are not members join the TRPS (life membership would be best), then that would help quite a bit! (And before you ask, yes, I recently sent off my membership form!).

 

I agree! However if you are able to spare it the annual subscription would help the railway even more because once you have paid membership that's it for life. That said I would like to see the TR add membership as a available online option...

 

...If there was a way of calculating the right cost of membership with free travel with the railway gaining the extra income and at the same time not losing money on the seats ...??

 

I opted for Life membership as a quick calculation showed the TR would probably make more that way at my age ...!!

 

There's something odd in that the railway can't spend the life membership subscriptions. They get filed away in a separate bank account for some reason that I don't understand or have any knowledge of.

 

My Life Membership Card is dated 20 December 1972

 

Neil - that's merely an accounting convention established by Pat Garland in 1951 - the actual cash gets spent when it is received - how do I know this? Answer: Pat Garland told me.

http://tinyurl.com/azr7hv5

 

Ah fair enough - not something I knew.

 

Fair Play. I think Paul was remarking that currently the website is too busy, as Meiriongwril perhaps put more simply. You're right of course, the presence of minutes isn't going to deter anyone - but an over-complicated website might. Look at the Bluebell and MHR websites for an example of how to do it - stripped back, high quality appearance, geared toward the average customer.

 

The current discussion about making things easier to find on the TR site is a very good idea. For instance if a family on holiday in the area wanted to find out the time of the next train or buy their tickets on their mobile phone, how would they do it ? Firstly i know this is sacred ground but the word Talyllyn dosn't come easy to someone not from the area, then there's the site itself, the timetable (very easy access preferably first page) should start with "todays timetable" in big writing on an uncluttered page with a "buy now" button corresponding to the particular train wanted, then onto tomorrows trains etc etc, all this with the pricing on the respective timetable for the day and the train concerned. You really have to imagine that the customer knows nothing (with respect) and that all is done to make access, physical as well as intellectual (communication), as easy as possible. Buying tickets or finding information at the station itself should be considered secondary, the future is online. The key words are "user freindly".