Swithland Steam Gala 26th – 28th April 2013

Lots of shrubs!

 

From a signalman's perspective the facilities for basic human necesseties are far better at Swithland than they are at any of the other three boxes.

Folks, please remember that Swithland was not built to make money - if there are ways to do so then that is a bonus, but it was a privately funded project which aimed to recreate a section of GW/GC 4-track main line (albeit 2 of the lines are only loops). And it does that rather well.

As for building a station there - I would quite like to see the station restored to its 1899 configuration, i.e. with access stairs to the road but no platform. (But it will never be allowed.) The suggestions of building a platform with no road access though, seem to fly in the face of 'preservation' which is what we are supposed to be about.

Besides, we have plenty of other schemes for spending money on...!

 

Any more plans yet for this one? Looking forward to Swithland being maximised.

 

Coal tank 1054 and Bagnalls Alfred and Judy to attend.

Last appearance of the King.

Four of the home fleet.

 

You don't need to use the bushes. There is a toilet for the signalman. It's in the S&T building to the north of the signal box, with the door opposite the signal box steps. As long as you don't make a tremendous mess everywhere, I don't think anyone would mind.

 

Interesting, wonder what the operating department have in mind for Bill & Ben....

I know it was said further up, the Mountsorrel branch isn't signalled for passenger moves, but would it be possible to have one of the Bagnalls disappear down there and attach/uncouple a few minerals from a mainline freight in the loop before the Mainline engine takes it away ?.

 

As long as you provide your own loo roll... the GCR doesn't provide this, the volunteers do!

 

Yes, I was aware of the existence of the signalman's 'facility', but that was not all that I was referring to! I don't know how many visitors that the GCR is, I hope, planning to provide the basic human necessities for, but as well as toilet(s), Joe Public and family will most likely expect the chance to feed and water themselves as well as shelter from any inclement weather whilst corralled into the viewing area at Swithland.

I assume that the intention is to control the number of visitors present at any one time via the capacity and frequency of the proposed minibus shuttle from Rothley station, while restricting (or barring altogether) entry at the gate for those who make their own way to the site by road. The obvious temporary answer to providing refreshment, shelter, and a good viewpoint for these visitors would be to park a spare buffet car (and perhaps another coach) at the north end of the siding that runs immediately behind the signal box (with the toilets firmly locked out of use!) and put a few portaloos close by.

Cheers,

 

Better still, the DMU - better view!

 

depends if you want to do a number one or a number two.

 

Out of interest, on whose authority are you offering these facilities to all and sundry ?

Flip

 

If you wanted to invite the paying public into Swithland you'd have to provide something, and it'd have to be either that, or portaloos.

Meanwhile, the only group wanting to use it would be volunteers or lineside photographers. So, if you wanted to be extremely petty minded about it perhaps you could put a lock on it and give the signalman a key, and tell him expressly only to let volunteers in there. Perhaps you would prefer photographers to go on the lineside (perhaps when a train full of punters is coming past, what a marvelously dignified view); or walk all the way back to Rothley, where they use the facilities there. So then they'd be using one set of facilities instead of the other. Maybe put a new rule in the lineside rule book; you must not use the signalman's loo at Swithland or your pass will be withdrawn. I think most adults are quite capable of leaving a toilet in the state that they found it in, given a brush, btw, which is what I implied in the first place.

 

Please allow me to clarify a few things.

1. The toilet at Swithland is provided for the use of the staff on site, primarily S&T and the Signalman. It was not intended as a public facility, and for the purposes of this discussion lineside photographers are members of the public.

2. There *is* a lock on the door, and the signalman does have the key.

3. A lineside permit does not give you any rights whatsoever to use staff facilities, and I don't see why you would imagine it did. Would you expect a lineside photographer to pop into the loco messroom and make themselves a cup of tea because they felt thirsty ? I wouldn't advise it . . .

4. Notwithstanding the above, the toilet is generally left unlocked for the use of passing staff from other departments. If the odd linesider gets caught short then I don't imagine that anyone would object to them voiding their bowels into it, so long as it was left in the same state it was found. As my colleague has already pointed out, the toilet paper, soap, towels, cleaning materials, &c. are provided by our staff at their own expense, but I don't think anyone would begrudge their use in the odd emergency. Don't mistake this concession as a right though, and to be honest, if you need to pass water then I would expect you to do the same as the rest of us, and find a discrete bush or wagon.

5. The toilet is not connected to the public sewerage system, and discharges into a small septic tank. This tank is sized for the relatively small number of staff on site, certainly not for the sort of numbers that might be expected at a gala open to the public, and the likelihood is that it would quickly become overwhelmed (and overflowing). Pumping it out is neither cheap, nor easy (there are a thousand tons of ballast in the way at the moment), and takes time to organise. Would it be fair for the staff for whom the toilet was intended to be inconvenienced (pun not intentional, but acknowledged) for weeks ?

6. Just to reiterate the point. Do you really think that it is your place to invite the entire internet to use the staff toilet at Swithland ?

Regards

Flip

 

EDIT: Changed my mind, it's not worth commenting, it'll only let peoples' blood pressure escalate further...

FURTHER EDIT: Although I would just like to clarify, is the official line "Don't use our nice new toilet, use a nearby wagon instead"? I'd be interested to know what the wagon owners have to say about that!

 

What a load of fuss over a s**t house i love this forum some people need to chill out lifes to short.

 

Next gala they'll be charging people 30p to use it...

 

The wagon owners say "that's fine, but don't pick one I'm actually working on or have just painted!". After all, when you p*ss up against a wagon wheel you're only doing the same as the various dogs, cats, foxes, badgers, stoats, rabbits and whatever other wildlife visits Swithland sidings on a typical weekend, and then the rain washes it off anyway. And worse stuff comes out of the chimneys of steam engines.

I think Flipper has raised a very good point about the septic tank. It's pretty unpleasant (often for a few weeks) when it's full and the loo won't flush, and to be honest, for the cost of emptying the tank, they could probably hire some portaloos. Lets hope that someone has this in hand and it becomes a non-issue.

I don't think it is at all unreasonable for the volunteers who, after all, fitted out the toilet block completely at their own expense, and are responsible for purchasing all cleaning and sanitary materials, to be a bit precious about who uses it, particularly if by allowing the use of the facility, they are effectively subsidising the event, which should really be paying for itself. The PLC provides and maintains toilet facilities at its stations and on trains for the use of passengers and other visitors, and they are more than sufficient for normal circumstances.

That said, I also think this discussion has got a bit silly, so perhaps we can now get back to discussing the gala proper?

A. Wagon-owner.

 

Details have been announced.

Visiting engines 6023 King Edward II, the Webb Coal Tank 1054, and the Par twins Alfred and Judy. From the home fleet 46521, 48624, 47406 and 78019 (tbc)
"Mountsorrel Branch to feature"
Also "pick up goods" and shunting demonstrations promised
Shuttle bus running between Swithland and Quorn
TPO and turntable demonstrations at Quorn along with "Sir Haydn" from the Talyllyn.

Swithland Steam Gala 26th – 28th April | The UK's Only Main Line Heritage Railway

 

Tony, there is no legislation that exists that states toilets must be provided. You are welcome to search for some, and try to twist anything to make it say that it does. But it doesn't exist. If it did then would you expect a portaloo on a rickshaw to follow you around every time you rode a bike along a cycle path? A cistern and pan in the boot of your next car perhaps? Get a grip and hold it in like the rest of us do.

 

I think he meant 'reasonably' as opposed to 'legally'... Guess it'll be up to the public to decide on that one then!