Bad news at Okehampton and Weardale

Only second hand, but I have heard that the American owners of the Dartmoor Railway have issued instructions that no more trains are to be run without specific permission, and all plans for the season are now suspended pending clarification. They plan to run special premium trains only, and a similar situation appears to exist at the Weardale Railway.

This is particularly sad because things were looking up at Okehampton including a range of heritage services, with a visiting steam engine, and regular timetabled services with the Thumper unit, plus other events such as Murder Mysteries and Jazz trains. The Weardale line seems fated.

John

 

So much potential for the Dartmoor Railway, but it won't work if operated the same way that some semi-commercial/semi-heritage American railways are. We're too well served with heritage railways for that model to really work in this country, in my opinion

 

... or perhaps there *is* a market for premium trains which the other heritage railways don't really provide. Maybe there is a hole in the market which may be less "authentic" but still a viable business if its aimed/promoted at the right market. The Polar Express seemed to be very popular, despite lots of Santa Specials being run on other heritage lines.

Richard

 

A statement on the Weardale Railway site is here:

http://www.weardale-railway.org.uk/WRCIC_03-13.htm

A position that seems entirely reasonable to me. In this climate, a commercial enterprise needs to focus on profits before it can afford the frills.

 

Sad to read this but also I can understand a lot of the logic and this is a time to try something different I guess as the financial situation drags on. Agree that I'm not so sure the model proposed for the Weardale will work for the Dartmoor, one of my local haunts. Had been looking forward to a fair few trips across the moor to there for a bit of DEMU noise and walks over the viaduct with my wife this summer. Not sure we'll be able to afford any of the 'premium' options. Guess it's a case of wait and see.

 

I disagree, or disagree in part. The believe marketing is an issue, but Dartmoor has an identity crisis which it needs to resolve before it could be a viable business. The Polar Express is probably popular due to the fact that it ties in nicely with a blockbuster film, thus getting good publicity. I think it probably also benefitted from it's location, as it has a relatively captive audience for a good length Christmas Special

 

So they take another film (not Christmassy this time), get some professional performers and base an event around that. If polar express worked, why not another themed event? I'm just guessing.

Richard

 

I'm not saying themed events based around films don't work, I'm saying that I believe this model will struggle as it's hard to have a coherent marketing strategy if you don't have a clearly defined identity

 

Big question though is how much profit did the Polar Express actually make ?

I'm thinking it wasn't really that much, i seem to think that most railways use the extra revenue from Santa Specials and Gala events to cover the cost of normal weekend running.

 

Most railways run Santa events in order to make money at a time of year that ordinary services would not. I don't think most use them to subsidise ordinary running as such, because most adjust their timetables and simply don't run when they can't make a profit. You can't run services that don't at least cover their direct operating costs in the long term. Santa trains are a useful cashflow and profit top up.

Gala events are a little different. Some railways report that they don't make an awful lot out of their galas, and I have heard that from MDs and Board members of more than one railway. Some railways make a very useful profit from their galas, but it still isn't really subsidy as such, just a premium service that helps to broaden the appeal of the railway and bring in the enthusiast market, whilst raising additional funds to pay for the railway overall.

The Weardale announcement sounds very sensible to me. Concentrate on the services you can run, and which make a return. It will be interesting to see if this approach which has worked on many railways in the US will work here. It might well, since the costs that Iowa are incurring to run their premium trains will compare very favourably with many traditional UK heritage railways. Some Mk2s and a diesel are a lot cheaper than say a West Country and a train of Pullmans. Weardale is also quite a "stripped back" railway. Much less infrastructure to maintain than the majority of standard gauge heritage railways.

 

I do though seem to remember reading that the GC does not make a profit/cover the costs from its out of season running over the winter (one of the few railways to run every weekend all year) and the money from these events is needed to offset any shortfall.

 

If you are correct that the GCR winter weekend services can't even cover their direct operating expenses then that doesn't sound very sustainable to me. There is very little point in running empty trains.

 

It does surprise me that any heritage railway operates anything at all during the period of the year when Greenwich Mean Time applies. The exceptions being lines in urban areas that offer a limited diesel service aimed at locals (K&WVR, ELR) and the dreaded Santa operations if genuinly profitable. It suprises me even more that galas are staged during the period as the weather that is currently being experienced in much of northern Britain is a real possibility.

Getting back on thread. Do these announcements mean that the FGW/DCC 'Dartmoor Pony' trains will not be running to Okehampton on Sundays this Summer? Surely if they are then an Okehampton to Meldon diesel shuttle adds to the bottom line on these days.

 

You will be surprised how many people travel on the "out of season" steam services and galas are run during the same periods to bring in extra revenue at quieter times of year. Why run a gala in the peak season when trains will be mostly full anyway?

 

I am always surprised just how many folks do turn out for the Great central Winter gala. I guess Dartmoor hasn't quite the same catchment area though

 

Obviously no railway can run without profit but if any railway where to just cherry pick the profitable bits then most heritage railways would look very different indeed. Why go to all the bother of say painting coaches in authentic liverys or using any other steam engine than a J94 or even building Tornado or restoring Duke of Gloucester. As a volunteer I would not want to be working just towards making money, that is what I do for my day job. If Okehampton and Weardale railways can do without their volunteers then good luck to them but I would not fancy being someone elses money maker in my own time.

 

Railways would look like the Paignton and Dartmouth. ex-DMU trailer cars in GWR livery and ahem, named. GWR heavy freight engines in ahem, GWR lined livery and ahem ahem ahem named. Turns out to be a chocolate box pastiche on the history of railways.

 

This is the model in the US. Many US railroads are either rented from Shortline commericial operations, or owned by a parent, for profit company, or a a "pet project" of a shortline operation.
The volunteers there run the operation for their own enjoyment, much like here, but many less of them.
In part this is why many operations only have 1 operational steam loco and are happy to sub in a diesel. Similarly the support base isnt there either.
Sooner or later this model may have to be part of the UK.
One line I went too couldn't believe me (or even comprehend the idea) of me describing an average gala in the UK with 6-8 locos in steam and multiple train operations, and demonstration freight trains...in one guys words.. "you'd have to pay me pretty well to do that" and "do you make any money ?"