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Swanage Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Rumpole, Oct 10, 2012.

  1. 007

    007 Member

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    Ok fair enough
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2014
  2. cymroglan

    cymroglan Member

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    I am an unashamed fare paying passenger, no interest in being a volunteer.
    I like visiting Swanage for the trains, seaside, pier, fish & chips, etc. If the website doesn't tell me what's working, I will either head for another railway that does tell me, or pop to a stately home, art gallery, theatre, cinema, garden etc where I know what will be on offer before I head there.
    I really like the Swanage Railway, but this new website does nothing to entice me to visit. Didcot & Mid Hants & Bluebell all give an indication of the planned loco roster, so are more likely to get my business. I'm comparatively time poor, so want to make good, planned use of my leisure days. Rumpole is always very helpful on this forum regarding loco roster issues, but this info should be posted online by the webmaster for all to see imho.
    It may well be that the new site works for the general public, and I really hope this is the case.
     
  3. 007

    007 Member

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    By all accounts a loco roster is due to appear, but I agree, it should be there from day one
     
  4. 73129

    73129 Part of the furniture

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    I've just looked at the new web site and it looks ok to me. It does what it's there for selling tickets. I would think Ninety percent of visitors to Swanage railway are non railway enthusiasts and this web site ticks all the boxes for them. It gives them a time table on the main web page and is very easy to move around the web site for special events and so on.
     
  5. MAPLE CHRIS

    MAPLE CHRIS Member

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    do enjoy rumpoles updates about the railway where is the maunsell coach going for overhaul would be nice to see the loco roster as i do like to come down when the M7 is running i cannot see much wrong with the webpage would imagine it is still being amended there is plenty of information on this forum from Rumpoles posts about the railway.
     
  6. Corbs

    Corbs Well-Known Member

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  7. Steve1015

    Steve1015 Member

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    Like with any revamped website with "new" webmasters constructive comments are gratefully received from both "Joe Public", enthusiasts and members...
     
  8. davidarnold

    davidarnold Member

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    Might I suggest that , like the Mid Hants and the GWSR, that different departments create their own blogs that are regularly updated and are linked to the main website under a common banner. The talent is out there it just needs liberating. Otherwise this new site will be a dull corporate stock list and timetable.
     
  9. Dorset Traveller

    Dorset Traveller New Member

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    The new website showed 6695 as the rostered loco today, but it was incorrect. It was Eddystone.
     
  10. Dorset Traveller

    Dorset Traveller New Member

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    There is no link on the website to the WEBMASTER!
     
  11. goldfish

    goldfish Nat Pres stalwart

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    Well it's not 1997 any more… ;)

    You're right though, they're not making it easy to contact them on the mobile version at least. I'd start at mediacentre@swanagerailway.co.uk

    Maybe start by telling them their email address is wrong on the website (where it appears to be mediacentre@swangerailway.co.uk).

    It does look pretty good on mobile, but it's a bit image heavy. Probably works ok connected to home or office wifi, but people using mobile will tend to be on the move and in Dorset probably won't have great internet connection.

    There's a few things that are a bit odd on the desktop version. No 'contact us' is daft, and the esoteric 'something special' and 'preserving the past' section headings are unclear. 'Our services' and 'about the railway' would have probably worked better.

    There's also good info for disabled visitors let down by stupid hard-to-read grey text on the website. The curse of the designer, designing for their immaculate Mac with 24" screen and 24yr old eyes, not their users on cruddy XP laptops with 60yr old eyes.

    But I've seen many worse. And it's good to see the EU getting due credit for the money invested!

    Simon
     
  12. SR-Simon

    SR-Simon New Member

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    Many thanks for your comments and we are glad to see that the new website has been warmly received.
    We believe this is the first heritage railway website to be fully responsive for mobile/tablet devices, including a fully interactive timetable.
    The website is designed to meet the needs of our many visitors, be easy to navigate, and to inspire the user to browse further into finding out about the many other services/products we provide.
    I am keen to replicate the success of sites such as G&WR (and EOR) with a Volunteers Diary. I hope this will be online soon, with the department/project managers encouraged to post updates as often as they are able.
    Like any website, it will grow and develop. Where possible the loco roster will be included.
    Don't forget the website is in addition to our regularly updated Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swanagerailway and Twitter @swanrailway
    Our contact details are also within the footer of every webpage, making it easy to find out how to contact us if you can't easily find the information you require on our website.

    Don't forget that you could see YOUR images on our website, leaflet or other publicity by entering our NEW Photographic Competition: http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/photo-comp

    Thanks & Regards, Simon
    Head of Sales & Marketing, SR
    (formally EOR, though I haven't yet found the option how to change my username!)
     
  13. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    I suggest you " start a conversation " ( what was a Private Message) with Admin or one of the Mods and request a name change.
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2014
    SR-Simon likes this.
  14. goldfish

    goldfish Nat Pres stalwart

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    There are contact details, but it says that they're for 'Reservations', so I ruled it out as a way to send direct comments about the website. Small issue though - as I said, I think it's pretty good, and no doubt once you've got a load of people using it, you'll iron out any small wrinkles.

    Cheers,
    Simon
     
  15. davidarnold

    davidarnold Member

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    Simon
    Congratulations on the new website, if it becomes as good as the MHR and GWSR blogs then you will have done well.

    Can I make one small request, that whoever writes the text in the news section be bough a thesaurus. Almost every entry to date contains the words "dedicated volunteers", "heroic efforts","historic","history to be made","first time since 1966 when England won the World Cup". Every entry reads like some Stalinist tractor factory propaganda.

    A typical hyperbolic entry might read " History to be made as after weeks of work and heroic efforts by our dedicated volunteers the ballcock in the ladies toilet at Corfe Castle has been repaired. The toilet will now work for the first time since 1966 when England won the World Cup!"

    Why not save all these phrases for the first regular train to Wareham.
     
    Dan Bennett likes this.
  16. WishIHadAName

    WishIHadAName New Member

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    History has been made at the rebuilt historic Swanage Railway as bird poops on roof of Corfe Castle Signal Box. The signal Box was rebuilt by dedicated Volunteers ready for this historic moment.
     
  17. SR-Simon

    SR-Simon New Member

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    Thanks for your comments and suggestions which have been taken on-board. :)
    Simon, SR
     
  18. davidarnold

    davidarnold Member

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    Well if they are taken on board then history will have been made, etc etc.
     
    goldfish likes this.
  19. davidarnold

    davidarnold Member

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    Oh very good!

    Well I think to time has come, before these phrases are retired by the Swanage Webmaster, to have a competition open to all NatPres Members. All you have to do is to discover some event that has somehow been unreported on the Swanage website and write an entry including some or all of the following words; "historic, history to be made, dedicated volunteers, hundreds of hours, heroic efforts, first time since 1966 when England won the world cup", and post the result below for us all to enjoy.
     
  20. Steve1015

    Steve1015 Member

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    Am sure that the guy who has spent years in a voluntary basis doing press release etc will be grateful of your piss taking..

    Whilst I agree the "record needs changing" taking the piss out of someones hard work is not good.
     
    Jamessquared likes this.

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