62712 Morayshire Coming Back To England In The Autumn 2014

I hope she makes it south again before the end of her ticket and I hope very much indeed that the tales of one individual touting her to railways along the lines of "I'll get you the D49 as long as I'm the only one to charter her" are just idle gossip. I think she'd be very popular on photo charters and promoters would queue up to hire her.

 

There's more to life than photo charters! Some people would actually enjoy a chance to ride behind her (me for one!) - after all, she was built to haul passengers.

 

Agreed but in many cases - not all I'll admit - the visit of a loco is dependent on charters footing the haulage costs. I haven't been behind 246 since a couple of main line runs in 1980/81 so I'd welcome a another trip behind her even at 25mph.

 

Can someone correct me if my understanding is incorrect ?


1. The D49 will come south if the transport costs are covered.
2. Photo Charters have offered to meet the transport cost
3. Photo Charter's are meeting the cost selling "data photo passes" but requesting exclusivity on charters to the railways that it visits
4. The railways it's visiting are not paying the for movement costs.
5. Presuming 3, the railways benefit by the paying passenger revenue associated by the visit outside photo charters
6. Presuming 3, SRPS benefits by the hiring fees paid by the railways and the photo charters

If the above 6 are right, I don't see whats wrong ?

Why should a Photocharter organiser who isn't taking any risk on the transport fees get the benefit ?

 

Equally, why shouldn't they work together and share the costs and the benefits?

 

You're probably wrong on a number of counts. Time will tell though.

 

Doesn't really work like that. Organisers seldom if ever pay these costs up front as that would be one hell of a gamble before advertising planned charters. How it does work is that a group of organisers get together to discuss a plan with the railway concerned, get the costs involved, advertise a series of charters and once the minimum figure is passed then the visit can go ahead. On the other hand some locos are visiting a railway anyway for gala or other hire period so then the organisers coordinate a series of events and put the profits to other good causes in the heritage movement.

 

I believe the question is the difference between what the Photo Charter Organiser collects in fees from charter participants and what he pays in fees to the locomotive owner / operating railway. In the absence of hard facts those doubts lead some prospective participants to demur about joining charters - especially those who presume that all fees collected from participants is paid to the relevant persons.

 

If you want to ride behind Morayshire, supporting the locomotive and the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, she is expected to handle the bulk of the summer services alongside No’7. A £9 adult ticket allows travel all day (40 miles on an orange timetable) and the railway is easily accessible by public transport!

To clear a few other points up from my perspective and experience with the locomotives repaint & photo charters:
- The four days of charters were worth around £10,000 to the locomotive, including a repaint by contractors, therefore meaning that no SRPS volunteers were distracted from other tasks on site thus progress on important projects did not stall.
- The members of locomotive crews, guards, signalmen and RO’s I spoke to hugely enjoyed the photo charters (surely the main reason for railway preservation – enjoyment and satisfaction?) and did receive their crew tips, many of which were then passed onto the society.
- The charters generated a huge amount of press for the railway – magazine front covers, picture features and stories giving updates of the painting etc – coverage we would not otherwise have had.

It is also worth noting that the society is only the custodians of ‘Morayshire’, and over the years we have built up an excellent relationship with the National Museums Scotland (owners) who take a huge interest in our work. Therefore, these lineside ‘rumours’ are not doing the locomotive, the NMS or the SRPS any good – please rest assure that we ALWAYS have the best interest of the locomotive at heart – so I can only ask you wait for an official announcement from either the Scottish Railway Preservation Society or the host railway with regards to potential future visits and photo charters.

I must add that these views are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the SRPS or the National Museums Scotland.

 

With just one or two exceptions no organiser runs charters for personal benefits. Profits, such s they are, go to the heritage movement. In my case it's 34081 and Martin has been helping Hagley Hall's cause. Other organisers will be supporting other causes.

 

Just the small matter of a 760 mies round trip to do it in my case. That's why a visit to a railway nearer home would be just up my and many other people's street.

 

Hear hear - 800 miles round trip - 6 hours each way - I think not.

 

Gents, I can assure you all that 62712's visits to foreign railways are not going to be solely dictated by one individual organising charters with said railways. We have had enquiries from multiple independent railways and in terms of off-setting costs for transport they can strike deals with each other for moving her between railways rather than a return trip to Scotland for each visit. Or at least that is the most sensible way but this is railway preservation so who needs sense!

 

Welcome to Scotland.

You're all bickering about having to come to Scotland and that it's such a long trek. Outside of our heritage railways ( of which there are three with any sort of semi regulr steam ), Jacobite and Great Britain railtour operations, it's dead up here for us! Knowing Steam_mad personally, I know him to make semi regular visits to the Mid Hants railway, an 850 mile round trip! I myself can be reguarly found anywhere across the UK for railway photography; East Lancs this year was a 500 mile round trip, Llangollen 600 miles, and add in all the milage I do inbetween and it's been a rare year so far that I haven't pushed on further South for personal reasons.

Yes, an 800 mile round trip is a lot to ask, but it proves how spoilt you all are in the South with steam locomotives/railways/railtours compared to us North of the Border who have to make a bit of effort to see anything of the Scottish regulars I've listed above (Oh, and when you read Jacobite, that's still a good 2.5 hour one way trip from here to get to Fort William! Local eh?).

Say what you want about 'certain charter organiser', and regardless of my own personal opinions or anybody elses, the job got done. 'Morayshire' looks great in her new coat of black, and it's well worth seeing whatever the distance. When you consider that these are the first heritage railway Scottish charters since 2009 with No. 55189 with Martin Creese and others, praise can only be given to what seems so far to be the only 5 Scottish dates in any charter diary (outisde of the West Higland Bash) for 5 years. Get it together organisers and start looking North of the Border more?

 

Well bully for him. Not everyone is able to do it. I work six days a week in my own business so I ain't gonna be doing B&K and back in a day thank you very much.

 

No, not everybody isn't! The same with us up North, not everybody is able to make it to photocharters South of the border or to their railway galas. But can the whole ethos of if the Shire comes South, under what conditions she does. Just be happy she might, or you could be facing the idea of the journey to Bo'ness as your more likely scenario.

 

So I've had two people telling me I'm wrong (I didn't say I was right I am just trying to get to the facts)..

so can we have some..

so far is a lot of smoke from some quarters that may be biased.

Personally seeing the D49 in the UK is a great thing, but there seems to be a lot of whining which I don't understand why (and am sure i'm not the only one trying to understand why the rainmaking is going on).

 

It's hardly the fault of others if you can't understand what has been posted pretty much in black and white.

 

nope, not being a Suarez and taking you up on that.

Explanation seems biased to me.