SVR Pacific Power 22nd-25th September 2016

Think this shows the board made the correct decision only a shame the number of days available were so limited I am guessing they could have sold out a two week.
It might be a good idea to book it again for next year if available in the spring.

 

Indeed, it is truly shocking that so many people are buying tickets to a gala which no-one apparently wanted. And all that unnecessary money being raised by the SVR. I mean, what are they going to do with it?

 

Oh well...

 

that does confirm it the correct decision not even I though it would sell out within the day.

 

It's even making headline news on Midlands Today. Whatever one thinks about the decision to replace the autumn gala, this is a truly extraordinary result for the railway - and I speak as someone who was planning to book a ticket and has now missed out!

 

Spend it down the pub?...............

Seriously though, I can see this pattern being repeated which ever line she visits - hence my post earlier up thread, in so much as you can't have a free for all on the line & need to control numbers safely, lineside however is a different kettle of fish................

As much as I'd like to see her on the teaks, I'm staying well away.

 

I have just had a look at the SVRs official website and boy, what a mess! Loads of comments from very angry people about how difficult it was to actually get Flying Scotsman tickets! And to add insult to injury it appears that these tickets were being sold at Kidderminster station as well, even though this wasn't mentioned on the website.
As an active volunteer on the Mid Hants Railway involved in restoring a steam locomotive, I realise how much work is involved in keeping a heritage railway running on a normal day, let alone during a special event. But the PR side of things is just as important as the physical work, and this is where the SVR has fallen
down badly today.
For months before FS was back in steam the NRM and the media whipped up a state of completely over the top hysteria over the locomotive, as evidenced by the huge crowds (and trespassers) that watched her run from Kings X to York a few weeks ago. Surely anyone with the smallest grain of intelligence within the SVRs higher management would have realised months ago when FS was announced as a visitor that the demand for tickets to ride behind her would be far greater than normal, and made the on line ticketing system more robust and able to cope? I find it astonishing that the railway's GM describes the ticket buying frenzy and resulting website crash as "incredible", as though it was completely unexpected. The East Lancs and North Yorkshire Moors managed to be well prepared beforehand, why wasn't the SVR?
I applaud all the volunteers present on the railway today for all their hard work and dedication in trying to make the best out of a bad job. The fault for the fiasco lies with the SVRs higher management, not with you.

 

Out of interest, how quickly did the tickets sell out at the ELR and NYMR?

 

As a SVR member and shareholder from the very early days I have mixed emotions over this event. The railway is being crucified on its facebook page
by literally hundreds of people who were unable to get tickets. Some really nasty and personal comments addressed to the likes of the GM and management
in general. Such was the apparent demand for tickets I am not sure what the SVR could have done to improve the situation. Many major events such as Glastonbury
or concerts etc will see websites crash and difficulty in obtaining tickets. So selling all 7000 tickets in a day and banking 200k will be seen as a commercial
success I ask myself at what cost to the reputational damage to the railway?? That's before we even get to the event itself. There will need to be massive crowd control
measures in place because undoubtedly people will turn up without tickets. For the weekday trains the car parks will be jammed anyway with commuters and I see the SVR are asking people to consider arriving via rail and use the large car parks at Rowley Regis or Stourbridge Junction.

I look at all this and its all a far cry from the Great Western branch line we tried to recreate. Yes I know we have to move along and there is the commercial need etc
but I cannot help but feel that this is an event which we should have let pass instead of feeding the FS circus.

 

I will risk being seen as a pedant but tickets were not available from Kidderminster Station. Tickets were being made available from the SVR general office and HQ in Comberton Place. The Comberton Place Office, the SVR registered address, is adjacent to the station a few yards down the hill towards town

 

A neighbour has just mentioned that she saw something on the TV news showing long queues of people trying to get tickets.

The key now is to use the time before the actual event to devise a foolproof management ( of the visitors and the railway as a whole) scheme covering as many contingencies as possible. Maybe the SVR management can take advice from someone or some body who have experience of such situations, pop concerts and the like.

I suspect many enthusiasts and SVR members ( myself included) will stay well clear. Like other posters, seeing 60103 on the teaks would be interesting, but no, not tempted to travel to the SVR, linesiding is not really practicable for me as I usually come by train to Kidderminster.

Quite apart from that, I like a quiet coffee in the Museum, which: a) wont be quiet, and b) wont be accessible unless you have a ticket of some sort to travel!

Another time....

 

Surely, the organisation for pre-booked trains out of Kidderminster should be exactly the same as the Santa specials. In fact it should be less so for Scotsman/Tornado, because there are fewer booked trains.

 

I just wish that we could have the Autumn Gala back that we love....but sadly that's not going to happen and the die has been cast unfortunately. IMHO the railway has got to move quickly and do something (I'll leave other people more qualified than me to decide what!) to restore the damage that has been done to its reputation and to get back some of the lost goodwill and support. Time is of the essence here.

 

There is no way the SVR could turn down FS as if a local preserved railway they would now be getting all these sales and income.
I don't thing the SVR can ever be a Great western branch line as it has grown to big and requires a higher income to support the repairs to 5 sets of coaches and needing a large operational steam fleet of larger locos.
The ASG has never been about that it has always been about bringing the most exciting and varied locos to the railway which it has done very successfully we have had the T9 schools royal scott Manston

 

But unlike on Santa Specials days, the pre-booked trains are intermixed with other services open to day rover passengers.

 

A GWR branchline with 2 passengers per train would not pay the bills. The SVR is on one side chastised for big locos and long trains. On the other hand chastised for allowing the first train of the day, all 8 coaches, to leave standing room only. A train weighing in at 250t tare needs a big loco. In a way the SVR is cursed by its success. Solutions please on the back of a WTT

 

As where the operations at the ELR and NYMR. No problems at either railway.

 

Flying Scotsman's visit to the NYMR brought a lot of people to the railway who had never visited it before, many of those expressed to staff how much they enjoyed the railway. Many of those will make repeat visits and tell their family and friends how much they enjoyed it.

The SVR has months to prepare for this event and should enjoy the short and long term benefits it brings.

Sawdust.

 

The SVR may have to take the brunt by being the "first" (I know the NYMR have already had Scotsman but that was over an extended period and the ELR was before things really got mega-hyped) line to host her for a "normal" weekend. I suspect in future anywhere which hires her will be looking to it for a minimum of a week (covering two weekends) and learn from the SVRs mistakes on this. Fortunately, the SVR should be big enough to deal with it relatively quickly.