Flying Scotsman at the Bluebell Railway: 13 - 19 April 2017

Here is my favourite picture from the excellent day I had yesterday. Scotsman rolls through Horsted Keynes with the 10.00am departure from Sheffield park.

 

Is Camelot back in regular service after the gala?

 

.........And here is the going away shot at Horsted keynes as the regulator is cracked open to produce that superb Gresley beat:

 

According to the PTI page, Camelot and 847 are the service locos for this coming Thursday and Friday (and presumably the weekend, though I haven't seen the loco roster). Subject to usual caveats about availability etc.

Tom

 

Excellent thanks! She was definitely the co-star (or best supporting actress!) with those headboards, shame I'm away this weekend :-(

 

Horsted struck me as looking relatively quiet in the pictures I have seen so I can understand the traders grumble. As a general observation, even on ordinary days, most non enthusiasts coming along to the railway tend to treat it as simply a 'steam train ride' with relatively few bothering to stop off mid journey at Horsted so on one hand it could be said to an extent the Bluebell was guilty of overselling the potential income to be generated to concessions. That said it would have been foolish to not take advantage of the extra space at Horsted to lay on extra facilities - the thorny question being just how much extra do you provide? The Bluebell also didn't have a lot to go on when planning this event - much of the arrangements basically being a copy of those made for Flying Scotsman's visit to the Severn Valley last year. With 3 Heritage Railways now having hosted Scotsman (SVR, KWVR and now the Bluebell) the next railway to have a go at hosting ia FS event will have more data as to what works and what doesn't.

Another thing we don't know is how much the 'sold out' factor influenced peoples decision making. Did people see various media reports saying the Scotsman was 'sold out' and decline to come on the basis* that there was no point if they couldn't ride behind Scotsman, or were other factors at play (such as not being aware that tickets to travel on the trains being hauled by Bluebell locos were constantly available to purchase, or the feeling that they could come and get a ride behind our own locos at a much cheaper price another time and simply see the Scotsman from the lineside)

* while enthusiast like to pretend they don't exist there is a large section of the public for whom steam trains are a complete irrelevance unless the loco used is 'Flying Scotsman' and who would never be encouraged to come once they couldn't by a ticket to ride behind her.

 

I would agree with your conclusions wholeheartedly. The only further comment I would make is that I don't think the Bluebell's marketing department is one of the best.

 

Completely OT but what's the thinking for GOS? BR Standards Pretty Please! 70000 92212 73082 76017 FTW!!!

 

Horsted was quiet on Friday when according to the email news letter " more 2,200 visitors through the ticket booths at Sheffield Park", but a lot busier yesterday. I do wonder how many of the circa 500 on each Scotsman trip did more than that trip ? I got the impression the majority drove to Sheffield Park so they probably
used the catering facilities there, or the buffet on the train. I doubt many would have been interested in doing a trip to Horsted. In hindsight it would have been better to encourage more people to visit Horsted Keynes with a cheaper platform ticket than the other stations.

 

The proposed date for the Autumn Gala ( which I believe is the new name) is now a share holders weekend, so their does not appear there will be one this year. According to the Icons of Steam website re: 70000 "she is now awaiting an overhaul before being returned to steam".

 

A few snaps from the event:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamessquared/albums/72157680168363752

Tom

 

hope you like



https://www.flickr.com/photos/jumbojet1/33284030834/in/datetaken/lightbox/

 

A selection of my Photos from Friday including 01 in loco works, and Carriage and wagon works : - http://paulsimpson.zenfolio.com/p523527454
and yesterday mainly of 60103 http://paulsimpson.zenfolio.com/p619715399

 

One for @Jamessquared !

 

Ooh, can I "like" that more than once <drool/>

Tom

 

I've liked it for you.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/121360005@N05/albums/72157679611722433

My photos today

 

My first photo from today - 60103 easing away from Horsted Keynes with it's final train of the week.



James

 

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U53516/2017/04/20/advanced

FLYING SCOTSMAN go home to NRM tomorrow?

 

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