'Cathedrals Express'. 28/06/18

There seems to be a growing swell of opinion that the paying customers, being attracted by powerful and emotive advertising to book on steam hauled special trains, will have infinite tolerance for a substantially different product on the day. That may prove so but to me it seems quite a worryingly complacent assumption.
As to the collosal additional costs of a show pony referenced by @theman amongst others, most quarters agree that profitability is a key consideration for promoters working to tight margins. There must be a strong risk that putting on a show pony tips the train into a loss making situation? If so, that in itself must potentially put the businesses themselves in some jeopardy and thus risking many future steam trains.
Polarised views, clearly, but it raises a number of paradoxes and potentially uncomfortable, unintended reputational consequences as far as I'm concerned. Others obviously have more faith.

 

Damn right we've more faith, don't you ever stop rambling on, These companies are not fools, they run their business (successfully) as they see fit......IT'S THEIR MONEY. These day tours are not exclusively put on for enthusiasts, they are for the public in general.
'Keyboard warrior' springs to mind........and you won't change anything.
I accept that you have a right to an opinion and (within forum rules) a right to express that opinion, but give it a rest man.

 

If that scenario is a potential loss making situation then your suggestion that tour promoters should be giving token/partial refunds will surely increase that loss making risk potential even more.

Dave B

 

I rather thought "the money" you mention comes from "the customers", but, hey, what do I know?
As to ceasing to proffer an opinion, which you graciously accept is fairly made, how is it my duty to make your browsing experience more tolerable by moderating my comments? It seems a little high handed of you to expect anyone to keep quiet simply because you disagree with their views and wish they didn't share them. I'm sure you contribute to a bunch of threads with stuff I don't particularly care to read - so I don't, or at least ignore it if I happen to stumble upon it! Might I respectfully suggest you adopt the same policy if I happen to comment in one of "your" threads?

 

I don't expect you to keep quiet, I never said I did, but for a long time now you've been banging the same drum, you've had your platform, we've listened, we've heard you, and you're not achieving anything, you'll never get ANY of the companies to change the way they run THEIR business. It is their right to run their business the way they see fit.
An example:- 10A is impregnable for news and visitors..........but the SSE is full every summer. So the blanket ban on news and visitors is not doing them a lot of harm.
You've had your say, we KNOW your views.

 

Sorry if you find my views monotonous but you and others bang your own drum too, in your opinion certain businesses are beyond reproach or question - equally valid to be freely expressed. I keep my counsel about what I think of your opinion or offer a counter argument.
As it happens I think there have been significant changes from the promoters if you care to read the most recent comments made by their respective senior officials. Not that NP has been especially influential but I do think it represents a form of acknowledgement that diesel shovage, for example, has adverse response from customers. If we just believed some of the "wisdom" some poster write, such changes in attitude would never occur.

 

Okey dokey.
Over and out.