Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Yes they would pay, by buying tickets to ride behind the visiting loco when it was running on the IOWSR.

Much the same way that those previous ‘WIBN’ ideas of bringing a class 33, 46447, and Birch Grove to the Island have worked.

 

Surely now is the ideal time to look at ideas for the future. Plenty of time to weigh up the pros and cons without so much day to day pressure.

 

I think many railway managements would argue that the day to day pressures have seldom been greater.

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Very true in some ways but what’s wrong with looking to the future and having an informal chat with other people at various other railways and see what’s going on? Certainly in my own line of work we’re doing the same. It doesn’t have be right now and it might not be for a while but you have to start somewhere with planning for the future.

 

All I would say is that the IOWSR no longer has diesel galas and 46447 is the railway's property The gala attended by the latter was a "thank you" for the generosity of the donors

 

And I would say that the IOWSR have stated their intention to have a visiting loco for their 50th anniversary. Up to them to decide which one, but W14 was a logical suggestion.

 

But Paul you don’t speak on an official basis for the IOWSR do you?

 

Neither any suggestion that I did

You just need to be patient for a little while longer! It would be good I think if fewer "good" ideas were sprayed around leisure railways in general at present

 

Yes we need to be patient and see what loco is chosen. But no harm in discussing what locos might be an appropriate choice, on what is after all a discussion forum.

 

Now Paul I understand you don't care much for this kind of stuff, but a lot of people do! Plus I'd hardly say this is a cause for you to charging out the barracks crying 'WIBN nonsense again', when all we're doing is having a casual discussion on what I would say is a pretty reasonable and pretty tame idea of having a visitor for this anniversary year.

People like to be able to discuss and look to the future, and certainly now more then ever with everything going on it's a nice distraction as well as something to possibly look forward to, yet apparently even this is too much to you and so you come to talk down to us once more, wagging your finger in disapproval. When it's all just harmless fun! for crying out loud!

I've not minded your comments such as these before, but this to me seems rather in poor taste I dare say...

Believe me I'm in no delusion these are hard times for us all, certainly for our heritage railway movement, but that doesn't mean we aren't allowed to think beyond these hard times for happier prospects. Surely even you would appreciate that.

No and thankfully so! If he were to have a say in how they run things there, it quickly turn into a pretty darn dull and little enthusiastic place with NO galas of any kind and any projects considered to be in the WIBN category would be a big no-no.

Sorry to all by the way if this sounds a tad rant like, but just bothered me so when all we were doing was having a fairly sensible and enthused discussion of possible things to look forward to, and then a certain someone came along to apparently call time on the fun... especially when everything is so depressing at the moment.

It's like being on a street meeting with friends just to have a innocent chat about stuff so as to cheer everyone up a bit, until an old grouch of the neighborhood comes barging out to spoil all the fun and talk down to them all, telling them their wrong and should stop this nonsense now! Not allowed apparently...

Well forgive us for wanting to have a chat to cheer ourselves up...

 

I don’t anyone’s saying these are ‘good’ ideas but there’s nothing wrong with floating a few suggestions around, it might not happen this year or next year, but there’s no harm in thinking ‘Wouldn’t this be nice?’

 

Can I like this more than once please

 

It is a wet, cold, January, we are in lockdown, there is a pandemic there is either nothing going on or everything going on. So discussing nice ideas is one of the few things people can do, even if they are not necessarily very likely. Kicking back is far nicer than kicking off (and we have the WSR and Brexit threads for that)

 

I regret if people are getting a bit annoyed If you had known what had been planned regarding the 50 years of the IOWSR on 24th January but spoilt by the shutdown then you would understand how irritating WIBN suggestions are at present Whether putting an engine through its 10 yearly boiler strip down or helping to prepare displays both at HS and at Quay Arts Newport not being able either to run a train or open the displays is frustrating Now just think what it is like if your line is one of those unfortunates that has had to lay off 33% of its paid staff but then a bit of WIBN is suggested on NP If you are feeling bored look at YouTube for a while

 

WIBN to see some punctuation!

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Laptop keyboard faults Nearly as frustrating as WIBN!

 

These types of conversations sow enthusiasm and excitement for people, and those seeds of interest can turn into visits and rides and donations. They cost the IOWSR nothing, and might contribute to folk being taken back on to their jobs in the future – they certainly won’t make the current situation worse.

Your po-faced contributions at best have a benign effect, and at worst paint a picture of a bleak, over-serious set-up, where harmless flights of fancy, a sense of fun, is not allowed. I can see you as the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang childcatcher, rounding up gala fanatics in your wibn truck, lest they accidentally infect the place with some joy.

Just chill out a bit. Chances are we’ll be in lockdown 7 and the Isle of Wight will be a concentration camp for vulnerable pensioners and vaccine deniers by the summer anyway.

Simon

 

Yet to go and see the IOWSR apparently? No-one who has done so refers to it as "bleak" but quite the opposite That's absolutely enough about the IOWSR There are lines in a desperate situation who had around 16% of their usual earnings last year They had to address realities and rapidly so Best fortune to these lines who as @21B says are under serious pressures

 

Despite lockdown meaning that no visitors were allowed the IWSR decided that it Would Be Nice to have Calbourne in steam and running around Havenstreet on the 24th January to ensure that the 50th anniversary didn't go unmarked. It was a good watch on the webcam.

 

And very nice she looks too in that Malachite livery. Just need to wait for everyone to be vaccinated and travel allowed, then we can go to enjoy a trip behind here - now wouldn't that be nice?