Swanage Railway General Discussion

pity they didn't move that fast on other outstanding projects!!
By their numbers shall ye know them!!

 

I’m not aware of any plans that have been made public regarding the use of the vehicle at Corfe, so I’m not entirely sure where the suggestion that there will be no seating and plastic cups has come from?


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Im pleased its moved, it didn't attract the footfall where it was and will be better at Corfe. Hopefully it is renamed too so it doesn't have the Birds nest connection and indeed reputation. The simple fact is the petition was started by people who used to run the nest. If you look at the pictures used to describe the nest on the Swanage News website, you will note that most sitting in it were volunteers. Meaning it was really at times a posh mess room. Off to Corfe it goes and good luck to it! Has my full support, delighted with the management for making this decision. And like Rumpole said..its academic now anyway, unless people want to push it back.

As for seating and pre packaged food, no one has suggested seating is being removed and the nest actually only did pre packed food in the end!

 

Its a sad day when the SWANAGE railway moves an institution,(recognised as such by the locals if you read the petition remarks) from a high visibility location in the town where the project was born,where it provided(pre-covid) employment and a great ambiance.A move not designed to win friends apparently amongst the people who count most and whose support means the most in the long run. The local townspeople.

 

How many people do the 200 signatories represent, though? And what do they represent in terms of business for birds nest or SR? Change happens, and sometimes even good changes cause people to lose out.

Near me, there was a popular cafe that was moved because of changes by the landlord a few years ago. There was a row at the time, and all then went quiet. That newsprint became yesterday's chip wrappers, and is now long re-recycled.

 

Institution indeed, it's a half way house stop gap carriage that isn't fit for purpose. It has PROVED that unequivocally through till receipts over the last few years. The railway cannot afford to run a cafe that doesn't make money, end of. No matter what romantic view of it you might have.
You talk a load of old tosh you really do.

 

"unless people want to push it back"
Yes,it will be a hard learned lesson!
..and what if the petition was started by people who "used to run the place" Used to be one of the SR boasts about how many locals and businesses it supported. The SR has gone a very long way off of the principles on which it started out;
and having local people involved and supporting an organisation like SR is essential. Time will tell!

 

Yes it will, when it is turning over more money at Corfe than it ever did in Swanage.

 

Well, It was very much a going enterprise when i volunteered there,however it has probably fallen victim to a common ailment. Neglect.
Yup and its tosh talkers like myself who will be voting with our pocket books. We will see how you free enterprise chaps make out without support,and if you lose that at the local level then you have indeed,lost it!

 

will you be supporting the refurbishment?

 

When I first volunteered, the Birds Nest was booming. It was in platform 1, directly next to unloading trains. Had a staff full of enthusiasm and drive, had a cracking reputation amongst staff and visitors. Amazing breakfasts, fast service and a great atmosphere. The people changed, the food declined even before it left Platform 1. I recall it had £80k spent on it and there was uproar. It then moved, food quality, speed of service all continued to decline. You have to know when to stop flogging a dead horse.
Vote with your wallet then, but there is still a Kiosk in Swanage, and a decent cafe at Corfe. The offering needs to be attractive and convenient to our customers. It was neither of those things in the squint.

 

Some people in the locality have suggested replacing the railway with a cycle path...

 

Would it go all the way to Wareham, or only as far as Norden? (Asking for a friend).

Tom

 

there are some amazing artifacts to be seen on the trail. an old buffet coach(abandoned) An old mining Museum and a free wander around the vaunted woodpecker sidings.
In about 10 years time the path should be completed to Wareham!

 

What were all those people doing outside enjoying their Kaffee und Kuchen when i was last there
Is the SR a project whose time has gone?
Let us see how this season transpires.Four coaches now.Three soon??
But the Norden end of the world gang never did really want to go further did they?

 

FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

As I and many others have already said, please stop your incessant criticism and negativity. If this is Oliver's best, I dread to think what Oliver's worst is like. The Swanage Railway, like a lot of other heritage lines, has had a very tough two years since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Some tough decisions have had to be made and while they are clearly not to your liking, they have been necessary to enable the railway to pull through and although I think we are heading for a recession in 2023, I have no doubt that the line will survive and flourish.

Indeed, one day, I am sure that some form of service will operate of Wareham, even if it may not even be in 2023 and may for the foreseeable future be only on certain days of the year. As someone who loves the line and usually gets over for a couple of visits each year, I am sad that there will be no trial service this year, especially as, living some way to the east of Ringwood, going all the way by train would have been a far more attractive option than facing the chaos of the current road works on the A31. Still, that's life and there is no point whinging. The trains seem to load well, the line is getting back on its feet, the motive power issues are easing with some very exciting prospects for the future e.g. 563. How about a bit of positivity instead of giving the railway you profess to love so much flack at every possible opportunity?

 

No idea why Oliversbest posts on here. He is clearly not a supporter, no matter what he / she professes. Just uses the cover of 'I'm a supporter' to justify moaning.

 

There are" everything you do is ok with me boss' supporters and there are supporters who like to question the "raison d'etre" of certain decisions. Healthy democracy no? If you are 100% happy with everything at SR so be it. As an older supporter,yes i tend to hark back to original principles,and I do believe that moving "The Nest" out of Swanage is a bad move, mostly because i think that risks alienating the Railway from the most important people, and those are the people of Swanage,the milieu in which the Railway operates. This decision will bite us where it hurts. Small term gain for long term pain

 

..and a wee bit of whinging worked wonders on the carriage roof did it not??

 

I have been an active volunteer for 23 years, my opinion is just as valid as anyone else's. You think i am a management 'supporter', well yes when the decisions are right I am. However I can assure you I can be a right pain in the arse to them if I disagree! The decision at to move the birds nest is the right decision and it will reflect so in our bank balance and our ability to survive going forwards. The people of Swanage will forget it was even there, and they will forget it because they never used it. Also don't you think the Cafes in Swanage will be pleased they have less completion, why are they any less important than Corfe traders?

Likewise, don't flatter yourself, the carriage shed construction and its timescales have absolutely nothing to do with you. You are also trying to conduct SR democracy (which is cover for you moaning like a little girl) via a third party website that has no official links to SR. I reiterate, the way you act on here, means you are not a supporter.