SVR General Discussion

Just "on a number of threads", meh? Methinks someone hasn't been keeping up.

 

Friday is also when the tickets go on sale. Hopefully a decent amount of event information is also available.

 

So it would be ok for the SVR to hire 4 locos, rack up huge transport/hire/fuel costs and then not worry if they make a huge loss, as long as they had given enthusiasts a 'real shin dig'???
That's some very weird thinking...

 

Unfortunately experience indicates that a lot of railway enthusiasts indulge in weird thinking.
That may include me but I’ll leave it for others to decide whether that’s the case.

 

Hire costs work both ways. They are often effectively offset by hiring SVR locos out. 7714, 2857 and 75069 will all have visited more than one railway this year. The SVR also has a good record of getting guests in via the main line (often with the offer of a bit of work on the wheel drop or whatever) to reduce transport costs.

One of the points made at the recent SVR(G) AGM was that passenger numbers this year are down on general travel but up on galas and special events. Management's impression (AIUI) is that with money being tight, people are keeping their day-to-day spend to a minimum but will still pay for a one-off that they won't see again.

 

Scotsman numbers (2016 "Pacific Power" in the SVR's case) are usually in a league of their own. Obviously other numbers can be affected by weather and so on, but a fairly recent pre-Covid example of a "big locos" versus "small locos" autumn gala:

2015: 70000 Britannia, 46100 Royal Scot, 46521 : 7,300 pax

2017: SR 926 Repton, GER 564, SR 323 Bluebell : 5,300 pax

Personally I enjoyed 2017 more...

 

I guess the question between 2015 and 2017 is whether the latter visitors were cheaper to hire (and in one case, transport) than 2015. I suspect that unless railways throw open their books to an unprecedented level of detail (and also find a way to crystallise the cost of the “quid pro quid” you mentioned) we’re unlikely to know.

Tom

 

I can understand this and have kinda done this myself so far this year.

 

Agreed. I'm sure there would be far more income for the latter, but higher costs and more pressure on resources too. Also, rather vulnerable if the Star of the Show has a problem.
A visiting mainline special with such a loco would be nice, especially if it ran through to Bridgnorth inclusive in the fare to encourage its passengers to stay on board rather than invade the other other trains. But that would add to operational issues.

 

Absolutely .... and in these days of maximising 'bang for the buck', nothing can be assumed, so the nature, scope and cost of publicity for events needs close scrutiny.

 

Would not dispute that but day to day visitors are less likely to be full on enthusiasts I suggest.
Which begs the question on a gala how many or not full on enthusiasts, events like FS or Tornado (that the public seem to identify with) excepted.

Has any work been done on the impact of an aging enthusiast population?
I am no longer prepared to drive vast distances in a day, so galas become at least an overnight so you then add hotel, food to the increased fuel price and ticket price and at some point the elastic breaks.

To me personally big locos on a long branch line do little when you probably wait a long time at crossing points.
Shorter lines or the GCR with its double track give more options and a better day out to me.

But of course everyone has differing views, big locos at the SVR or say 5 or 6 locos that blast out the colliery at Foxfield, the latter wins hand to me if money is tight.

 

we’ve just set our date for next years gwsr Cotswold festival of steam, I can tell you already it won’t be as much as a lot of railways are charging. I’m guessing we’re lucky with lower overheads, but I do wonder how many railways are getting greedy… (oh and we generally make a healthy profit to boot as well )

 

My "Like" really means "Thanks" for helping to keep our feet on the ground, not that I really like the new reality.

 

Welcome to NatPres where many would be better served by a model railway in the attic than Posting.

Though we all know the real banter choice is a S160.

 

There's nothing wrong with weird thinking, it's when you expect other people to act upon your thinking that disappointment frequently arises!

 

..... not all of them rail-related.

 

The railway is planning to hire a fleet of guest Class 20s to operate the Autumn Steam Gala.

 

Which I don't!
Some of us just want to be positive and enjoy life.