SVR General Discussion

Some heritage railway supporters can be quite tribal, so I'm not sure that all of them might be quite so sanguine!

 

It's also likely going to be a few years till 2857 will run again even if done fairly quickly. Things will likely change in the meantime.

 

Indeed, all the more reason to be open to offers and flexible in your options. Nobody can predict what this or next year is going to be like, let alone 3 or 4! But if you want to see your loco in steam again, time to be proactive.

 

Slight thread drift... but NELPG are the same. 62005 spends most of its time on the mainline as it can earn more there, 65894 runs the shoulders of the season on NYMR and normally spends the summer out and about (last year was supposed to be going to KESR, so not sure if it will this year now?!) and 69023 spent a fair bit of time on Wensleydale before. 63395 is NYMR based bar the odd gala visit.

 

Getting back to 2857, if it is economical and in generally good condition it must surely be near the head of the SVR queue for a quick turnaround at low cost.

 

Ascertaining exactly where it is in the queue* is one of the main reasons the society is seeking a meeting with the railway. Covered accommodation in the meantime is another issue to be resolved. The loco is currently at Bewdley MPD.

*The SVR position at the moment is that there is no queue and decisions on the next locos to be brought into BH works will be made one some of the current projects are completed.

 

WSR must be one of those.

 

From what I understand quite a few are rather partial to a bit of 28xx power.

 

Heavy freight 2-8-0s, the West Somerset and overhauls don’t really seem to go together at the moment do they Pete?

 

A bit of good news for the Open House weekend, the RMT strikes for the 30th March and 1st April have been suspended.

 

At the risk of reopening the whole photo charter debate I am somewhat confused by the article on RH this week.
As reported it seems to be a very expensive day by the lineside from publically accessible areas. So how is anyone stopped from "just turning up" and free loading?
Also knowing the SVR, parking for a number of cars is not possible in many places so how does that work?

 

I've missed this. What is RH reporting?

 

Photo charter with 4079 on the GW set. No travelling on the train, no trackside access, viewing only from fields and other public locations. Move between locations by cars, assuming you can find enough space for at least a dozen cars at each spot. Not my idea of fun, and especially not for £145!

The organizer's website carefully doesn't mention the lack of lineside access, merely stating "We plan to visit many of the railways best locations during this day and that will include some stations and train in the landscape scenes for you to enjoy and capture."

 

Discussion was in the Severn Valley Railway Spring gala 14-16 April (plus Pendennis Castle trips 13 April) thread (mainly concerning the door lock issues).

 

Value is in the eye of the beholder, it sold out in a day.

 

Given the justification the railway gave for withdrawing from charters this format may well be the only way forward in the short term at least to mitigate the safety concerns and produce an acceptable return for the railway. It will be really interesting to see how the day works out as far as access and parking goes and if this proves to be practical, it did indeed sell out quickly.
As for anyone 'freeloading' there has always I'm sure been an element of trust amongst enthusiasts, Joe public is another matter entirely.
Me, I'll be heading elsewhere that day.

 

I think the difference with this is everywhere is public, unless some deal has been done with a few farmers for use of fields. Sure most photo charters have some pubic areas used normally, but mostly areas not public have been used. It will be interesting to see how this one goes. Personally however well the recreation may look that sort of money plus travel and accommodation costs is way beyond what I would be prepared to pay for a few images. But I accept everybody has different ideas of what they get from Heritage events.

 

You did mention that it was expensive but I’m afraid the cost of any charter using an engine of this size is going to be well into three figures. At £450 a ton for coal it’s £700 spent before it can move and other consumables, oil etc have gone up by like amounts.
There are a lot of places readily accessible but some involve a long walk. From the riverside car park at Arley you can access Victoria Bridge or there is a footpath that parallels the line all the way to Highley.
It’s strange that the G&W, KWVR, E Lancs, S Devon and others seem quite happy to allow lineside access with no problem.
Some farmers are happy about you accessing their land if you ask, one may come round collecting for the air ambulance which I have no problem with. Others have had problems with people who think the countryside is their playground and aren’t so friendly.

 

Hopefully, those who are registered for the charter will have access to the lineside that is normally denied everyone else.
I particularly hope a risk analysis can produce sensible results without any continuing ban on the GWR stock. I'm thinking of, for example, printed note under the windows, hand outs on the tables, pre-locking doors that would extend beyond platforms, push chairs in specific coach (like bikes on the main line) etc.