Swanage Railway General Discussion

Yes it is comparing apples and oranges and for that matter bananas and mango. Customers rarely just eat apples; there are a plethora of fruits to choose from and unless sufficient customers choose the heritage railway grapes then they will wither on the vine.

What can heritage railways learn from other attractions: how to boost secondary spend through better retail and catering offerings, how to improve engagement with their customers through better interpretation, how to generate more donations and responses to appeals through focused and targeted fund raising, how to attract more volunteers through encouraging interest, engagement and involvement.

 

If I go for a day out, my wife will compare static and moving attractions without caring about their underlying nature. We went to Chatsworth on Saturday; if we went to the GCR, she'd be looking at most of the same features. Can we park easily, is the cafe any good, are the prices reasonable, what are the loos like, etc. That matters for the vast majority who aren't enthusiasts - the minority who are enthusiasts will have their own special reasons for going and be much harder to influence.

 

I am not deeply anti diesel at all as those who read my column will know. Far from it but I am anti DL when it should be steam or if it’s stuck on the back

 

Correction noted, though as a non-reader of your column, I had not registered from the postings here.

 

The toilets at both Swanage and Corfe Castle stations leave a great deal to be desired.

 

They are preserved in their 1960s glory!

 

Oh dear!

 

Just to let 80104 know, the two Wessex Belle dining coaches [an FO and an SO] do not just need regular maintenance and attention and put straight back to work.
They were vandalised earlier this year and now require many thousands of pounds to repair them. I'm uncertain as to whether the Railway's insurance covers everything or, if it does, whether the resultant increased future premiums make it worthwhile claiming.
This vandalism included smashed windows, damaged tables and other fittings plus arson which, fortunately, did not spread to devastate the whole of one of the coaches. So far as I'm aware, the culprits have not been caught by the Police despite the Railway's CCTV recordings. The crime occurred some time between late Friday 24th and early hours of Saturday 25th February 2023.
As Gladiator 5076 mentioned - another potential drain on the railway's scarce funds.
I suspect no Heritage Railway can easily deal with these sorts of crimes quickly or cheaply.

 

I was aware of this. My question should have been framed more precisely ie does SRC Catering Department have sufficient staff with the necessary skill set and desire to deliver a fine dining product? From the SRC overall view would this be a viable product to offer?

As regards the current state of the Wessex Belle Dining Set. I think one of the problems SRC now faces is that whether or not an insurance claim is made, a claimable event has incurred which must be disclosed to the insurers and would therefore be factored by the insurers into the premium at renewal.

 

Given that there are numerous places you can eat in Swanage, you have to reluctantly say no, But, there is one thing no other eatery could provide, and thats the experience of fine dining whilst watching the countryside rolling by, or the sight of the ruins of Corfe castle, with the setting sun , whilst you gently puff past, attendants in pulman type dress, giving at seat service, it also can double up as a way to entertain people who you might want to look favourable on you, local big wigs, people with money to gift,

 

Watching the webcam and looked like lots of passengers, which I guess is good for this time of year, the next train was extended to 6 carriages and a 33 in top and tail.
Ideally the timetable should have been 2 steam trains, if they would have known in advance a large number of passengers?.

Edit was good to see a Corfe pub featured in Who do you think you are last night.

 

I do wonder. I can see the benefits both financial and reputational of a flagship product but if overall the Wessex Belle costs more to run than it brings in perhaps this is one of those difficult decisions to be taken to allow focus on the core business.

 

Perhaps a picnic hamper style operation similar to the IOW might work, perhaps in conjunction with Swanage based suppliers. @Paulthehitch could advise on how it works operationally.

 

I tend to think that running diners on short lines, where the train has to shuffle backwards and forwards along the line to provide a decent run, is faintly ridiculous, as is standing still for long spells to avoid having to do that. I also happen to think that the "fine dining" offering on most lines is something of a misnomer for what is essentially a pub lunch, if one looks at the menus.

 

You say that but the Wessex Belle, especially in the summer, would stop near Castle View foot crossing for the view of the castle with the setting sun for around 20 minutes. This and travelling at 15 MPH meant that two round trips took around 3 hours.
My wife and I always enjoyed having a trip on the Wessex Belle.

 

I wouldn't dispute that for a moment - chacun a son gout! I just think that there is an opportunity for the lines with the quality stock to carry it off to offer a much more upmarket version of their "fine dining", perhaps by working with a recognised good chef; there's also scope for doing a lot at the lower end of the market (curry, pie and peas and other theme nights) although staffing may be an issue. Railways have to be adaptable to new trends in dining as much as in other areas.

 

There are already several lines that do both the up market and the lower end successfully, but I guess it needs a lot of good management and volunteers to succeed.

 

If I could help I would but I would suggest that someone contacted the IOWSR directly

 

Swanage yes. Corfe are excellent 19th century examples

 

The original Corfe Castle Station "gents" is undoubtedly a fine example of then contemporary sanitary ware but unfortunately not what the current customer expects.