Railway200: The Greatest Gathering. Derby Litchurch Lane. 1-3 August.

And 46203 apparently: https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2025/0...otives-are-off-to-the-greatest-gathering.html

 

That would be seeing:

 

I have two tickets for the Friday but now have another commitment. Ia anyone interested in them for what I paid - £30 each?

 

I doubt you are the only one.

Why did they put tickets on sale so damn early?

Just seems stupid to me. Not everybody knows what their summer is going to look like that far in advance.

 

Equally there is no onus on anyone with undecided plans to buy. If you are unsure of your plans but an enticing event comes up for sale, you have two choices: buy on the off-chance and hope you can work your later plans round the event (but risk you may not be able to do so), or else hold off until your plans are finalised (but risk you can no longer get tickets). Either way that looks like an issue for the punter, not the organiser. Only the punter can way up teh balance of how much such an event really means to them against other demands on their time.

If they put the tickets on sale early and then sold out (and therefore have security in financial viability of the event) then what would you suggest they do? Put them on sale the week before when they have made expensive commitments to many loco owners to transport in their locos, and then find they get no sales because people say "too late" and either the organisers or the loco owners end up out of pocket because the event fails?

Tom

 

It is an issue for the planner because people may not turn up through forgetting about the event or making other plans.

Yes, those people have parted with their money, but a lack of footfall means a lack of on the day sales at trade stalls, food etc. It also means there could be ticket touts selling tickets at higher prices (I can't believe I am saying this about a heritage event!).

I hope there is a second window being held back and that they will allow people who can no longer make it to officially resell tickets. I cannot make the event myself.

Are you suggesting this event would not have been profitable?

 

One assumes that it would be profitable beyond some threshold number of sales. So my point is that if ticket sales were poor, it may not have been profitable, and holding tickets back too long may have depressed sales due to potential customers already having decided to do something else.

There’s probably no right answer - but complaining tickets were released too early feels like a bit of a first world problem. It seems fairly standard for high-profile events. Festival tickets often go on sale months in advance. Ultimately, you have to decide how much you want to go and how much you are willing to rejig other plans to make that happen.

Tom

 

Things like the 6 A4s in York, various Open Days at depots in recent years and Rail Fest point towards these events having an extremely high take up. There was never any risk this event would not be sold out, particularly given it's location right in the middle of GB too.

 

British Pullman railtour to the Greatest Gathering https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/uk/belmond-british-pullman/journeys/greatest-gathering-derby

 

Read closely and the steam haulage is 60103 between Wellingborough and Derby - one way only.
The normal steam loco (35028) for BBP will be at Derby, as part of the display.

Cheers, Neil

 

Site capacity and car parking will also be an issue, for an industeial site that's not normally set up to cater for visitors. Have you ever oganised or run an evcent? I'd be selling tickets as soon as I could, for costs quicly rack up

 

Equally to the point, I'd be using those ticket sales to sort out deals with retailers and (especially) caterers - those numbers will help a LOT in giving them confidence it's worth turning out.

 

Far from NOT knowing what I was doing this summer, as soon as this event was announced, I immediately DID know what I was doing! This will be a once in a generation event and the highlight of Rail 200. Early release of tickets has enabled us to organise accommodation at a reasonable price too within walking distance of the site.
Can't wait for this, who knows it may well be one of the last events of its kind, certainly of this type of scale.

 

Perspective is everything in life. Most of the time when Galas or events in the UK are announced that I'd love to see/attend, I know I can't because of distance/finances/vacation availability/etc. This is the first time in a long time (ever really) where happenstance has put me in the UK on vacation already, so of course I fought my way through the ticketing mess and added this as a specific plan to our trip. Am I going to be some kind of a zombie on Sunday when I get to Derby? Probably, as I have no idea how late the Oasis concert the night before will go and what time we will get back to our hotel in Stratford (chosen before the GG was a thing). But I know I'm booked on EMR to get me to Derby at 11:25 on Sunday morning (I know I know, that's a lot of faith in on time running) and I will be on site as fast as my legs can shoe leather express me from the station to the works to see as much as I can before the site closes.

Sometimes you just have to be grateful that life tosses things up for you, I get people not wanting to make commitments ages in advance, but sometimes you do. We got the Oasis tickets when they went on sale last August and immediately booked our flights/hotels. While we would not normally travel overseas in peak tourist season, in this case, we are and it caused me to luck into the opportunity to attend an event that may never be repeated.


Getting away from the quoted post and to some comments in the thread in general, I know people like to winge when things don't go their way, at this risk of being accused of being sanctimonious, I'm sure I've posted this on a UK forum before, or said it to folks talking in person on trips, you all have it so good in terms of rail/heritage rail/events when people start complaining it comes across hollow. I can say with virtual 100% certainty at this point that there won't be a single "main line" steam occurrence in Eastern Canada this year (the only candidate would be CPR 2816 and given its May and they haven't said anything about appearances, likely not leaving Calgary after last years trip to Mexico). There will be steam on the narrow gauge Huntsville and Lake of Bays (Great fun, but a 10 minute trip), looks like nothing on the South Simcoe Railway (CPR 136 & 1057), looks unlikely for Waterloo Central (Essex Terminal 9), and that's it for Steam in Ontario. Could I cross the border and see some Steam in the USA...sure, if you're into that kind of thing, which I'm not (and I won't go further into politics than that). I appreciate disappointment from those expressing it in the thread, but I can say with certainty a lot of overseas railfans live vicariously through all the Heritage Lines, Charters and events you have in the UK, and we'd kill to have the kinds of opportunities you have on a regular basis. I get the feelings of disappointment if you can't attend things, but remember the disappointment of not going is better than not even having anything to go see.

Cheers,

Stephen Gardiner

 

Ageed Stepehen, when the Middelton Top beam enfine was announved to be runing on steam over the early May Bank holiday a few months ago, it became a non-negotiable that I' wanted to go, you're only on this planet once and we've never had it so good

 

@SG-Canada, could not agree more.

To have this much steam available, so many years after 'the end' is a privilege. Unfortunately, some people won't realise what we have until it is really gone.

You will be worn out on the Monday, but hopefully you will have a massive smile on your face, that is some weekend!!

And for those who don't have tickets, a position on Derby station platform over those days will be pretty entertaining given the number of railtours and loco movements this event is generating.

 

The Creighton-Ward Explorer - Thursday 31st July. Crewe to the Derby Litchurch Lane Works. Stock is DRS class 57 hauling an Avanti West Coast class 390.

More details on https://www.branchline.uk/fixture.php

Sent from my SM-A166B using Tapatalk

 

Vintage Trains have now announced their own tour to the Greatest Gathering, starting from Coleshill Parkway. Entry to event included in ticket. The organisers must have held back a heck of a lot of entry tickets, given all the tours now going there! Probably well over 1000 people across all these tours.

 

Quite clever business from VT here as they have turned an empty stock move into a tour, as the stock becomes a Shakespeare Express from Debry to Stratford. Should have a Castle on the rear, unless the Castle is appearing at the open day Fri/Sat.