SVR Spring Diesel Festival 14th-17th May 2026

The ORR intervened at the Swanage, based upon social media footage.

 

They've been in attendance at the ELR as well in the past after seeing footage and images of the behaviour there. It's bad enough it happening, but you have to be utterly brain dead to think it's acceptable to put it online.

 

Putting aside the obvious nature of their stupidity, their behaviour often makes it unpleasant for fellow passengers. Fortunately, Thursday was free of such idiots and it was a good day.

 

Very small minority acting stupidly on Saturday afternoon / evening too - flailing, shouting obscenities out of window, then preventing / blocking access from train doors at Kidderminster (including a disabled person). I believe security intervened in the end. Suspect too much alcohol and lack of maturity main issues. I recognised one of them from last year, its got to be the same people - surely wouldn't take much to ID them and deal with accordingly?
Otherwise a brilliant event, thoroughly enjoyed the 13 hours we spent on the railway - timetable only disrupted by some mobile beef burgers..

Very busy all day, must have been successful financially.

Extremely welcome and unusual to have the Deltic operating on both engines on a heritage railway - it went like stink!

Other extremely odd behaviour seen was several lads smearing themselves all over their face with Deltic engine oil...is this some strange ritual I have missed or some new health kick?!!
Either way, don't fancy the laundry bill!!

 

I'm not sure it is a small minority. There is other footage to the same effect from the same event...

 

It will be. The numbers behaving stupidly are always far smaller than the numbers present at a gala

 

That's literally irrelevant though and really not the attitude that should be being taken. It takes one incident for the railway to have it's operating licence revoked - one. So using words like 'small minority' and 'successful' in any context are a bit of a joke.

Safety has to come before everything and simply put there were so many ways on the footage shown and other footage that things could have gone terribly wrong for the person, those around them and the future of the railway.

This is even before we get into the time and effort spent by volunteers to restore such vehicles.

 

Do not think I am condoning this behaviour.

However, your assertion was "I'm not sure it was a small minority" and I responded to that comment, where you seemed to be suggesting that the numbers were relevant to the seriousness of the behaviour. We both agree that this behaviour is unacceptable, and needs to be quashed - I was at another gala a few months ago, sat in a window seat, and the bloke in the aisle seat seemed surprised that I asked him to sit down rather than lean across me in a much less aware manner.

For what it's worth, on the video shared on here (and only that video), I notice someone behaving like a complete prat, but always also maintaining his observation. That fact should, IMHO, be borne in mind when considering the actual risk to life and limb, if not property.

 

Did you visit the gala?

 

Here is a interesting question. If a passenger feels that the 'idiot' is placing himself in immediate danger, should the emergency communication cord be pulled?

 

I stumbled acroos the gala by accident on Friday afternoon, travelling from Llanfair to the Midlands. Only managed a look around and spend at KDR Plus a quick pint, but operationally it looked good, lots of activity, lots of punters and my first Class 46 cop since the early 80s! The Detlic was epic and good to see the GM enjoying himself with it

 

Not sure sharing it to further expand the audience is the greatest idea either, however well intentioned...

 

One potential issue is that to achieved the chest out of the window seen in the video posted, you have to be standing on a seat or sitting/kneeling on a table or window sill. A sudden stop could cause the idiot to lose balance and injure themselves.
The 'get a member of staff' option is probably the best. The issue there is if we are short staffed, which we were. There were only 4 TTIs on Sunday for instance.