New MHR Website:

Just been on the new web site and its GREAT.

 

Not happening for me - just opens main page & won't let you go any further -- this is 18.30 Pacific Time - Saturday 15th May . -- Will try again later

edit -20.25 -now opens for me -looks good .-- thanks all concerned with set up ,.

 

Wow! An improvement which actually is an improvement! Congratulations to all concerned with a great revamp. They have even re introduced the loco roster - which pleases me enormously! The railway lost over £300 of my money since the loco roster became a closely guarded secret, and I headed for Swanage or the Bluebell rather than the more conveniently sited Alresford. I look forward to heading to the MHR very soon! It's a lovely line with friendly staff and great locos.

 

Well, with regard to loco roster, at the moment you can rely on 92212/34007/5224 (the railway prefers not to use 5224) on service trains. 60019 doing all available i June. 30075 on some weekdays. 850 is out for a few months.

 

Couldn't agree more, and I speak as a robust critic of the new website till now. Perhaps we should start a new thread entitled the All New MHR website!

 

I'm pleased to see the return of the roster on the website - I'll be almost certain to visit soon now that this information is available again.

 

The site does seem to have an issue with Bank Holiday Monday, 31st May. According to the loco roster, nothing is running, and if you click on the date in the timetable page, it tries for a while to display the timetable for the day, but then gives up.

 

A nice design with plenty of info, a personal preference would be that the departmental news is gathered into a single news page. The over-riding problem is one of speed - the site is horrendously slow and has timed out on me a number of times on a 1Gb connection!!! If the problem of speed can be sorted out, then I think the MHR is onto a real winner.


Keith

 

I think that the main problem is the images. Most of them are displayed scaled down rather than actual size. I've just been on one page with 17 images sized 600x450 which are displayed as 168x126. You're having to download 12 times the amount of data that you actually need. On the plus side, if you click on an image and go into the image gallery software, this then runs really quickly as you've already downloaded all of the full size images that this displays.

Personally, I would normally hold both full-size and thumbnail images. The main page would then load a lot faster. The image gallery software would be a bit slower, but it would only download one full-sized image at a time, and you'd only download full-sized images if you actually wanted to look at them.

Having said that, I agree that it's well laid out, easy to navigate and very informative.

 

9F and Wadebridge for the 31st, I believe. I'll probably be on Wadebridge if any of the Natpres regulars are around so come up and say hello.

 

New timetable available here.


http://www.watercressline.co.uk/Your-Visit/Timetable

 

How come there is only one person posting loco news? As he is away on holiday at the present time there has been nothing.

 

I suspect that he is one of the few approved reporters.

Oops , have I said too much????

Regards
CW:

 

Chris

I enjoy the wagon group updates on there, very interesting and informative. Out of interest, how many wagons on the MHR are operational at present?

Many thanks

 

Many thanks Stewie:

By my reckoning there are 62 wagons and brake vans on the Railway of which 16 are engineers wagons.

Of the 46 remaining 29 are in service leaving only 15 to go, these being the ones that need a lot of tlc.

There are also 5 passenger rated vans of which 3 are in service, one under restoration with the really bad one leaving until the last.

After this a maintenance program will follow along with , (hopefully ), some vintage carriages.

I hope this helps.

Best regards
Chris

 

Thank you Chris, much appreciated. A good operational fleet there!

 

Down for me as well.

Could not connect to remote server

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It worked ok for me last night, but it says under maintenace this morning.

I really like the MHR's website it's very much a good example of how to advertise the line.
A few other lines should take example of it..
here's my reasons:

1. The first image to load is "book tickets".
2. only 1 logo on the page (not lots).
3. In google, if I type "watercress", "mid hants", "alton railway" or "alton steam" it's the first hit in the list... basically makes it easy for any none railway expert to find quickly
4. easy to find: a. the address, b. the line, c. Events all on the home page without having to click.
5. No flashing images, boxed off sections of the screen, repetition, slow loading sections etc.. it's very to the point.

many railways could learn from this site (that is when it comes back up, I hope they dont change it !!!)

 

Site still seems to be down, anyone else had any luck?