Steel Steam and Stars III

Just a few updates :-

The extension towards Bonwm halt is progressing really well (I have been told that the tracklaying has passed the site of the halt)

The footbridge at Glyndyfrdwy has been dismantled & is now in sections on wagons in the sidings there awaiting removal for scrapping.

The restricted access to the down platform at Glyndyfrdwy, which was the reason for having the footbridge, has now been resolved by the railway having leased the full width platform from the new owner of the station building. The new platform access ramp, platform surfacing & fencing are progressing rapidly.

Bob.

 

any ideas when a finalised Timetable will appear/be ready?

cheers

 

I see whay the footbridge at Glyndyfrdwy is no longer essential, but it is also a nice feature to have because it gives people a different perspective (literally). Has it been removed because it was unsafe?

 

You've been told wrong then...

 

Personally i wouldn't really class this as a good promotional video. The start and middle focuses on things away from the railway and none of the video shows what the event is really about. There isn't really any enthusiasm from the person narrating it either. I realise the caption says it is aimed for people who are not necessarily interested in railways but is this really a selling point? To me it's no different to saying 'come to the NNR gala, but go to the beach instead of riding the trains!'

I've never been to one of the events but know what they are about. However, if i didn't and watched that video i would still be a bit clueless! That is my personal opinion though.

 

I will arrange to have my informant executed & his body fed to the trackside otters.

Bob.

 

Oh my heavens. It's not often that I feel obliged to make some real criticisms of someone's efforts, but I think this is really quite wide of the mark when it comes to advertising a railway or event successfully.

Visually, it is quite amateurish, with a dark tone that does not look enticing to a visitor.

From an audio perspective, the Hotel Foyer music is just plain wrong. It's almost depressing. The choice of Eeyore as narrator isn't a help either - as someone else has said, he's rather lacking in enthusiasm!

'...why not make it a day out for wives and girlfriends too...' - nice bit of casual sexism there, which reinforces the stereotypes about 'Railway Widows' etc etc. I know that this is generally a male dominated hobby, but to write off all women as uninterested is unfair.

I can see the idea - appeal to the 'average' visitor, who isn't bothered by 'namers' or interesting stock/loco combinations etc., but I think that youtube is the wrong platform - after all, how many non-enthusiasts are going to click onto the 6880 website, or this video on youtube? - and that this video practically says 'SSS3 aint gonna be that good, best check out a few other attractions to make a day of it...'. (By the way, our narrator is scared of saying Pontcysyllte). The efforts to big up the transport links 'come by local unappetizing bus service!'...eek - you want to say 'EXTENSIVE PARKING!!!'

If you want an enthusiast-orientated gala to appeal to non-enthusiasts (special events do after all have specific target audiences in mind), you've got to make it sound amazing. Once in a lifetime opportunity, 'festival of nostalgia', and get the word out locally - local press, local news, local radio. You don't want to say, 'combine it with other stuff ' - let's be honest to get one's money out of a gala ticket you've got to put a day in.

It also occurs to me that you've got Tornado coming. The Tornado effect isn't dead yet - certainly not amongst the general public. You need a video on the BBC website that basically says 'Tornado. Tornado. TORNADO!!!!!!!!!!'

Sorry to be so critical, but this video just falls down on every front.

 

That music is too miserable to play at a funeral !. Where did they dig up that narrator - He can't pronounce Llangollen properly never mind bottling out of saying Pontcysyllte.
At least the map has got Llangollen on it, unlike the one in the brochure.

Bob.

 

When I notice the 6880/SSS3 website has been updated, I try and share my findings with this forum as soon as possible. I was not involved with this video.

 

Don't talk about David Humpbach like that. Anyway, the video is superb. How much of it did you watch?

 

Yes, but you'll have to feed the body to otters that actually exist!

The railhead is (or was 2 weeks ago) just past the farm and crossing. They've been ballasting for the last 2 weeks, so have probably stopped laying track for now.

 

It is a superb video, from the point of view of the Llangollen tourist board. It does absolutely nothing to encourage people to visit the gala though. And the narration has no enthusiasm in it.

 

that is what you get with a David Huntbatch video, im afraid I have to agree with most of those on here. Im sure he is very enthusiastic about 6880, the Gala and everything railways but this does nothing to advertise the gala really.

regards

AT

 

Spot on mate. Surely SSS3 is about persuading people to spend money at LR, not trying to encourage people to go into the town where they'll spend their money on other products available. I can see what they are trying to do, but its more of a PR own goal than something of value. Surely trying to tap into the fact this is 60163's first visit to a Welsh Preserved Rly would create more interest & visitors? (Has she even worked in North Wales before?)

As for the narration well, where's Danny Hopkins when you need him lol

 

My favourite bit was the map which could have only taken about 5 minutes to draw in MS Paint.

 

I think even as an advertisement for the Llangollen area it's pretty poor, the dark tone to the pictures and lacklustre narration spoil it. I don't deny the chap's enthusiasm and dedication, he's got better video editing skills than I - he could make some cracking videos for 'us enthusiasts'. But I think that his forte is not in advertising videos, aimed at the 'normal' visitor.

NDTSDN - I had gathered that it wasn't your video.

7822WelshSteam - I watched the entire video, so we will have to agree to disagree as to it being 'superb' or not.

 

The closest 60163 has got to North Wales is Chester when she has done a few Cathedral Expresses from London.

 

Any news on 4141?