Steel Steam and Stars III

I proposed the £28.00 & I am a 6880 shareholder. The trains were crowded at the last one & even the special days during the week were extremely busy.If the events are priced as I suggested then gala no. 5 might feature 6880. As I previously stated an extra £5.00 is neither here nor there. The committed enthusiast isn't going say "another five pounds - I'll give it a miss".

Bob.

 

The £28. 00p one. I will probably go on two days, as I have done in the past, but would not go if the prices went sky high.

 

My view, and I'm not talking just about this event here, is that £28 for a day rover is too much and I would resist the temptation of going to a gala which charged that much. There are plenty of galas during the spring and autumn and, as I have said earlier, one of the disadvantages of these mega galas is that it is impossible to see everything because it is impossible for a railway to roster everything. On that basis a charge of £28 would be too much.

Now, putting that to one side, I can only repeat my earlier statement that the proposed charges for this gala seem to me to quite reasonable, and although I won't be attending because of concerns about overcrowding and that most of the proposed guest engines seem to have no, absolutely no, connection with the railway, I do wish the 6880 people all the best with their event.

Regards

 

You used the phrase "the committed enthusiast" A gala of this size needs all classes of customer to achieve the footfall you need to cover costs, not just puffer nutters. Excluding single round trip customers is a brave and foolhardy move for the whole event; issue an all sites day pass and a single rail trip pass and make the most of both markets.

The first and immediate problem that I can see is Gift Aid - you have stated that it is optional in good old full size text. I will guarantee someone will try to pay the basic fare at the booking office - pay on the day £25.00? (£27.50 inc G A) and all hell will break out. Sell at Gift Aid rates and keep the option to travel at "normal" prices in the T & C's. Is OAP 60 or 65? Most these days cut off at 60. If the age is stated and that and other concessions defined, everyone knows where they stand, and how much they will be expected to pay.

Some still have to work and can only get there in the evening when other than beer and whatever is running at that time, everything else will have closed for the day - or be on shed. Charge an evening rate and get some revenue rather than none at that time of day.

Carrog is traditionally the place for additional activitities - so why use somewhere else? Passengers won't get off there and won't go to a different field. The public are fickle and won't walk thirty feet off the normal route. In retail location is everything - and Glyndwfry isn't the place. After 2011 trade stalls are going to be even harder to tempt in - fuel, rent, accommodation, stock, frankly you get a better deal on EBay these days without standing in a cold wet field.

I get the feeling that your committee needs to sit down and look at costs, resources, and revenue streams, and think hard - if 6880 is to actually get any benefit at all.

Think it through and respect some of the suggestions - money doesn't just arrive because you think it should, and has been said - your previous events have given you a hard act to follow.

 

I'm pretty sure a Senior Ticket is for those Over 60. Can't remember what it was for SSS1/2.

There was an Evening Ticket available at the previous events too, though that was mainly at the suggestion / insistence of myself. Not being directly involved with SSS3 I can't say for definite what the committee's plans are this time round.

 

It amazing that anyone can say in this day and age that an extra £5 doesn't matter. £28 is too much and it would put me off from attending.

People clearly don't understand their business and it shines through with greedy fares. Shame, but thats heritage railways.

 

What would be best? Charging more for the entry ticket, and only attracting a smaller number of enthusiasts, or charging less and attracting a lot more normal people??

As most of you know, Tornado still has a huge public following, and with it being in North Wales for the first (ish) time, then the lower ticket price will attract a lot more non enthusiast types, who are generally more willing to spend money in cafes and shops.

 

They may do well to have a tornado centric day to focus the general public...as throwing in tornado as any other engine will end up in disappointment, especially if it takes a day off, but the GP don't know which day that is.

 

All very true, but we're told time and time again that you can't run a railway (even on a gala day) for enthusiasts alone... Will mum, dad and the 2.4 kids go "oh, it's only an extra fiver each"? Or will they instead go on a boat tour / open top bus trip / I'm making educated guesses as to Llangollen's alternative attractions!

 

Why are you all no longer involved? This seems very odd, and also a surprise, giving how successful the previous two events were.

 

I would call myself an enthusiast, and laying track at the CVR in all weather probably makes me a committed one. But I also have a life away from the tracks and a wife who thinks I ought to be "committed" for the amount I spend on subscriptions and diesel in pursuit of my hobby. So paying out £28 ea for a day on top of the travel and B&B isn't going to happen. I'd say £20 tops, above that you're going to subject to the law of diminishing returns, as youll alienate not only couples like us, but the all important Joe Public too. I think you're confusing enthusiasm with fanatisim, and there aren't enough of those to turn a profit.

 

The C.V.R. - Isn't that the railway which charged £25.00 for a single trip recently ?

Bob.

 

It Certainly did and the trains were full. standing room only, the attraction of travelling on a newly reopend 8 mile section of line was no doubt a big draw and with it one of the steepest banks on a presrerved line
The line up was two pacifics a black five an 8f and 5199

 

No idea, it could have been for the Cauldon branch reopening though? If so this was a one off, not your standard gala, and the CVR is much more accessible from major conurbations than the LR.

 

If you look on map its not hard to see that Llangollen is a bit out on a limb so to speak when compared to the CVR which is quite central in comparison with Manchester Birmingham Shefield, all cities within an hours drive not forgetting Stoke on Tent which CVR MCR will be running into hopefully by the end of next year there are numerous large towns within an hours drive as well

 

Numerous reasons, major one being we have all had a change in circumstances since SSS1/2. Myself and Mighty Mogul for example have changed jobs and so can no longer give the same level of commitment as we did for the previous events. Sad but we are only volunteers afterall, and sadly we have to put work first.

 

I seem to recall South Brum to Llan is around the 100 minute mark, hardley out in the sticks.

 

I was just trying to point out that the catchment area for Joe Public is considerably greater for the CVR which is surrounded by large cities all less than an hour away.