WSR 2011 Spring Gala

I stand corrected .

 

4965/5043 worked shuttles at either Tyseley open days or Didcot whilst visiting on tours?
I had 46115 at Dinting.

 

Sounds a cracker already, lets hope all goes to plan. Any chance of the QB returning and the hourly stop-everywhere timetable being dropped for an 'interesting and varied timetable'? (to quote WSR event leaflets)

 

I believe SEPT (Special Events Planning Team) stand by their belief that there is no demand for the QB at WSR special events; and I also understand SEPT is overjoyed with the hourly service. I may be wrong of course. Comments can be sent directly to SEPT via the SEPT Secretary justin.ops@wsrail.net

Steve
www.wsr.org.uk

 

Don't see the point of writing to the Herbert, nor do I see the point of renewing my lineside pass and membership. I strongly advise people to stay away and then SEPT might get the message.

Regards

 

Maybe thats a bit harsh but SEPT need to see galas are more than just hiring in locos. Yes engines attract people, no question about that, but a gala to me is all the extras you get which aren't available on a normal day, such as a turn up on the day breakfast service, trains running through some stations (especially Stogumber!), walking around sheds, turntable demos etc.

Glad to see the Dunster Shunt made a return last year as that seems a popular attraction and gives us Saturday/Sunday visitors the chance to see a Goods train (even if it is only Minehead-Dunster). Would be nice if banking made a return to.

 

Have to say writing to them seems to make more sense to me than boycotting the gala - low passenger figures are hardly going to encourage them to run more trains with more extra features! Or at the very least it'd be worth writing explaining why you're not going. I very much doubt the organisers are making these changes to **** people off, more likely that they're doing what they perceive the public want. If you think they're mistaken, tell them!

 

Claims removed from news item

No 6201 is listed on the official SSG poster...but...further confusion caused by the loco list on the official (?) Facebook page which omits No 6201 but adds Nos 9466 and 32678.

UPDATE: Facebook page is to be updated. No plans to bring nos 9466 and 32678 to the SSG, and no 6201 will attend (subject to etc etc)

Steve
www.wsr.org.uk

 

Nice idea for sure but even if SEPT wanted to reinstate the full QB gala service (they don't) it would be a pipe dream because a large majority of those volunteers that ran the service have resigned!

 

I suppose we all have our likes and dislikes, but...

QB Breakfast - Why the emphasis on breakfast? When I'm staying in B&B accommodation (as are many gala vistors), I will have had a good breakfast and don't want another one. Also, the QB coaches on the BL end of the train make it more difficult to swap trains at Williton.

Trains running throgh stations - a couple non-stop or limited stop runs per day would be fine, but, in the past there have been huge gaps between trains at some stations due to the past practivce of randiom non-stops.

Dunster shunt - always seems to be a waste of an engine to me. I hate to think the number of times I've heard people who can only attend at weekends (some people have jobs during the week) complain about this.

 

The QB 'all day breakfast' ceased in 1998, although SEPT and WSRA erroneously referred to the QB gala service as such until the end, and indeed beyond within a WSRA annual report. For at least the last 10 years we offered a full one, two or three course hot lunch service after about 1230. The changeover time depended on diagrams. This was followed by afternoon tea/cream tea options.

The QB set was positioned at the BL end for operational reasons. This allowed attachment/detachment as required and ensured the kitchen area could be kept 'staff only' as it did not lead anywhere.

 

Totally agree, I don't stay in a B&B as I live about 80mins drive away, so its a leave the house 2hrs prior to the first train job for me. I don't feel as if I want to cook a full breakfast at 5am!!

 

Yes agree that this has been a problem in the past. On a Saturday there is usually 11 trains each way. If 8 of these stopped everywhere that would be the same amount as gold timetable, so the other three could run through some stations (Dunster, Washford, Doniford, Stogumber) and these trains should be at times when demand is not high (the busiest services I find being mid/late morning from BL and mid/late afternoon from Minehead).

 

It's interesting you should say that, I've been giving this some thought in general over the past few months. To my mind, this isn't just a WSR issue but nationwide (with a few exceptions, it must be said), does anyone else find that increasingly 'special events'/'galas' are in fact running days with guest locos? Obviously there's a limit to what can be done in the restraints of a day on a single track line, especially if long sections prevent the running of a particularly frequent timetable. However, there must surely be room for one freight, or a bit of shunting, or a 'driver for a fiver' type operation? Of course, the locos are the headliners, but how many times lately have you heard a line advertise their gala entirely in terms of the locos appearing, and later a timetable? Of course, it could be that as frequent a passenger service as possible allowing as much mileage as possible behind each loco has been found to be what people want, through the results of surveys etc, I don't know.

In the past, I've heard (and indeed made) reference to diesel galas at some lines being 'steam galas run with diesels', i.e. freights etc, loco combinations which 'look good' or are historically accurate, but please followers of neither class, etc. Are we now seeing the reverse of this - a frequent, if unimaginative, timetable operated by an impressive list of locos, and nothing else?

To reiterate, this is not aimed especially at the WSR more than any other line, but as the subject's been raised in this thread it seemed appropriate.

 

Entirely agree. Could it be the gala organisers get complacent with successes of previous years? I've emailed wsr gala team as detailed above, if everyone did the same with their gripes, some sort of message might get through!