Justin Smith
Member
It cannot have escaped the notice of enthusiasts that more and more heritage lines are becoming more like businesses. Not just in their revenue generation but, less understandably, in their attitudes to the very enthusiasts who support them, and, without whom, they`d never have gotten off the ground. More and more are withdrawing photographers permits, indeed Nick Piggott in the Railway Magazine commented on this in the Feb 2019 edition, apparently the G&WR stated "the days of it being for hobbyists are gone". A Heritage line of which I was a member (until the last renewal....) has recently withdrawn access to their shed, even for members. When questioned about it they had to admit that, as far as they knew, in all the years the public had access to that shed nobody had ever been hurt, they certainly had not been sued. Anyway, even if the worst did come to the worst, the chances of them being sued by a member must be minute.
The fact is that Heritage lines are not pure businesses, they`re mainly run by volunteers and receive much of their funds, particularly for funding campaigns, from donations. So, to clarify, and complete the statement, “Heritage lines are not for hobbyists, unless they want their time and/or money”.
Does anyone know if membership of Heritage lines is decreasing ? To be frank I could understand it if it was.
The fact is that Heritage lines are not pure businesses, they`re mainly run by volunteers and receive much of their funds, particularly for funding campaigns, from donations. So, to clarify, and complete the statement, “Heritage lines are not for hobbyists, unless they want their time and/or money”.
Does anyone know if membership of Heritage lines is decreasing ? To be frank I could understand it if it was.