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Heritage Rail Gala date conflict annoyance

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Yorkshire222

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For the 2nd year running KWVR & ELR have decided to have their Spring Steam Gala on the same weekend (6-8 March). These are the 2 nearest large Heritage railways to me and I nearly always go to all their Galas. However I'm working on Fridays and prefer to go to Galas on Saturdays and not Sundays as I have other things to do at the weekend as well. So I will probably only go to one of them. I don't go on many railway visits during a year so it's annoying they've scheduled their Galas on the same weekend. As these two lines are fairly close to each other I would have thought they'd consult with each other and not create this conflict to make sure they don't lose out on any ticket sales like mine. Every previous year they've managed to pick different weekends so why the same now?

Am I being too sensitive here, what do you think?
 
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Bertie the bus

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As these two lines are fairly close to each other I would have thought they'd consult with each other and not create this conflict to make sure they don't lose out on any ticket sales like mine. Every previous year they've managed to pick different weekends so why the same now?
Perhaps they did consult each other. Galas attract visitors from around the country so the fact the two railways are so close together would mean a visitor from down south would be able to attend both with just 1 night in a B&B.
 

wagwan my g

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I'm not sure about the two lines in question here, but quite a few big heritage lines tend to do more than 1 steam gala a year, if that's the case you could possibly do one this time and the other later in the year.

I get where you are coming from though that does sound a bit annoying but as another user has said it probably is so people can do one on the saturday the other on sunday.
 

Edders23

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My question is will there be a single kettle attending either gala that you have never had a ride behind before ? If the answer is yes go to the one that features that loco if the answer is no then pick the one that features a loco you haven't rode behind in ages
 

Yorkshire222

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Hm think you're missing my point slightly. I think Heritage railways are losing income if they run Galas on the same date as nearby lines.
 

theblackwatch

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As mentioned in #2, it can often help railways if they do this, as it means that in many cases people can justify a weekend away in the north - whereas if the two were on separate weekends they may not bother with either as it would be too much effort.

It's really up to you if you want to put the effort in yourself. If you don't, then fair enough. But you can't really blame the railway if you either don't want to or can't juggle your life around so that you are free for two of three days. If I was that bothered, I'd sort my plans accordingly - like I have in the past, where, one busy gala weekend, I did the Bluebell Railway, Barrow Hill, Epping Ongar and the East Lancs (in that order). Two galas 25 miles apart is pretty easy!
 

Edders23

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careful this is turning into another North South debate :rolleyes:

If you are like me then it can take a LOT of organising and effort to get out of work to make just one day on the gala so whilst there are people that have entire weekends to visit there are many who can only maybe make one day so I doubt there is that much of an advantage
 

YorkshireBear

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The KWVR one was set in stone a little by the bridge renewal taking place shortly after which they have advertised on their Facebook page.
 

AnthonyRail

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Im happy to one on Saturday and another one Sunday. But it's annoying when some railways only run certain guest locos on one day or there is mixed traction on the Sunday with steam and diesel with some diesels you may want to Red pen not working.
 

packermac

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The "sharing" of weekends does seem to be becoming a theme, I suspect for the reason in post#2.
It does help southerners going north or northerners coming south. However if you are local it may well be an annoyance.
Not sure if the finances work or not.
Swanage has "shared" with the WSR and Bluebell recent years and certainly the one last year that was the same weekend as the Bluebell seemed down on visitors to me. But the weather was bad that weekend.
Living in Swanage I would more likely attend if I could go to two galas (ELR & KWVR) than just the one.
 
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sprinterguy

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I'm in agreement with the original poster that I would have thought that the effect of two nearby galas on one weekend - just either side of t' Pennines in this instance - would be to erode and dilute potential local patronage to a greater extent than the arrival of visitors from further afield could compensate for.

There seems to me to be a growing number of such special events each year by the established preserved outfits, so presumably it becomes harder to avoid clashes with neighbouring lines based on local considerations such as infrastructure renewal, availability of visiting locos and so on.
 

30907

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The KWVR one was set in stone a little by the bridge renewal taking place shortly after which they have advertised on their Facebook page.
...and which was postponed from September owing to circumstances beyond their control.
 

xotGD

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If you live locally you can attend the Gala every year. Indeed, you can rock up every weekend if you are so inclined.

From the other end of the country it might be a once in a decade visit, so having the chance to cover two events in one trip is added incentive to make the journey.
 

Spartacus

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If you live locally you can attend the Gala every year. Indeed, you can rock up every weekend if you are so inclined.

From the other end of the country it might be a once in a decade visit, so having the chance to cover two events in one trip is added incentive to make the journey.

It’s swings and roundabouts though, I certainly can’t attend every gala as I’m often working at the weekends, others have other commitments, and while locals can attend more regularly, that’s normally only to travel behind the home fleet, there’s a good chance both lines might have a guest loco for a gala that’s not worked locally in years, if ever; that’s part of the attraction of galas.

It also seems increasingly common for lines to have to many locos available to work galas that often some are only rostered you work one day.

I know it’s been my experience that when there’s been a clash between two local galas offering similar traction numbers have always seemed down, whatever the weather. Perhaps one diesel and one steam wouldn’t have the same impact?

A lot of people simply won’t be able to afford, or be able to justify the expenditure, or time spent, going to two different galas over a weekend. I know when I’ve travelled some distance to one I’ve never been inclined to go to another line’s gala the same weekend, usually too expensive and too difficult to justify all that time.
 

47434

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For the 2nd year running KWVR & ELR have decided to have their Spring Steam Gala on the same weekend (6-8 March). These are the 2 nearest large Heritage railways to me and I nearly always go to all their Galas. However I'm working on Fridays and prefer to go to Galas on Saturdays and not Sundays as I have other things to do at the weekend as well. So I will probably only go to one of them. I don't go on many railway visits during a year so it's annoying they've scheduled their Galas on the same weekend. As these two lines are fairly close to each other I would have thought they'd consult with each other and not create this conflict to make sure they don't lose out on any ticket sales like mine. Every previous year they've managed to pick different weekends so why the same now?

Am I being too sensitive here, what do you think?

I think you are. It is your choice to restrict yourself to Saturday only. I like the idea of 2 close together as it gives the option of one on the Saturday, overnight and then another on Sunday. Choice of dates at railways is often governed by other events in the area, nationally or the availability of visiting engines.
 

philthetube

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As it has been happening for a while I think the railways will have studied the numbers before deciding to continue with the "clashes"
 

Bevan Price

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I'm not sure about the two lines in question here, but quite a few big heritage lines tend to do more than 1 steam gala a year, if that's the case you could possibly do one this time and the other later in the year.

I get where you are coming from though that does sound a bit annoying but as another user has said it probably is so people can do one on the saturday the other on sunday.

Unless you have to rely on Sunday public transport to get there and back.......
 

ZL exile

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You always have some clashes, just too many railways with events planned, some weekends last year there were 4 or more on the same day, just have to make a plan and visit the railway / loco9s0 that you would like to see most. Most railways have more than 1 event each year and quite a few locos go on tour, so it is possible to do quite a bit with a bit of planning. Also aided by a lot of railways now having Friday as part of their events.
 

mpthomson

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Hm think you're missing my point slightly. I think Heritage railways are losing income if they run Galas on the same date as nearby lines.
I suspect that the number that attend on both days will be a small minority of the total weekend footfall.
 

Spartacus

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I suspect that the number that attend on both days will be a small minority of the total weekend footfall.

Same, but I also suspect that there won't be many with both the time and money to attend two galas during one weekend.
 
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