Wilts Wanderer
Established Member
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2016
- Messages
- 2,482
Many of you may be aware of the various railway webcam feeds available online, including Dawlish (x2), Crewe, York, etc.
I was wondering today whether there is an opportunity for heritage railways, that will be clearly be desperate to maximise their revenue over the coming months, to provide an ‘armchair photography’ opportunity online, for a suitable subscription fee.
A well-positioned webcam, for instance adjacent to Deviation Shed at Grosmont, or at the south end of Bewdley yard, or overlooking Boston Lodge Works, could provide an interesting view on operating days allowing those who would normally make the journey in person to safely reconnect with their interest from inside their home (and possibly generate new interest.)
A quick look at Dawlish webcam shows upwards of 180 users viewing it, thats for a lineside location with a sprinter, Voyager or IET passing every 20-30 mins or so. For a locality with an engine shed or station to observe, even when trains aren’t in sight, this could prove a source of income for even nominal subscription fee? Round trip tickets tend to be about £20 on the larger railways, so even a nominal £1 fee could generate the equivalent of another few dozen fares without the problems of actually carrying them.
Im not a business person but even with modest overheads this could make sense on operating days?
I was wondering today whether there is an opportunity for heritage railways, that will be clearly be desperate to maximise their revenue over the coming months, to provide an ‘armchair photography’ opportunity online, for a suitable subscription fee.
A well-positioned webcam, for instance adjacent to Deviation Shed at Grosmont, or at the south end of Bewdley yard, or overlooking Boston Lodge Works, could provide an interesting view on operating days allowing those who would normally make the journey in person to safely reconnect with their interest from inside their home (and possibly generate new interest.)
A quick look at Dawlish webcam shows upwards of 180 users viewing it, thats for a lineside location with a sprinter, Voyager or IET passing every 20-30 mins or so. For a locality with an engine shed or station to observe, even when trains aren’t in sight, this could prove a source of income for even nominal subscription fee? Round trip tickets tend to be about £20 on the larger railways, so even a nominal £1 fee could generate the equivalent of another few dozen fares without the problems of actually carrying them.
Im not a business person but even with modest overheads this could make sense on operating days?