Who has the best Heritage Railway website? And why?

[MrTea]

As a Digital Marketing professional, I'm interested to know more about people's opinions on their experiences of visiting heritage railway and preservation society websites.

 

Specifically, I'd like to know which organisation's website you guys feel does the best job in respect to a number of aspects:
 

1. Information for visitors? e.g. running days and timetables, parking, prices etc.
2. Ease of use? e.g. good labelling, fast loading, well thought-out structure
3. Ease of booking?
4. Information for enthusiasts and modellers? e.g. history, loco roster, projects

 

Please feel free to post your thoughts in the thread, along with any reasons for your choices.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Ian

[Bucoops]

The format is quite dated now, but Mangapps.co.uk contains a LOT of information and it's easy to find it. I do get a bit frustrated when websites for railways don't contain much information on what you can actually see there - and a bit of the major items' history.

 

What I *hate* is drop down lists - when you hover over a heading and a list of options appears - so often these disappear and come back and disappear again before you are able to click in it - or they get in the way as you didn't actually want it to show but the mouse pointer got a bit close. However, the NYMR seems to have got that bit right.

 

 

[hmrspaul]

I dislike most of them because, as someone interested in rolling stock, most give very little information on what they have. 

 

One that is useful is https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/ Not perfect but by "Explore" ing there is information and good photos. It just takes a second to think through their initial signposting. And no, I haven't been to Didcot RC since the 1970s! 

 

Paul

PS I agree about drop down menus. Totally unnecessary and I apologise that my own Zenfolio site has them - but I have no control over that!

Edited October 26, 2020 by hmrspaul

[Zomboid]

I suspect that users of this site will be the wrong people to ask. The websites I've seen have been aimed towards Mr and Mrs Normal who want to take Oliver and Olivia for a day out. Whereas what I'd be interested in would be the detailed stuff that's not of any great interest to them.

 

So any website with a comprehensive and frequently updated "Enthusiasts" section would get my vote (and which is undertaking an interesting project), but if they put that stuff front and centre then it would probably put most potential custom off.

[caradoc]

The Severn Valley Railway's website very helpfully lists what locos are in use, and even what trains they are on (Sadly I have not been able to benefit from that facility this year !).

[Steamport Southport]

8 hours ago, caradoc said:

The Severn Valley Railway's website very helpfully lists what locos are in use, and even what trains they are on (Sadly I have not been able to benefit from that facility this year !).

 

I like the Wiki site.

 

https://www.svrwiki.com/Main_Page

 

The Festiniog has one as well. Spelt that way on purpose.  

 

https://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/Main_Page

 

It's also worth looking for unofficial Facebook pages aimed at the volunteers as they often have the rosters.

 

 

But I agree with the idea that most of us probably want different information to what the general public want. I'm more interested in whether the Black Five is running tomorrow than in the dining facilities.

 

 

 

Jason

[MrTea]

7 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

I like the Wiki site.

 

https://www.svrwiki.com/Main_Page

 

The Festiniog has one as well. Spelt that way on purpose.  

 

https://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/Main_Page

 

It's also worth looking for unofficial Facebook pages aimed at the volunteers as they often have the rosters.

 

 

But I agree with the idea that most of us probably want different information to what the general public want. I'm more interested in whether the Black Five is running tomorrow than in the dining facilities.

 

 

 

Jason

 

Thanks for your input so far on this everyone. 
 

There seems to be agreement that the enthusiast/modeller audience wants different info to the mainstream visitor audience and that makes sense. 
 

Interesting to see that some railways tackle this by having a separate site for the enthusiast rather than trying to satisfy all needs in one place. 
 

Of course we also have Social Media channels and forums like this for those of us with more ‘niche’ interests!

[Reorte]

11 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

But I agree with the idea that most of us probably want different information to what the general public want. I'm more interested in whether the Black Five is running tomorrow than in the dining facilities.

I suppose we need to think of what we'd want at other sorts of attractions where we're the normal general public. When it comes to those if I look at a website before I go I'm more interested in the general - overview of facilities, opening hours, directions, that sort of thing. But when I get home I'll be more likely to want to dig around for more information about things I've seen there.

[phil_sutters]

I am impressed with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway's site. It is clear, well laid out and has good sections on the island's railway history and the conservation work it is doing.

[tractionman]

On 26/10/2020 at 07:45, MrTea said:

 

1. Information for visitors? e.g. running days and timetables, parking, prices etc.
2. Ease of use? e.g. good labelling, fast loading, well thought-out structure
3. Ease of booking?
4. Information for enthusiasts and modellers? e.g. history, loco roster, projects

 

 

I find the GWSR site is good, clear and easy to navigate with plenty of information accessible via the drop-down menu. https://www.gwsr.com/

 

Similar with the Welshpool and Llanfair railway website https://www.wllr.org.uk/

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

 

 

[AMJ]

If you want an example of a site done by an academic who includes way too much info thus making the site unreadable for the general public who want to just quickly find  out what they are looking for see the Middleton link in my footer.

 

I quite like the way the KWVR site runs

 

[terry_nyorks]

If you look beyond our shores, the "White Pass & Yukon Route" (Alaska & Canada) is nicely simplified, these days: https://wpyr.com/ 

 

The stocklist is vey accessible from a menu option "Railfans", with a sub-option for the stocklist itself (best to open in a new tab to allow return)

 

Plenty photos available here, also: 

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by terry_nyorks

[willjam39]

I like the Bluebell approach of two sites running, one general and one more detailed