Little Trains & Big Names with Pete Waterman

[The Stationmaster]

23 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Interesting point, but a smilar number probably first encounter railways on Thomas weekend.

I suppose that market is already pretty well served though.

R Thomas related eventsseem to have declined soem time back -  almost certainly due to tthe exorbitant fees demanded by the commercial licence holders.   Santa costs nithing in that respect and all the revenue remains with the railway to cover its costs etc

[RJS1977]

The trouble with Santa events of course is that they can only happen at Christmas.

 

Some years ago there used to be a "replica" Ivor the Engine doing the rounds. Sadly, as Ivor isn't as well-known as Thomas, I don't think it was quite the crowd-puller it was perhaps expected to be (and of course there aren't any standard gauge steam railways in the "top left corner of Wales" for it to run on), although of course the licensing costs were much less. Gradually its bookings dropped off until it effectively became a permanent resident at the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway who continued to run "Ivor" events until its certificate ran out. Since then its owner has sold it elsewhere and it has since been back-converted into an ordinary Peckett.

[RichardT]

18 hours ago, Invicta Informant said:

 

If there is a second series, some guests in mind - Roger Daltrey, Rod Stewart, Bruce Dickinson, Michael Palin, Michael Portillo, Ian Hislop.

 

Rod Stewart is definitely a modeller (and I bet he was asked for this series but demurred) but I’m not sure about any of the others. The series is about celebrities who are actual railway modellers, not celebrities who are known to be interested in railways more generally. Indeed, the Francis Rossi episode was a bit of a stretch in that regard. Normally a series like this would be six episodes: the fact that it was only four suggests a lack of other relevant content. Rather than spoiling the idea I’d rather they left it at the four programmes they’ve got. Just like the BBC documentary “The Joy of (Train) Sets” was a delightful one-off.  Sometimes less is more.

 

RichardT

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by RichardT
Spelling

[RichardT]

2 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

R Thomas related eventsseem to have declined soem time back -  almost certainly due to tthe exorbitant fees demanded by the commercial licence holders.

Nail on head. Thomas events were killed by greed fifteen-odd years ago: the only potential railway enthusiasts they may have influenced are now aged twenty+!
 

RichardT

[Colin_McLeod]

On 09/11/2023 at 11:22, The Stationmaster said:

Equally you need to consider how most youngsters nowadays first experience 'railways' and for the vast majority it is a Santa event on a preserved/heritage/leisure railway. 

Do children still travel to school by train?

[jbqfc]

12 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Do children still travel to school by train?

Yes lots from Tonbridge use the train towards Redhill 

 

John 

[Mike_Walker]

And on the Marlow branch too - in both directions depending on where they live and which school they attend.

[ovbulleid]

13 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Do children still travel to school by train?

I’m told that the only thing justifying the line from Lymington Town to Lymington Pier remaining open is the number of students who travel from the Isle of Wight to Brockenhurst College- with no educational facilities for over 16’s on the western half of the Island, it’s the only way for them to sit anything other than GCSE’s! If it weren’t for them, Network Rail would close it on the grounds that the bridge over the river Lym is desperately in need of renewal! 

[Captain Kernow]

13 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Do children still travel to school by train?

Of course, in many parts of the country it's the only viable and practical way.

[PaulCheffus]

On 10/11/2023 at 19:15, steve1 said:

What I did find teeth grindingly annoying was the pointless recap after every ad break. I resent it being assumed that I’m too brain dead to remember what was happening two minutes earlier.

Hi

 

Unfortunately that seems to be the current trend and I agree very annoying.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[MarkC]

14 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Do children still travel to school by train?

The 4pm train off Whitby to Middlesbrough is full of schoolchildren - plus a couple of blokes there to keep order, last time I travelled on that service...

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, Mike_Walker said:

And on the Marlow branch too - in both directions depending on where they live and which school they attend.

Same on the Henley branch - hordes of them travelling to/from the 6th Form college from as far away as Slough in some cases.  Plenty too travelling to/from Reading particularly from the Maidenhead area.

[RJS1977]

Quite a few children use the Reading-Waterloo line to attend school in Winnersh.

 

Also a lot of children use the Reading-Guildford line to go to school near Farnborough North - see the discussion about Farnborough North Level Crossing in the "Level Crossing Stupidity" thread.

[Rich_F]

15 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Do children still travel to school by train?

 

Yes. I still see lots of teenage boys commuting to the same school I went to (in Croydon) by train.

 

 

[MarkC]

4 hours ago, MarkC said:

The 4pm train off Whitby to Middlesbrough is full of schoolchildren - plus a couple of blokes there to keep order, last time I travelled on that service...

I don't usually quote my own posts, but to put some more detail on this - for Mike (Stationmaster) as much as anything, I spoke to one of the security heavies (and, believe me, they were...), and the feedback was that if they weren't there, and anything kicked off, it would make "Lord of the Flies" look like a story for the kindergarten...

 

My flabber was quite gasted...

 

Mark

[Kris]

21 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Do children still travel to school by train?

They certainly do in Cornwall going in and out of both Falmouth and Truro. I have also seen lots of school children using the trains in and around Plymouth. 

[Bazza]

Don't forget the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch school trains. Fancy going to school on a miniature railway!

[Pacific231G]

32 minutes ago, Bazza said:

Don't forget the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch school trains. Fancy going to school on a miniature railway!

Like any commuter run, I suspect that the novelty would soon wear off.

I binge watched progs 1-3 this evening (having seen prog 4 on repeat a few days ago) and, by a  curious coincidence, had actually travelled to and from Sydenham station yesterday to see friends I'd not visited for a couple of years. 

 

Does anyone know anything about the grey "construction foam" that Pete Waterman was suggesting to Francis Rossi? It looked to be denser than the usual blue foam so I'm wondering how much edge cladding etc. it would need to use as a baseboard.

 

Edited November 14, 2023 by Pacific231G

[melmerby]

Mrs Melmerby thought the James May one was OK, managed to keep her looking, which is unusual for most train programmes. She wasn't impressed with Francis Rossi one.

 

I noticed James May produced his Flying Scotsman with "sound", I wonder whether it was the one we see him buying in an earlier series?

[RJS1977]

56 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Mrs Melmerby thought the James May one was OK, managed to keep her looking, which is unusual for most train programmes. She wasn't impressed with Francis Rossi one.

 

I noticed James May produced his Flying Scotsman with "sound", I wonder whether it was the one we see him buying in an earlier series?

 

In the (first) "Toy Stories" episode where they re-lay the Barnstaple-Bideford line, he says he's had it since childhood.

[RJS1977]

1 hour ago, Bazza said:

Don't forget the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch school trains. Fancy going to school on a miniature railway!

 

I believe they stopped running several years ago.

[26 036]

Of course children still travel to school by train. Children from Dalmally and intermediate stations between Dalmally and Oban travel to school on the 5.20 Glasgow Queen Street to Oban and return on the 16.11 Oban to Dalmally.

[TJ52]

I shouldn't need to add to this. Just visited a mate in Chelmsford. The 15.09 to Liverpool Street packed with schoolchildren. The Brighton line around Haywards Heath also has a fair amount of students using it.

 

Terry

[Fat Controller]

The RH&DR may not have its school specials any longer, but the old SE&CR carries heavy loads on its Ahford - Dver section.

Edited November 16, 2023 by Fat Controller

[melmerby]

17 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

 

I believe they stopped running several years ago.

July 2015 when the Kent CC contract expired (Wiki)