John_Hughes Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 With SWMBO at a reunion of old school pals, I tripped off to Aberystwyth yesterday for a trip on the Vale of Rheidol - first time for a few years, which is daft as it's only half an hour away! There have certainly been some changes over the years - some for the better, some for the worse. For one thing, the fare is no longer 2/9! On the positive side, the track seems in decent condition, the two operating steamers were very spruce and seemed to be in excellent fettle - nothing apparently leaking, and plenty of steam available - and there has been some sensible timber felling along the upper sections, allowing the wonderful views to appear again after a period when you had to imagine them. (Would that the Ffestiniog could get the same done - the section above Garnedd Tunnel used to be quite superb back in the day!) And time-keeping was excellent; at this rate sharper station working could easily cut 5 minutes off the journey, though obviously no-one would be bothered to do so. Negatives? A few, sadly. Number 7 seems to be right out of it - the frames were sat on a flat truck in Aberystwyth, looking very forlorn, leaving only two steam locos to cover the services with nothing spare - talk about living dangerously! The 'first class' observation car is a bit of a rip-off, though the fairly-well-padded bench seats are an advance on the regular ones - what about fitting swivelling armchairs Ffestiniog style? - and sadly the Height Above Sea Level boards have disappeared from all the stations. And some of the bogies are riding rather rough; at first I assumed it was the track, but changing coaches soon proved that wasn't the case. Is the private management with no supporters' club a good thing? I remain unconvinced; when I remember the interesting initiatives that existed back in BR days - Cowboy Trains, Hallowe'en Trains and so on - it seems a shame that they've disappeared. Oh - and I've never ever been asked before if I wanted to Gift Aid my fare! Seems a bit of a cheek, actually! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatC Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Haven't been on the V of R since BR days in the late 80s. I absolutely loved it back then. I'm intrigued that they can ask you to gift aid your fare. I thought this only applied if the organisation was a registered charity. I'm assuming that the gift aid must be in aid of the Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust rather than the Vale of Rheidol Company? Patrick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
penrose Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 The Vale of Rheidol Railway Ltd is a registered charity so perfectly able to accept gift aid. No. 7 should be going back together in the next few years - the workshop currently being built at Aberystwyth to rebuild the collection of locomotives owned by the Vale of Rheidol Railway and Peter Rampton will tackle No. 7 as it's first project. There's barely space in the current shed to work on the Quarry Hunslet 'Margaret' let alone a Rheidol tank! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold mcowgill Posted August 3, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 3, 2011 The Vale of Rheidol Railway Ltd is a registered charity so perfectly able to accept gift aid. However from my involvement with HMRC and it's Gift Aid inspectors/audits you are not permitted to claim gift aid on railway fares as the monies paid are in exchange for a service, the only exception would be where an additional payment is voluntarily made above the normal fare. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 So how does that work with museums? At The Deep in Hull if you go as a normal vistor, as opposed to an annual pass, you can sign so they can claim gift aid. Surely visiting is regarded as a service provided in exhcange for the charge? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 The HMRC website has some interesting comments on Gift Aiding. Essentially entry to museums/railways/stately homes can't be gift aided you can only gift aid donations. Someone will get caught out one day big style. Glad to know that 7 is going to be rebuilt. I was under the impression that it had been robbed to keep 8 & 9 going. Might be good when they get a different type of loco in operation on the line as this will get the enthusiasts. The new shed/museum building looked impressive when I was down earlier this year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hughes Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 Yes, I had rather thought that the Gift Aid thing was a bit naughty. Something else which is a bit naughty is the fact that Avast earlier reported a trojan on the VoR web-page, though it seems clear now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Dienstleiter Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 The HMRC website has some interesting comments on Gift Aiding. Essentially entry to museums/railways/stately homes can't be gift aided you can only gift aid donations. Someone will get caught out one day big style. If you are charging a fare you cannot collect Gift Aid but you are liable for VAT - this does not matter currently because transport is Zero Rated. The line has to be able to demonstrate that it is a transport operation not just a museum ... that is why Milton Regis Halt is so important to the SKLR and one might buy a ticket to it from Sittingbourne - if Sittingbourne Viaduct Station were currently open. Once registered for VAT the SKLR found it was paying very little out, i.e. VAT on HMRC's 'share' of Zero but getting back lots of reclaimed VAT on its purchases. If, instead, the line was to say we are a museum and we offer rides as part of the admission they would gain the gift aid but lose the VAT income and that would be bad news. A re-rating of transport from Zero to something else is always possible in the future but at the moment the advantages are clear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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