Re: [VIC] Steamrail headboard - possibilities

[James Brook <ajmbrook@ozemail.com.au>]

Brown Family wrote:

> Well, that's not quite true.
> 
> Preserved K 190 was painted green, R 766 was painted maroon yet all
> were painted black in VR days. Shall I mention PBPS and its  Thomas
> The Tank engine wannabes? How about S313 in Santa Fe?

I was comparing R711 to R761. I didn't say anything about the locos in
Steamrail liveries. If Steamrail shoves a headboard on K190, I don't
mind it as much because the loco is already in a fantasy condition and
it isn't VR. As for PBPS, do you see the NA's with headboards on the
front and permanent faces? I have no problem with running locos with
faces for a few weekends a year and having it as a Thomas The Tank
Engine event. This draws in crowds and much needed revenue.

> 
> Whilst I believe R-711 is not a truly preserved loco, it is a heritage
> one and it is marketed as such. Puffing Billy has also realised that
> you can't cater just for railfans and publicity is vitally important
> in any commercial enterprise, no matter what guage it happens to be.

A Nat Express A class is a heavily rebuilt B class in a modern livery.
R711 is a heavily rebuilt R class in a modern livery. Do you consider
the A class a heritage B class? R711 isn't a heritage loco because it
only has a vague similarity with its shape to a VR R class. Many aspects
of it look different, it sounds different and its performance is
different. But you said it yourself, "R711 is not a truly preserved
loco". This means it doesn't matter if it isn't in the VR livery. What
I'm saying is that a loco advertised as "fully restored" should be
presented in VR condition (ie: R761 without the headboard). As I have
said before, a fair compromise between advertising and heritage is to
remove the headboard at photostops. It isn't that hard to do and it
would make Steamrail closer to a heritage operator than just a plain
tourist operator.

> 
> The problem as I see it is that when some fans get glassy-eyed and
> dream of re-opening the Mansfield line lines to run livestock trains,
> (L & M 4-wheelers, Z-van and D3?) they are living in 40 years too late
> and are lacking the real world situation we live in were getting bums
> on seats is a commercial business, be it WCR, PBPS, ARHS or any other
> group. Getting upset at a mere removable headboard on a loco is not
> worth it in the overall scheme of things.

I agree that re-opening the Mansfield line is a bit way out. On the
other hand the VGR is in a really good position to do this because they
have a collection of VR livestock wagons. Unfortunately they have put a
nameplate on J549 which doesn't do anything to bring in customers and it
only wrecks the heritage aspects of the loco because it no longer looks
like a VR loco. As for getting bums on seats. Many railfans don't like
the headboard and sometimes I have decided not to go on a Steamrail trip
because their trains now are a mixture of Explorer, WCR and the odd VR
piece of rollingstock. Many Steamrail trains don't even look nice
anymore. The average person wouldn't care if they removed the headboard
at photostops so it wouldn't matter to them. Removing the headboard is a
5 second task that would encourage more railfans to go on these trips
and it would give Steamrail a better reputation among the railfan
community in Victoria. As I see it, removing the headboard would get
more bums on seats.

> 
> It should also be pointed out that all steam locos less than 60 years
> old have spent more time in preservation service than in VR's.  The
> R's especially which probably spent more time rusting than running.

So does this mean a preservation group should forget the VR and create
their own fantasy theme park based on the colourful liveries of pre-BR
Britain and the US diesels?

> 
> There is no real commerical/preservation difference when running
> trains. It all boils down to the hard act of getting fare-paying bums
> on seats. It makes no difference if you are PBPS or NatExpress, the
> end justifies the means.

If only 5% of people care about heritage and you get a tour that is just
below making a profit, that 5% of people who didn't book because of the
headboard and other non-heritage aspects of Steamrail's tours could make
the difference between running the tour and not running the tour. Look
at it this way. 5% of 500 people is 25 people. At $90 each this is
$2250. When it boils down to it, heritage is the one thing that can make
a preservation group stand out from a commercial company like Nat
Express or WCR. As you say, "the end justifies the means". Being a
proper operating museum and marketing it as such can lead to some people
deciding to travel with you instead of WCR. Many people, including me
would be happy if Steamrail just removed the headboard at photostops,
because their rollingstock is almost in VR condition and many of their
locos are in close to VR condition. It would only take a little tiny bit
of effort to remove the piece of wood at the front of the loco and it
would make many people happy and it would make many of their trains look
close to VR trains. When you are after bums on seats, isn't it a good
idea to please your customers? I would say the end result of removing
the headboard more than justifies it's removal at photostops.
  
-- 
- James Brook -

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