‘SCOTSMAN’ EVENTS CHANGE ALL THE RULES
The visit of an ‘A3’ - and an ‘A1’ - brought 45,000 visitors to the Severn Valley Railway over six days. As Severn Valley Railway General Manager NICK RALLS reports, his mega-event relied on good planning.
As General Manager of the Severn Valley Railway, I am incredibly proud and satisfied. We have just benefited from the visit of two famous ‘Pacifics’: ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman and ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado, which operated over six days, from September 21-26. The opportunity for us to host ‘Scotsman’ came about through undertaking some contract work on the locomotive, and because we are home to one of (if not THE) best rake of teak carriages in the country. Alongside the North Yorkshire Moors Railway - another teak coach haven - it was announced that we would be one of the first steam railways in the UK to host the National Railway Museum’s current main line flagship engine. Since then, there have been many twists and turns on the journey, and I hope to give you some insight into running an event on such an impressive scale. Of course, the journey would not have started in the first place without the cooperation of both Riley Engineering, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust and the NRM. The offer for ‘Scotsman’ to visit the SVR was first made back in 2009, but the visit really started to gain focus towards the end of last year, following the completion of its overhaul. It was at this point that the decision was made to promote the pairing with Tornado as a unique venture, making the most of the opportunity of having LNER-designed 4-6-2 locomotives working together at the head of nine complementary coaches. At every step of the way, we have sought to provide a detailed plan for this event, and also learn from others who have hosted the locomotive. I must give credit to both the East Lancashire Railway and NYMR who, in the best tradition of preserved railways working together, were willing to share their experiences with ‘Scotsman’. Both were very candid about what went well and what could have been improved. For the SVR, I know that witnessing what appeared to be the rebirth of a locomotive rock star was salutary. The reported attendance for these two events at the East Lancs and NYMR showed how the national media had stimulated
the public interest in both steam traction and Flying Scotsman. Flicking through TV channels on any given evening, there seemed to be a plethora of programmes featuring the engine. We knew that we should not underestimate the number of spectators who would turn up simply to view the locomotive, and over which we would possibly have no control. The SVR has both a gala and special events committee, all run by volunteers, who held some intense discussions on how to make a success of the opportunity. It was decided that the visit of the two locomotives should be run not as a gala, but as a specific event. Our board of directors includes several experts in their respective fields. One of the members is Andy Barr, who has broad experience in operational safety matters from his time with Transport for London. Andy hosted a meeting at our visitor centre at Highley (The Engine House), to which we invited representatives from SVR departments and, importantly, external bodies such as the local police, British Transport Police, and the Office of Rail and Road. As a result of those meetings, we realised that the plan we had already made needed further development and, to use railway parlance, that there was a “clear understanding” between all parties involved.
WE WEREN’T COMPLACENT
The clarion call was that for an event like this, the protection of the railway’s boundaries was essential to prevent trespass, and required all staff on the railway to work closely together. At that point on the SVR, we couldn’t ensure this level of vigilance; the autumn gala had been cancelled and moved to November, and the calendar for the rest of 2016 was full, with a large requirement for rostered staff. Would we be able to fill all of the rostered turns for guards, drivers, signalmen and everyone else? It is no exaggeration to say that from this point, planning the ‘Scotsman’ event became all-consuming; not just for me, but for the whole railway. While it was business as usual during the summer, a large number of my colleagues were putting in considerable amounts of effort and dedicating huge resources to finalising the details of our superstars festival. The police and local authorities understood that there could be an impact on the region’s roads, and their response was an acronym that somehow does not seem appropriate: a SAG - a Safety Advisory Group, which would also involve the ambulance service and contractors. With contracts signed for both locomotives, we waited with bated breath for their arrival. With Tornado on-site, there was a little more drama before Flying Scotsman arrived on SVR metals, on Tuesday September 20, only a day before the event. I now have the enormous comfort in writing this after what were a very dramatic six days. It occupied all of our time, and it was only made possible because of the huge dedication of all the volunteers; it was the ultimate team effort. I know personally that it was regarded as an excellent event, and very well received because of the many positive comments we received by email and post. Many of them highlight the organisation and, more importantly, the welcome provided by our staff.
KEEPING BOTH EYES ON TRESPASS
To give some idea of the level of staff involved in the ‘Pacific Power’ day, here’s a description of what we did. We started early with a diesel unit making a sweep of the line before any other locomotive movements. On board were the permanent way team, making sure there were no trespass issues, and that occupational gates were closed. The command centre is in a meeting room at Bewdley, which was staffed from the first movement to the last one of the day. Two duty officers were in command of the railway (one at a time), an assistant and the event coordinator, both working in close cooperation. While the shunting and cleaning staff moved the carriages into place, the station teams started work. (While all our stations were busy, Kidderminster and Bridgnorth staff dealt very well with large numbers of staff over the six days, and everyone was greeted with a smile). On-train buffet staff arrived
and made sure that there was enough food and drink on board. Retail staff loaded their trolleys to sell products on the train, and the catering team produced 300 sandwiches each day, just to help feed the many volunteers. As passengers arrived, the operational staff, drivers, firemen, signalman and ticket inspectors all signed on. Both motive power and carriage departments maintained a skeleton crew to resolve any breakdowns, but on each day of the event there were over 20 members stationed at lineside areas which we had assessed as being vulnerable to trespass. Over the six days, the SVR received a huge number of passenger visits. Here are the ‘Pacific Power’ passenger numbers for Thursday to Monday September 22-26, which will put things into context:
In isolation, these numbers would be easily manageable. We’d be able to run to time, and provide comfortable seating. We could control capacity through advance sales and use a mini-website to provide information for passengers. However, we also had to cater for 30,000 or so non-travelling visitors, making the task far more complex. As for the financial impact of ‘Pacific Power’, the numbers are still being crunched. Anecdotally, retail performed very well, with visitors buying ‘Scotsman‘ merchandise in the shops and on the trains. The SVR’s two pubs usually do a good trade during galas, but the clientèle in this case was more familyoriented, and this had a negative effect on the bars’ takings. As you might imagine, the costs of putting on such an extensive event are significant. Our outlay included portable toilet hire, first aid assistance, traffic management, and the hire of 25 sets of two-way radios. If you’re considering the secondary commercial opportunities, I would suggest that any railway thinking of hosting Flying Scotsman should be aware of the audience it will attract. Many passengers are there for a birthday or anniversary present, or a one-off treat, and they will want to buy gifts to celebrate this occasion. Food must be convenient and quick to purchase, because at some point your passengers will be queuing to board trains. When they are off-train, they will congregate around the locomotive, which will be the focal point of their visit. A decent SVR steam gala can attract 7,500 passengers. Talking to passengers at ‘Pacific Power’, it was clear that many of them had not visited us before; they had either been bought a trip on Flying Scotsman and Tornado, or they just wanted to travel behind the two engines. The audience was very different from any we had before - they came from all generations and backgrounds and, to a large extent, they were new to steam railways. This was a one-off event, and the aftermath felt like a hangover. But I can now confirm that the autumn gala will return to its key spot in the 2017 calendar, and that steam enthusiasts are still important to us. I believe that it was the right decision not to combine the gala with the visit of ‘Scotsman’ and Tornado. It was a unique occasion, frustrating, enjoyable and, in the end, immensely rewarding. Why? The pleasure came from seeing a new audience enjoying our beautiful carriages, our unique welcome, and having the chance to travel through magnificent countryside. For me, it was being able to witness the jaw-dropping dedication of all our staff. Special thanks go to Lewis Maddox (Events Coordinator), Steven Chapple (Operations Manager), Tammy Ferris (Personal Assistant), Dave Brattan (Duty Officer for the week to Steven Chapple), along with Mel Cook, Chris Thomas and Alan Longdon (Local Operations Co-ordinators). To the next railway that hosts Flying Scotsman, good luck with your journey!