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i think this "information black hole" is one thing that lets down rallies. would you expect to go to a zoo and look at animals whilst only having a vague knowledge of what they were? Most people have no recollection of these vehicles working and on several occasions last week I had people asking questions that I would have considered to be "basic" knowledge even to someone who wasn't a traction engine enthusiast - not all young people.
I was in Rome in July and the place was full of people walking round with earphones on and little boxes hanging round there necks on audio tours getting all the information about the historic sites. Maybe this is an idea that could be extended to a canny rally committee? or even better a downloadable app or a podcast - then all you have to do is ask people to download it before they come along and press play when they arrive at a specific area - stick a big number up on a pole - 1 for threshing, 2 for haulage, Showman's line up and so on, and the punter gets a nice 10 Minuit talk about whats going on in front of him. *edit* we had a similar thing at the pay gate for Longleat safari park last year - a free information CD for the car player. |
Demographics
As we all age there are less people around with an interest in steam. A few of the younger generation have a passionate interest but this is not the majority. Many rallies are rebranding as country fairs but I am not convinced this helps. |
I put a laminated A3 sheet with my engine details and a copy of the original sales catalogue page in front if mine at GDSF this year. The saw bench boys in front of me were fed up answering questions about my engine.
A lot of people stopped to have a read. Usually it is on the inside of the living van door at rallies where the engine and van are together. Again a popular item, if they need more info joe public then seem more willing to ask. Douglas |
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If poeple do not know what a traction engine rally is they can allways google it.
Then that is half the battle if they are interested then they will attend a rally then you need a programme resonable priced with details about the engines |
We always have a A borad out with our engines and they get an awful lot of people reading them but we are still very happy to answer anyones questions as well.
https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/...78&oe=5478FE0C |
its quite true.
I have a single A4 sheet for the engine, austin 7 and now the living van, current versions are laminated, but I have had them in a sealed (with silicone) picture frame before now. Sadly some owners regulary enter engines into events and give the organiser no details for the programme which makes it even worse for Joe Public. I have a condensed text only version of my A4 sheet which I generally print out and enclose with my entry forms. When you have something for the punter to read, I find that they stimulate sensible conversation with the punters, rather more than the standard opener ''wots it worth mate''. At Onslow Park my engine which has a derbyshire reg number gained the interest of an old gent from the county who seemingly had worked for Olive & Partington and came out with pictures of 'Lord Doverdale' at work and some very interesting stories to tell. I pointed him towards team Debes and using my fathers description to look for 'a bloody old ploughing engine or a Clayton painted a horrid green' where I learnt later he had been introduced to the engines owners daugher. |
Can there really be any excuse for owners not providing information, if only for the commentator, or for the rally organizers only producing a one page programme which merely gives maker, owner, type and date?
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As much as it loathes me to agree with him, Bob the convertions officer is right for once, if we are not having fun then we are not going to make the punters as happy as we could, I took Fossy to a tiny little do at Moira furnace last weekend, the atmosphere was superb, no irritating or bossy organisers, no silly rules just a nice relaxed do.
I'm sure that this was the reason why all the engines owners seemed to communicate more with the public. |
Chris I agree 100%. We have been called antisocial and miserable because we don't go to many rallies with the engines! Well perhaps we are just picky. We try and do one "big" rally a year but plenty of smaller events or working demos which are loads of fun.
I too have done an information board this year and it has gone down a treat, often striking up conversations from people after they have had a read through. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3900/...2e1ef8a6_c.jpg |
Increasingly it is about telling stories and explaining what and why. I've said before that I have to switch off at certain rallies where there is no programme, no movement, engines lumped together and fathers saying to their children "look at that train, it's called Louise".
The info sheet/board/display when well done is a big step in the right direction, I have one for the wee Wallis and it does make people stop and look. Education and entertainment are where it's at. |
Oh dear. I'll be at a train event next weekend.
Watching them start the Dorman 4JO's should be fun. I noticed when last at Boston lodge (where I bumped into Mr Daniels) that standard practice there was to light a steamer. Then when i had enough puff they bump started the infernal combustion thing. Ha ha |
I'll see you there - we are going mob handed on the Friday. As for bump starting, we've done it on the TR with Ruston No.5 being shoved down the yard by Talyllyn No.1
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The best rallies for me are the ones where I get to chat to lots of interesting folk, yes some times they have no idea about road steam but they are interested mostly. For example, a few weeks ago I spoke with a couple who had known Teddy Boston, had a great half hour chatting to them, gave a very interested chap a shot driving my engine and you could not believe the smile on his face, a lifetime ambition realised he said, took 5 minutes and caused me no grief at all. One great thing about the miniatures, and the smaller ones in particular, is that children especially can see all the workings, the engines are approachable and the kids can physically see what everything is doing. Yes you get lots of comments about the cuteness of the little bits of coal and the wee bucket, but hey that is life. When it comes to attending rallies I have to agree with you generally. I have had some good conversations with engine owners on occasions but often they seem to be unapproachable sat up on their engines and striking up any sort of conversation can be very hard. I appreciate that rallies are also social events for owners and that they have to enjoy themselves too, but a bit of chat with the public would help sustain a wider interest in our passion. I only developed an interest in steam though attendance at rallies with my father as a kid and there are fewer and fewer folk left with memories of working steam, so perhaps it is inevitable that the number of rallies will fall in the future, as the number of folk who have a personal experience of steam diminishes?? |
Mostly people find it easier to sit behind a computer and moan about rallies here or on soicial media or write squit in the rear end of some of the better publications than get on with things either running rallies or clubs. There was a time when people just leaned into things a bit.
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So far, I have only been showing my engine as 'work in progress' but I have found that an info board does help to start conversations. Mine also had some parts bolted on for the kids to feel. The big gear seemed to fascinate them!
Very basic and easily movable, an old sh*t house door and the trusty Workmate. http://www.riley-family.co.uk/photo/tewksbury.jpg |
One big problem with the smaller rallys, monoplies. A well known rally up north with two breweries in the town, a local man has a train shaped woodfired pizza oven which does great value and tasting pizzas, even has a whistle!
As far as I am informed he wanted to go to said rally but was told couldnt be near the beer tent as the guy who does the bar has two catering vans serving in my view substandard rubbish. The pizza man was then told he could park up in the middle of nowhere and miss most of the evening trade due to his alloted location. Small local rallies are being ruined by monopolies eiter in the trade side or the committe side with the 'click' running the show. I only make a point of going to one rally uphere, Hunton a great rally that has stuck to its tradition isnt ruined by tat and has some movement they even had a time trail couse in the main ring for the classic car boys to bash at even some steamers had a go! Proper rally with a sat night run to the pub. |
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It's a shame they don't put some real world effort in to help out, they might actually find they enjoy it |
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.....but as a relative newcomer to miniature traction scene, compared to the tracked option, I am happy to say I'm one of the chatty ones, I do wonder if I bore the hind legs off folks sometimes :o I've only really done one small rally so far :o and that was, what I thought, going to be a total failure due to my own stupidity which meant I was unable to be in steam over the whole weekend :( however it did mean as the engine was stone cold it meant folks could get hands on with it and I encouraged folks to turn, push, pull and fiddle with bits as it was safe to do so, this meant I had my hands full most of the weekend showing folks around it, so all was not lost and I really enjoyed it and I think they did too. Although a lot of caution has to be explained to the younger folks (and sometimes the older ones too) that you cant touch one's in steam. |
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Before I bought my engine, I had tried to engage engine-folk in a bit of "light conversation"; thoughtfully, in many cases engine-men had arranged a fortress of coal sacks and deck chairs to prevent me getting close to starting a conversation. Also, in many cases the "crew" comprised tattooed, moustachioed, rough-looking types, smoking and swearing heavily to put me off. And the men were no better. Now, some years later, as an engine-owner, with good looks, raffish charm and easy conversation I clearly don't fit in. If only the NTET provided guidance to owners like myself on how to achieve the right degree of disinterest and surliness I would feel my membership money was well spent. Once again the NTET has let me down. Come on General Council pull your fingers out! |
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[QUOTE=fourceedee;310900]One big problem with the smaller rallys, monoplies. A well known rally up north with two breweries in the town, a local man has a train shaped woodfired pizza oven which does great value and tasting pizzas, even has a whistle!
As far as I am informed he wanted to go to said rally but was told couldnt be near the beer tent as the guy who does the bar has two catering vans serving in my view substandard rubbish. The pizza man was then told he could park up in the middle of nowhere and miss most of the evening trade due to his alloted location. Small local rallies are being ruined by monopolies eiter in the trade side or the committe side with the 'click' running the show. Not quite true. Not as easy running rallies as you think. Small local rallies need to balance the books in order to keep going, and we know that as much as most. A few wet years can soon see you off and we have nearly been there. Our committee is not a 'click', but a hard working group of unpaid volunteers young and old, and ever growing, thank goodness. We do our best and its never good enough for some. Nobody is told to park in the middle of nowhere, but not everyone can park on the same spot and the Pizza man never said he wanted to open at night. We're all looking forward to celebrating our 50th next year and are already making great plans. Hope we can get some of them right. PS Barman has no catering vans, caterers are separate. if pizza man applies early enough he may be more lucky. |
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With regard to organising events, I organised the Heritage Open Days at the Robey Trust in 2012, Anyway, most of the volunteers were at the Works on a Saturday and the event was a Saturday and Sunday two dayer. I was told by one of the Directors that we did not have sufficient volunteers for the two days. So, I just typed up a list of things that needed to be done on the two days such as crews for certain engines etc. I asked everyone to look at the list and to decide which days they wanted to help and to decide between themselves what they wanted to do, and I left them to it. When I turned up on the day, the place was buzzing, a compressor had been hired by one of the Directors who paid for it out of his own pocket and everything that could work did work! We had a fantastic couple of days and I received a considerable amount of feedback afterwards to say how much the volunteers had enjoyed themselves and there was no shortage of them over the two day event. The reason why the event was so successful was that I had not rostered the volunteers to specific duties and they all enjoyed the jobs which they were doing. The moral of the story is that if you have a happy crew you will also have a successful event! |
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