PESTS

I received a newsletter recently which told me I need a PEST. My first reaction was that I know a few of those, but reading on the article revealed that a PEST is a Political, Economic, Sociological and Technological analysis. This is an interesting concept. I think it means that you pay £500 for a training course and then learn how to spend 3 days writing down what you knew already, but didn’t have time to write it down into one document.

Last week I received an e-mail from a training provider entitled PESTS - what you need to know. Putting 2 and 2 together I quickly opened the e-mail to find that this was a one day course learning how to identify and control vermin. This is what I really need to know! Last week we had some rail and our fork lift truck, stolen in broad daylight on the one day of the week we were not operating. The police found these items at our local scrap merchants. The fork lift was battered and bruised but not beyond repair. The rail was buried in a pile of scrap. The Transport Police were still at the scrap-yard at the end of a day which had started with a police raid, presumably recovering items taken from the Network. We are all grateful for prompt action by the police following this theft, which was observed by a member of the public.

Half term week was great here despite the weather, which prevented the usual numbers from visiting our Thomas event on the weekends before and after. We have had some great e-mails of thanks and a glowing report on our facebook page from a keen fan who visited both weekends!

Railway enthusiasts amongst our volunteers are not always great fans of Thomas, but to heritage railways across the country the Rev. Awdry’s engines now provide a valuable source of income. Our guests don’t know that nearly all the staff are volunteers, they just enjoy a great show. Yesterday I was on the platform all day, which is unusual on a “Thomas” event, and it was great to see so many visitors to K&ESR enjoying themselves. Our engine crews were absolutely fantastic. The “Fat Controller” said to me that in his 5 years at the K&ESR it was the best “Day Out With Thomas” he had seen – and he has seen a few, and that before our second relaxing pint in the local hostelry. I was very proud of our performance.

Our customers obviously thought so too. We sold our first tickets for July’s “Day Out With Thomas” event within 5 hours of putting them on sale. The power of the interweb!

We will have some great record breaking events this year, with City of Truro coming to our Gala in May, our trips along the brand new stretch of railway between Bodiam and Junction Road (tickets for both these events are for sale online), and our 50th celebrations in June when we will have 3 black Terrier class locomotives lining up for the very first time in railway preservation. Yes three black terriers – you read it first on this page. For the Junction Road weekend south bound trains will run fast through Bodiam for the first time EVER. I love making railway history!

Not everyone will agree with this, and I am sure there will be some adverse comment from those who do not agree. And that brings me nicely back to where I started!!