Railfest

It is a bit like buses, you wait months and then three come along. So it is with my blogging here. A recent and very major event at the NRM worth considering has been Railfest. In terms of the exhibits assembled, it was a brilliant composition although I am told 4472 looked a bit incomplete. I say I am told because I was not there. I guess I could not expect to have been sent any tickets and what with a bit of  a downer health wise and the week co-inciding with one of the busiest half terms in history between the private and the national agendas we were never going to make it. A good friend did as a trader and he had a hard time. Now that a little bit of time is past I thought about finding some wash up. First I started in the Independent with this feature

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/railfest-onetrack-minds-7811828.html

On the  2nd of June it "estimated 100,000 fans begin flooding through the turnstiles at Railfest 2012 today". So how many did come? I raised the question on my Facebook and got this today "‎33,800 was the figure at Railfest over the 10 days......another 10,000 or so at the free museum entrance." I don't know if it is right and if anyone at the museum wants to send me official figures I will happily publish them. As a publicly funded museum I think it is important when organising spectaculars that a reasonable financial result transpires even if the gate number may not reach an estimate. I have no knowlege about the finances but hope that it is all hunky dory as I know a lot is planned around getting the A4s back next year and that would be a spectacle to draw me.

If anyone reading this can point us to other discussions about the success of the event, I should like to pull such threads together.  At the NRM press page there is nothing more recent than the 29th May as I write and so no helpful assessment there http://www.nrm.org.uk/pressoffice .

I can now add some links which confirm the figures I give so see http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9761391.Railfest_attendance_numbers_blow/ . And more with a lot on the museum finances http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/rail-museum-faces-200-000-bill-after-blow-over-ticket-sales-1-4845733 .