It was always clear to me that the first steps in establishing an organisation with the clear aim of restoring the whole S&D as a fully functional modern railway would be to appeal to enthusiasts first. That first step has now clearly worked, and far more successfully than I'd dared hope. The next step is to involve the existing heritage groups more. They need to have people on our committee, and also soon as directors of the limited company. That also seems to now be happening.
I expect that by the end of 2010 we will have a very vibrant organsiation that will be a model for new generation rail revival groups all over the UK. By drawing on the energy and resources of 'traditional' rail enthusiasts we can then bring in our true target - the people living along the route of the S&D, people that have no interest in railways except as a means to get from A to B. They need to see that we are VERY serious about bringing the railway back, and that we have the organisation to make it happen using our multiple approach of trackbed purchase, selective restoration (and support for already established heritage lines en route) and lobbying.
The first step towards approaching this group of people will be the launch of our leaflet, which should arrive any day soon. I've already had many requests for these, so it shouldn't be too difficult to place these up and down the route to show local people what we are all about. Considering we've only been going 9 months this is excellent progress. This local launch will be backed up by a big press assault on both the national railway press and the local general press, ensuring that everyone that needs to know we exist does know!
As soon as the leaflet arrives I'll post it to the blog and also ensure those who have already requested get their copies for distribution ASAP.
