Marketing and Operations are major SHR functions which significantly influence the image that the railway projects into the client community and their effectiveness largely determines the nett financial income generated by the railway which is available to fund the underlying loco, rollingstock and infrastructure maintenance and preservation activities.

On one hand, it interacts closely with the Marketing Committee in framing the running program and provides feedback where decisions may affect operational capability. It monitors decisions of the Mechanical Services, Infrastructure Services and Human Resources Committees on a regular basis to ensure all the cogs mesh in place.

And within its own area of responsibility it has responsibility for activities including;

• Telephone Seat bookings - a team of four volunteers answers enquiries to SHR's 1300 phone number, makes arrangements for payment and allocates seats accordingly. The team also deal with email and mail bookings and staffs the booking office at Mt Barker station to issue pre-booked and walk-up tickets.
  
  
• Ticket production and control - SHR uses cardboard "Edmonson style" tickets on most services. Use of thus style of ticket dates back to the early days of railways worldwide. SHR has a large stock of blank tickets (of varioous colors and styles) inherited from the SAR and prints tickets in a range of distinctive colors to match alternative station pairs and fares. Tickets are individually numbered and sales carefully reconciled and used to generate traffic statistic.
  
  
• Email enquiries - email to our "info@steamranger.org.au" address are replied to, forwarded to booking officers or referred to other SHR personnel as appropriate.
  
  
• Rostering - up to ten volunteers are rostered on each day of operation into on-train and station based positions according to individual's qualifications and circumstances. Typical positions are guard, train manager, station master, ticket oficer, on-train attendant, buffet staff, shop staff. Our photo, above, shows longserving Roster Officer, Bev Sawyer, hard at work resolving a tricky situation.
  
  
• Train Control - one person from a pool of four qualified train controllers is rostered on any day to issue train notices giving advance notice of train movements and train authorities authorising individual train movements.
  
  
• Operational Procedures - the Operations Manager is responsible for issuing and control of documents defining working practices on the railway and at stations.
  
  
• On and off-train Catering - a small team is responsible for purchasing stock for on-train sale, general maintenance of buffet car facilities, oversight of staffing buffet cars and conduct of off-train catering at nominated special events.