West Somerset Railway General Discussion

2 or 3 years ago, FGW (as they were then) ran several excursions from Minehead using a Class 150 DMU. If I remember correctly, they went to Paignton, Weymouth and Cardiff.

 

http://westsomersetrailway.vticket....ial-timetable-changes-over-the-next-few-weeks

What's the reason for these changes?

 

The following railtour runs on Saturday, 9th July from Cardiff to Minehead. <BJ>

http://www.pathfindertours.co.uk/in...-reader/events/the-west-somerset-rambler.html

 

These arrangements are in place in case
Crowcombe signal box cannot be covered on any particular day.

Robin

 

Didn't realise I'd kicked such a hornets nest, have had important things to do so haven't got round to making a complaint in writing, the checking tickets away from gradients approach is always welcomed.

Might not even bother making a complaint depends when I get time to do it, But the events of that Saturday have made me think twice about putting my hand in my pocket and shelling out for a ticket when I could donate it straight to the DEPG, instead of putting up with being treated like a second class passenger because I like diesels and wanted to hear the western working, hadn't had a trip bethind 1010 in 3 years and that outward trip ruined it for me and the rest of us shunted down the back.

 

It has been identified that it was not the plan for the shareholders coaches to be that end of the train, but because of problems with the shunt to add them to the train at Bishops Lydeard, they ended up there.

D1010 will now be in regular service on the WSR and there will be plenty of opportunities to ride behind it.

Rather than making a mountain out of a molehill, perhaps you might consider joining in the exciting, rewarding work of keeping the WSR running and improving it for the future.

Or not. And just keep on moaning.

Your choice.

Robin (glass-half-full) White
(WSR Operations Development Officer)

 

You were not treated as a second class passenger in any way whatsoever. Any expectation, when you booked your ticket, that you had some right to sit in the front coach was purely a figment of your imagination and not something the WSR were in any way culpable for. It was simply an operational matter that can happen at any time. Anyone booking a ticket agrees to the conditions of carriage that cover such eventualities. In a word YABU.

 

Ment in general, quite a few people I know have stopped attending diesel running days cause they felt that way, starting to see the view they have,didnt say we had the right but its a kick straight in the ******** tbh and the way the railway treated us that day is shafting the excellent work put in by depg,cause most of us aren't coming back after that and you wonder why the numbers are poor diesel running days, cause of stuff like that happening and no incentive to attend now we get less mileage ,but whatever got more important things to deal with then getting into an argument with blinkered people who think the line does no wrong , anyway staying away from diesel running days is saving me a fair bit of wedge that I'm sure another railway would appreciate being invested into them,

Cause obviously my views aren't welcomed because they are different, Il go somewhere that takes them on board, even if they don't implement them.

 

.a little off topic but is the small bit of track on watchet habour from the mineral railway the original rail in the same spot.

 

We have been here before, but it does bear repeating.

If you have a message to get across, it only detracts from that to:

1. Rant
2. Make a mountain out of a molehill when it has been explained to you that hard pressed operating staff on a particular day deviated from the shunting plan to keep a train running to time.
3. Assume your needs / desires are paramount.
4. Use language such as 'shafted' or '******'. (Personally, I find '#!$*^!' more effective! )
5. Forget to use a little humour (see 4.) especially the self-deprecating kind, not that I ever do that either

The effect can be to so bury a good point that readers have switched off to you long before it is reached.

You do have a decent point that the present WSR diesel-for-DMU substitution diagram is unattractive in mileage terms for diesel enthusiasts, being a morning run to MD, a long layover there and an afternoon trip back. Including a MD-WN-MD trip in the middle of the day would be possible for an extra £100 or so to the WSR Plc. Would that be recouped in extra fare revenue? Pleased to have your views.

I am doing a lot of listening and thinking as part of the Operations Review here at the moment, and delighted to have different views.

However, your expressed support for different views, Tom, seems a little flaky. I understand you have placed me on 'ignore'. Isn't there some quote about practising what you preach?

Here endeth the lesson.....

Kind regards

Robin White

 

I suspect it would be a very difficult case to prove either way. On the assumption that most people buy rover tickets, there won't be any fare income directly attributable to that train - all you have done is to slightly increase the perceived value for money for existing ticket holders by running an extra service.

So then it comes down to whether running such a service is sufficient to generate at least £100 of additional ticket sales, i.e. attracting people to visit who may otherwise have not done so. That amounts to perhaps 5 or 6 extra day rovers; almost certainly within the level of daily variation of ticket sales.

Would be interested to know if you (or anyone else) has a cost model that is able to give greater clarity on the financial viability of individual trains, rather than just the viability of a given daily service.

Tom

 

Could somebody possibly have the MD-WN-MD path as a private charter if they paid the £100 to WSR.

 

When the diesel loco would normally be lay over on green timetable

 

The WSR does not have a model to assist with that assessment. Very pleased to hear if anyone else does.

Robin

 

That would be a (rough and ready) measure of the additional costs, and in a circumstance where the WSR Plc would be able to open the train to fare-paying passengers.

For a truly private charter, the charge would be somewhat higher, and would be a matter for discussion with the WSR Commercial Department.

Robin

 

Here's the current charter prices:

http://westsomersetrailway.vticket.co.uk/article.php/289/train-charter-carriage-hire

 

Too much for me. Although hiring coach for birthday party is something I'll look in too.

 

If you compare diesel turns elsewhere(rounded mileages):
WSR-40/60 miles
SVR 64 miles
ELR 72 miles
NYMR 72 miles

Add to that the fact WSR on some days is load3/4 and not very vocal/entertaining, might explain why loadings are low. Also not helped by the last minute roster changes. For example last time I looked 1010 was advertised for both days a couple of weekends ago. Had I travelled from Yorkshire, booked accommodation and found 47840 o the Sunday train ,whilst 1010 I believe had no technical failure,that would have probably been my list visit.
My attendance or otherwise at the early September weekend is dependent on the roster in advance.

 

Presumably though adding the extra service might make the timetable more 'commercially attractive' to visitors, especially perhaps those using the railway to travel around the area rather than specifically to visit the WSR.

Another suggestion I could make to attract the diesel enthusiast might be to add some 'non passenger coaching stock' to the train to recreate some of the services that usually ran in the evenings mostly carrying mail with a few passenger coaches tacked on

I remember in the past though some quite well loaded - in terms of coaches at least diesel services. Also on the yellow timetable is the 1750 ex MD ever strengthened or is it always three?

 

I expect if non-passenger stock is added, there would be complaints that, in one direction, they could not travel in the vehicle behind the loco!

When diesel-hauled, the 1715 is rarely more than the 3 or 4 coaches that have been running all day for 2 reasons, 1) there is no spare stock on yellow timetables, 2) there is no great demand for additional seats these days.