West Somerset Railway General Discussion

West Somerset Restorations are giving away a 50 Ton hoist Ex Plymouth (Laira).
Advertised on Facebook

 

It appears that the best way to rustle up trade is to suggest withdrawing or banning something. Tell folks it is not what they want and they are sure to go for it - if recent political events are anything to go by.

 

Well I fall into that category, and to be honest, I'm really not sure either way. It's probably not very helpful to ask just teenage volunteers as it obviously hasn't been a deterrent to us! I'm not sure trains being regarded as lame is based much on Thomas, more the nerdy trainspotter view.

I still reckon that participation with respect to H&S is a bigger deterrent. Young folk who want to get involved want to do so properly from those I've spoken to, not join the youth group in most cases, unless that youth group is particularly good at actually physically doing things to help on the railway on a regular basis. I know there are issues, but with effort they can be worked through.

 

I am very sympathetic to this point but it's not all just H&S. There are also laws regarding the "employment" of young people and sadly this covers those employed in a voluntary capacity as far as I know. Basically this means you have to be 16 to be allowed to do meaningful work on a Heritage railway. This is why things like trackers have to exist for those younger than 16 and even then permissions from the local council are also needed. There are also certain restrictions that still apply if you are in full time education until you get to the age of 18.

 

Indeed there are, and I'm all too aware of them! I have a lovely leaflet telling me all about my rights etc! However, sometimes having a parent volunteer supervising helps oil the wheels, and as you say, if youth groups are the only option, they should actually be an option to young folk who really want to properly help with the railway.

 

I am glad it wasn't like this when I started on the WSR!

I was a TTI when I was 13/14 (got given a setright machine and told to get on with it! Working 10 coach trains with Evening Star at the front) and then started working in the MPD at 14 too. I did have to wait until 16 to start as a trainee fireman and then passed out when I was 18. They were good times though and I never felt neglected or in danger. It was one big happy (but slightly dysfunctional) family back then.

Marcus

 

Yes hear hear Marcus , me too!
I saw the ex Laira hoist on facebook. Is there no way it can be erected at Williton? to me it is one of those iconic steam age artifacts that would be a shame to loose. I admit it would be a bit to put up, assuming all the parts are there , I presume they are? But i've never seen one of these at any heritage railway , & only in photos otherwise, it would be a unique artifact & enhance the steam age ambiance of Williton. Who knows, it may even come in useful! When its gone , like a lot of these things, its gone forever!

 

I think it was just a bit more fun then Marcus!
I feel the same, glad it was not like it is now for younger volunteers, when I first started.
I think that is the reason I am still working on the railway 28 years later, you were allowed to get involved.
This is the hardest thing now with the younger volunteers, how do you keep them interested when there is so many restrictions on what tey can or cannot do.
Robin F.

 

If the same as I heard about today it will be very much and make the sound of the TOC coming to BL sound like small fry is a large ocean. Something other railways do but the WSR has lagged behind the other railways. Also it shows that the WSRA and the PLC working together for the railway, and not mine mine and keep your hands off as in the past.

Onward and upward and get ready to put your hand into your pocket to get the money out.

 

I agree Robin.
I remember doing things like going out and lighting signal lamps. Two of us filling paraffin lamps, lighting them, walking trackside to the outer home at BA, climbing the rickety signal post and perching on the questionable wooden board at the top and swapping the lamps out. All when I was 13 or 14 too. I am not sure there are even any paraffin signal lamps left to change these days.

Marcus

 

What has changed since BR days is that there are many people who are happy to travel , just look at NRs figures now compared to 50 years ago .

 

Can signed copies of book signing on 30th Dec be reserved. Can't get there in time as working. Would preorder and pay before.

 

Your best bet for an answer would be to contact the shop direct - details are on the page where you found out about the book signing!

 

I'd guess there would be about the same amount of "evidence" as says that youngsters watching it do get interested...

 

Undoubtedly Thomas is a great draw to bring children to a railway. But unless you have the capacity to carry the thousands of passengers necessary to cover your costs or a very rich catchment area that will stand premium ticket prices many railways will (already have?) ask is it worth it?

It is so disheartening for a small railway to run a week of Thomas with volunteers going flat out and all stock and loco's taking a hammering just to try and get the passenger numbers up to then find that, after all the fees, hire charges, transport costs, percentage of the profits cut that the license holder takes, etc, etc that it would have been more profitable to just run a normal service.

I can see Thomas events being restricted in the future to only the 'big' railways like the WSR or the NYMR who have the capacity to carry sufficient passengers to cover costs and make a decent profit.

Perhaps, one day, the license holders will wake up and realise that although they may not have killed the golden goose (yet!) they are making a pretty good job of strangling it!

Yes, I know it's late. Just catching up...

 

I actually suspect the reverse may be true!

For a smaller line, Thomas may will represent a far bigger slice of income than for a larger line, and hence be far harder to do without! Lines that are busy anyway may feel less inclined to undertake Special Events, including Galas, as it the 'bar' they have to reach to produce extra net income is so much higher, and the numbers Thomas attracts are not necessarily linked to what an ordinary day will attract!

Steven

 

I speak from personal experience unfortunately. The problem for many smaller lines is the extra passengers that need to be accommodated to cover the huge rise in costs that running a Thomas causes. If you have the rolling stock and/or are able to run extra services to carry them you still have the serious problem of overcrowding small country platforms, especially with excited children.

There is a physical limit to how many passengers can be safely accommodated on any railway. If that number does not cover your costs then the ticket prices have to go up, in some cases by a considerable margin. That will cause a reduction in the visitor numbers which will help with the overcrowding but pushing prices up and knowing numbers will fall (but hoping they won't fall too far!) make it a very risky venture. I can fully understand why many of the smaller railways with lower turnovers have given up on Thomas.

Thomas used to bring many young visitors to the Gwili but with the continuing increases in license fees, % takings cuts, transport costs, hire fees, etc, etc it reached the stage (2 years ago) where, in order to keep ticket prices at a reasonable level to suit the local economy in our catchment area, we could not physically accommodate sufficient passengers on the railway (as a whole) to cover all those costs. So no more Thomas, sad but true. Until the license holders finally come to their senses and accept that lots of smaller profits can still equal a few big ones (and that there would be a much greater exposure of their product to boot) I guess many other smaller railways are in exactly the same situation as us.

 

Perhaps if nobody had Thomas for a season, they would realise that x% of naff all = naff all!
Robin L

 

The impression I get is that the "first division" of heritage railways have all but given up on Thomas already and the lines that still rely on it are all ones further down the league.

This is, I admit, purely based on which lines I see heavily advertising their Thomas events and which ones I don't spot.

 

They would probably not be bothered. Too busy making money at theme park versions