West Somerset Railway General Discussion

You may think that but scaled down version on a longer time scale still means you would do it, so no need for a HLF grant.

 

That doesn't follow - if the value of the project is partly in savings (e.g. reduced carriage maintenance due to protection from the elements), then the need for the grant is still there, as it enables the heritage objectives to be achieved in a more timely way.

 

I've sat in several HLF seminars and they have generally said that, if you answer the question as to what would happen if you didn't get a grant with 'the project will still go ahead...' or anything along those lines, you won't get a grant.

 

As "Train Story" has been mentioned, perhaps readers might be interested to learn that it was envisaged up to around 50% of visitors would go to see it. In fact the figure is 70% which, coupled with an increase in visitors over the last three years, has meant special attention has to be given regarding upkeep of the floor coverings. A sandwich bar, conjured from an old railway container, will be placed there in view of the numbers who go there.

The I.O.W.S.R. has a quarter of the route mileage of the W.S.R. (but much more than a quarter of the carryings) and it is a much smaller affair in every sense, albeit one which owns every last piece of equipment in regular service.

PH

 

And on a lighter note for a moment here is a photo taken today of Minehead Shed Resident Dave Hurd, he's happy because he has just finished placing the moving trolleys under the chassis of 9351 in readiness of its re-wheeling which will follow shortly. The lifting jacks (100 ton capacity) have been overhauled, the axles boxes are fitted to the axles and the front bogie finished so it won't be long not before it sits on its wheels again. Oh yes Steve Ryall, John Gibbons, Andy Forster, Colin Henderson and myself were also there today, but Dave did all the work !!!!!!

 

This is a PLC loco.....?
How many listed are volunteers ?
Is this a contract or volunteer restoration?
If a PLC loco then is contract?

 

Nick
9351 is a WSR Loco, all our rebuilds rely very, very heavily on volunteers all today were acting as volunteers, although the WSR does of course have paid staff these staff also volunteer much additional time as well. 9351's rebuild has just got to a very interesting bit, its going back together and we have lots and lots of cleaned and painted parts to bolt back on. We welcome anybody with or without skills to join us and get involved. Please don't hesitate to get in touch you will be made very welcome and there is always much to do.

 

Interesting, that post seems rather more welcoming than the advert at http://www.west-somerset-railway.co...unteers-wsr-mechanical-engineering-department, which gives the reader the impression that if one does not tick all the boxes, then the department is not interested in you.

 

Thanks for making your point. I can only speak as a volunteer of the WSR who has only been there for just over 2 years so my opinions are not ‘official’ in any way. I contacted the railway initially before joining as I wanted to get involved having gained some free-ish time to commit (I have a full time day job).

From day 1 I was made to feel most welcome, the people at Minehead helped me join and brought me into the WSR Family. I’d like to think I’ve made many new friends on the WSR both on the footplate and in the workshop, we joke, laugh, have some fun and all are committed to running a great railway, it’s a railway that just ‘draws you in’.

We of course take what we do seriously, the training, safety and internal communications regarding what is expected of people is concise and clear so you always know where you stand whilst having the freedom to do as much or as little as you wish.

In my opinion people can come and just scrap rust and paint things if they wish or get involved further in the many directions available. Whilst there is always going to be the ‘are you fit enough to do whatever it is you wish to do’ or are you ‘safe’ to be there I personally haven’t seen ‘skills or lack of’ has ever got in the way of anybody being made welcome.

I take your point regarding the wording on the web-site and I’ll pass your view onto the person concerned as I think as you say it could possibly be better worded. So if anybody wants to join but may have been put off or isn’t sure either contact the WSR directly or contact me and I will introduce you as others did for me.

 

Not interested ???? Not quite.....

If you read a little bit further down then it says

"Or are you someone who thinks they don’t have engineering skills but would like to get involved with the railway and work with a team on a regular basis? The West Somerset Railway has an endless supply of exciting projects from steam locomotive overhauls to wagon restoration, so if you have any of the skills or experience listed above and would like to be involved then we want to hear from YOU! Age no barrier but you must be fit and able to work in an engineering / workshop environment, sometimes outside and in inclement weather."

If you can use a scraper, brew tea and tell slightly dodgy jokes then there is a warm welcome waiting for you. We have delivery drivers, software engineers, retired specialist medics, marine engineers, university lecturers, firemen, salesmen, policemen, pilots, students and several general layabouts to name but a few. Everyone takes a turn at the grotty jobs and if you are genuinely interested in the technical bits, someone will take the time and the pleasure of explaining how things work.

If anyone is interested in joining the Saturday gang then apply now. Every second week, we start at silly o'clock on a Saturday to help prep engines with the duty crew and send them out nice and shiny. Becoming a known "face" will not take long. I have had a lot of fun doing all sorts from rounding up escaped sheep to simple mechanical stuff under the watchful eye of a more capable mate. It's a great escape from the day job.

 

One of the joys of volunteering is the diverse team that you find yourself working with.
There is plenty to do, if you are "out of town" the volunteer accommodation is on site.
Minehead is surrounded by stunning countryside and the night life can be exciting as well at times!!

Come on down and get stuck in , no shortage of projects.

Jeff

 

And who knows, you could end up with me, Jeff and Andy as mates.


......on second thoughts.

 

Interesting debate. In my mind, I think you have to be careful that "mould your application to suit" doesn't drift into "design an application in order to access funds". In other words, a starting point needs to be "what do we (the railway, collectively) really want to achieve?" If you are clear on that, then there may be scope to make adaptations that would increase the likelihood of funding being available. But you need to be careful that the funding tail is not wagging the project dog.

One of the reasons I stress that it is vital to talk to the people who will be handling one's application, particularly if it is relatively broad in scope, is that there will inevitably be bits of it that will excite them more than others and they will steer you to follow/emphasise to follow aspects. What can happen is that they get excited by the stuff you have put in to sweeten the deal and what you really want starts to fall by the wayside! So one of the secrets is to make sure that you present what you do want as attractively as possible.

 

Some years ago now when I was doing a spot of volunteering the Chief made a very valid point that there were quite a lot of people who only came for a few Saturdays over the winter but their collective contribution was most valuable, even if mostly unskilled

 

One of the benefits of a mixed skills base is that often those with life and engineering skills are happy to share them with those who may wish to learn and soak up such informal tuition.

The result is a skilled up workforce that will be able to pass these skills on in the future.

I wonder if grants are available for such upskilling or additional volunteer accommodation.

Jeff

 

Apprenticeships ? Training Grants ?

 

I see that the QB is fully booked for St George's day. Well done !

 

Mother's Day is also very well booked up so we're looking at a good start to the season. No cancellations this year.

Our 2017 QB promotional leaflet is about to be posted out to WSRA members with the new WSR Journal and is available around the Railway or on request from Minehead.

Full details of our Spring Steam Gala operations will shortly appear on the Gala thread.

Looking forward to the QB staff pre-season get together this Sunday. Should be fun.

Barrie

 

I am referring to the upskilling of the volunteer workforce , this resource represents a win win for the WSR.

Low cost and a flexible resource that once trained would not require a paid permanent position to retain the training investment.

This should be seen as an additional approach to training via apprenticeships and paid workforce competency enhancement.

Both these approaches are mutually supportive and will deliver value for money to the WSR.

Jeff

 

Perhaps the owner of "Bishops Lydia" would like to see her Pullman coach trundle past and earning a few shekels