West Somerset Railway General Discussion

The late John Leach at the SVR was of the same opinion, it was also helped by someone high up at the regional ITV office being a bit of a crank, and so therefore any excuse to show off the SVR on prime time telly at 18:00 on a week night was taken!

 

Perhaps ECS for Royal Scot for Sundays Royal Duchy excursion ????

 

Mr. Mendoza's, and don't forget he has quite a bit of support it seems, dreams could well come true with a change of government and its politics at the next general election. The longer, larger lines which such as the WSR, SVR, GC and N.Yorks and maybe could well show up on someone's radar. The Paignton line is paralleled by a good bus service and is short in distance anyway but who knows how politicians wanting to make a name for themselves will think at the time.

 

It's been reported on other internet media as being Flying Scotsman.

 

The possibility of reintroducing National Network services on the WSR & the reasons why not have been gone into at some length already. Even if one were to Compulsory Purchase the line & hand it over to NR, the costs of upgrade would be significant and the services not that competitive with buses..............

 

The reasons that have been discussed apply to the present time and prevailing views. My suggestion is that could change bearing in mind some politicians are profligate in how they spend taxpayers money when it suits their cause.

 

flying scotsman has just arrived at bishops lydeard

 

If they were in electorally significant areas for those politicians, I can possibly see the logic. As it is, I can't see where the political pressure would come from to drive such a move.

 

I think this is the ECS for The Royal Duchy, which of course stars at Bristol T.M.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54961/2017/09/02/advanced

 

Quite so. In fact the political pressure with regard to WSR and others is as likely to be about preserving an attraction that is worth perhaps £15M per year to the local economy. The most profligate of politicians would likely baulk at taking away a popular and well used tourist attraction which adds significantly to the economy and replacing it with a rail service that would require £100M to create (wild guess on CP compensation and upgrades) and then probably £15M per year in subsidy to maintain. What might happen is that the politicians would be prepared to subsidise "ordinary" services over the WSR with the WSR remaining as the infraco and toc for heritage services, and perhaps the "ordinary" services, but I doubt it. All the while there are traffic jams, and a WSR there will be periodic calls of this kind, and ultimately they will likely die off naturally. All that said the shadow chancellor may be daft enough to think of it as an investment, but I want to believe that he isnt.

 

I travelled on the Vale of Rheidol Railway last Wednesday and was able to gift aid my fare to the railway. It would be great if we could do that on the WSR.

 

Yet again, there's a feeling of deja vu when it comes to 'takeovers' driven by someone with an axe to grind and/or a 'bee in his bonnet'. Witness the furore kicked up by a bloke, not in Minehead but Whitby, over rebuilding Pickering-Rillington and taking over the NYMR to run Whitby-York services...

 

When will we hear calls for the VofR & WLLR to be taken back into the National Network - although that might mean reinstating the connection at Welshpool..................

 

In both cases the break of gauge probably discourages even those with the biggest bee in their bonnet

 

Perhaps the WSR should put forward a plan to reinstate the broad gauge - would undoubtedly kill off any talk about through commuter services and would give an incontrovertible USP!

Tom

 

What a splendid idea. It would provide endless entertainment for "new builders" because pretty much everything would be, and what is more there would be no need for any of this silly superheating nonsense

 

p.s. note to WSR people..... when you have done the conversion let me know and I will pop down with a couple of low loaders for the Manors and any Mk1s you no longer need.

 

That only works as far as Watchet of course, so surely the best idea is to reinstate the WC &PR and extend it to link up with the Minehead-Watchet stub. A couple of billion in compulsory purchases to carve through Weston, Clevedon and Portishead, none of which which has much of architectural merit anyway. Then a few more million to cross the Axe estuary, and with just a few minor hurdles to jump, you're at Watchet. This would give the additional benefit of two breaks of gauge on the WSR, which could be mitigated by installing bi-directional dual gauge track from Norton to Taunton, with only the slightest of disasterous implications for safety and timekeeping. When the HST's are finally retired, how about some 7ft gauge bogies for one set, just to show what might have been but for that pesky Gauge Commission.

 

I am sure there is money in the budget of Hinkley "C" to run a line via there so they have rail access for their nuclear waste flasks.

 

I believe Hinckley Point is being built by EDF, a French owned company. The French certainly have a good track record (pun intended) in constructing new railways.