West Somerset Railway General Discussion

What about "one engine in steam" and/or treating the whole line as a long siding?

 

It seems you attended the Taunton meetings, why do you think people stopped attending? I never attended as I don't live in the Taunton area and there is no South Wales group for me to attend.
I'd be interested to hear what you'd do differently from either an Association or plc perspective if you were either a volunteer trustee or volunteer director ( both in short supply). Feel free to pm or email me.

 

Dennis

You obviously read the Minutes which is the best source of information, but we need to hear from you what ought to be there, and of course an offer to help update it would also be welcome.

Paul




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Very interesting to see the inside of all the boxes.

 

Paul, I have PM'd yourself, aldfort & the GM with suggestions in the past & all have fallen on deaf ears.

DJB.

 

You misunderstand the context. There had been regular very poorly attended meetings until immediately after the AGM when Robin laid on some interesting speakers and there was a burst of enthusiasm, but when only 12 showed for a talk by the Head of Infrastructure Engineering it didn’t seem sensible to continue.

The reference was to back office systems, not to the back office itself. We need to rectify years of neglect and get the Association into the 21st century in its approach to new members, while preserving the arrangements preferred by some of longer standing.

You’ve obviously got ideas and enthusiasm yourself and I look forward to hearing how you can help.

Paul


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On the KESR we use a long section staff between Rolvenden and Northiam when Whittersham box is switched out and train crew operated token exchange at Northiam when Northiam box is switched out. Train crew operate the level crossings.

 

No.

Because some volunteer work is done directly for the WSRA.

 

If your rules allow for one engine in steam working and the 'system' doesn't allow another method of train control to be in use at the same time, then no reason why not. For example, your railway could be split into two section for busy days. If the tokens were inserted into some form of interlocking arrangement that then allowed the release of a long section token, removal of which locked the other tokens preventing their use, that would be fine. That's a quite common arrangement. I think a long siding would need some form of token if you operate passenger trains over it at any time, which is effectively one engine in steam working.
You can have whatever system you like as long as it is safe and is adhered to. it is when the rules are broken for convenience that the problems arise.

 

Pay to join the WRSA if I work for them --- - but if I want to work for the plc - with no charge Why should I have to join and to be forced to pay the WSRA, ??????????

 

Absolute and total rubbish! Where on earth did you get such rot from! EIS is only available to companies established in the UK, so what on earth are 'cross border shares'?

New, anti avoidance measures are being introduced all the time for the likes of EIS and I suspect a rule that it can only be used for fund raised within the first 7 years of a Company undertaking 'commercial activity' (although there is a get out which in itself is very unlikely to help heritage railways!) won't have helped but I have long had doubts about whether heritage railways are wise using EIS as approval is easily lost and the ongoing compliance requirements are considerable.

Steven

 

You don't have to if you are already a volunteer, although we hope you would join. We are talking about the future and how we might enrol people as members in the first place and then move them into volunteering in due course. As you have read in this thread that's a common arrangement elsewhere (which I have been used to). It hasn't happened here because of the failure of the two organisations to work together in the past. As I keep reiterating both the Plc and the Association are determined to change that.

Paul

 

I'd forgotten about that - so that means there are two different "types" of volunteer on the WSR, presumably with different benefits etc. Like Paul, I just find it very peculiar.

 

A few years ago I planned to be a TTI , I signed up for it and went and saw Keith at BL and signed up for the WSRA , at the time I thought I needed to . Soon after I had a stroke , although I'm walking and talking , very lucky, I knew I wouldn't be able to do the TTI duties . Around this time I became aware of what the toxic 6+1 was up to , I saw how wrong it was and didn't feel that they should be allowed to carry on

 

? EIS and what it can be used for is caught by EU rules on state aid.

 

Isn't it more fun to be a travelling signalman ?

 

Dennis

I have read through all your PMs to me and they are all questions or points to which I have replied at once. If you have suggestions you wish me to act on you will have to send them to me.

Paul

 

Dunno. I'm not a signalman. Such people are only needed when you want to cross trains and, even then, they are not an essential requirement! They do make life easier for train crews, though. Usually!

 

Accountants at loggerheads! Where's the popcorn?

 

I think I can answer with some authority.

The Taunton Area Group had been gradually running down for some years.

With the blessing of the replacement Trustees I took this over, as much as anything to deny the removed Trustees the legitimacy they sought to cling on to.

Once ‘the fight’ was over and the life of the WSR /WSRA had settled down, numbers returned to their pre-difficulty numbers. I never do anything half-heartedly and I tried to make the meetings as relevant and interesting as possible.

The truth really is that, since social media and the like has emerged, the need to attend monthly meetings to hear the WSR (or other Railway) News has naturally faded.

The K&ESR area groups have suffered a similar, inevitable fate.

Railways now need to understand social media and how to engage with it effectively. There are those, who Attempt to regulate the use of social media by members of their Railways in an unintelligent, heavy handed manner. More thought and intelligence is required.

Robin