West Somerset Railway General Discussion

They are certainly not interlocked at Grosmont and are purely under the control of the signalman. This enables him/her to leave them open until the last moment. Don't forget that, as the crossing gates are interlocked with the signals they must therefore be closed to road traffic for quite a while before the train arrives. Similarly interlocking the wicket gates would be very frustrating for people when it is really unnecessary.

 

The thing is all this about eating at BL and the lack of meals it taking only into consideration of people coming by car etc to BL station to catch the train to MH etc and, not the people who are starting at MH etc and getting to BL and looking for a lunch, and if they have children they most likely won't want to walk into the village to find something to eat such as banger's and mash. There is planning (if not run out of time) for a restaurant etc as part of the Station Farm development which the builders haven't done anything about yet. https://www2.tauntondeane.gov.uk/We...e.aspx?SRBarCode=Ty1DGWmDJrd57nCBMT&ExtID=JPG which could help out for this angle. The current building is too small for anything other than snacks, and due to the siting is most likely not be able to make it larger, unless the shop side closed down/moved but will be better if they are interconnected to get better sales for both sides.

 

Good Thinking, it makes me realise that we are a bit to 'enthusiast centric' in some of these discussions and need to do something for those who start their journeys at Minehead even if it is to advise them not to expect Lunch at BL

 

So let me think.................

There is an issue over catering at BL

But round the corner is

http://thefruitandflowerbasket.com/

So how might we come to a mutually agreeable arrangement?

 

Snakes?

 

BL station house would make good hotel. Image view from guest room

 

Snake & Ale pie. Perhaps?

 

Difficult to fit in a ballroom, reception desk, residents lounge, 60 seat restaurant, swimming pool, gymnasium, garage, staff locker room...

Robin

 

Do you think these are necessary for good hotel? My priorities tend to focus around cleanliness, good food, friendliness, a good bedroom a good en-suite and quality of surroundings. Not necessarily in that order!

 

The en-suite kills off The Station Master’s House as an Hotel, then. No room for that.

Robin

 

Does anyone have access to a Tardis?

 

Cross my palm with a sonic screwdriver....hang on, I think we have one hanging up in Minehead loco...

Robin

 

BL Station House is not much bigger than Tardis!

See here: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-60660688.html

A very sensible acquisition. It would make pleasant offices &/or perhaps limited Volunteer accommodations. We'll see.......

 

Think it may have been suggested here before but is there anything precluding its use as a self catering holiday cottage? Nice bit of income for the railway, although obviously someone would have to look after it.

 

Eating isn't only about snacks and pies (easy and cheap but not that good). It is about meals, and WSR do not do any - nothing - zilch. In contrast the SVR and Bluebell (and I'm sure many others) do a decent selection of hot plated food. SVR does hot meals at Kidderminster and Highley to name just two places, and I have had to queue in October. They also have pubs at Kidderminster and Bridgnorth stations. They have always been busy when I have visited. On the Bluebell, the Bessemer Arms at Sheffield Park has a lovely cafeteria choice.... and a Sunday lunch restaurant upstairs....
It isn't just for anoraks....No need to prove demand, since they clearly work well elsewhere.
Robin L.

 

Great to know the KWVR takes care of of their paying customers comfort.[/QUOTE]

I have seen at MH a steam pipe being dragged across the rails from a warm loco to warm a set of coaches . At BL firemen have been going in at silly ' o ' clock in the morning to light a fire in Ryan Pope's Pecket so the customers will be comfortable . I know we appreciated it last Friday on the QB , and a very fine breakfast it was .

 

The place to eat on the Bluebell is Horsted Keynes for its pure "Brief Encounter" atmosphere. Having said that, the steak & kidney pie there was top notch, only ever beaten by an incredible one at Havenstreet.
There is serious money to be made with "dry land" catering.

PH

 

Can I just say again that the railway needs to exist within it's community.
Looking back over my time as a volunteer I've heard a raft of WIBN ideas that would have seen the WSR run a hotel, a pub, and at least 2 if not 3 restaurants along the length of the line. Quite how that helps us to be a part of the local community if it had all come true I'm not sure. The biggest criticism levelled at Butlins is that they seek to keep their visitors on site thus denying local business an opportunity for revenue.

 

May I suggest.................

Unlike many other railways, at MD the line ends up in a seaside town with a large range of food outlets and I suggest that the railway has a need to keep the locals sweet.

At the other end, it starts form the middle of a trading estate.

We have a perception of large numbers of passengers travelling a long way to the railway, but where exactly are Mr & Mrs Avcrage member of the public coming from and what do they want/expect. Also of course how many passengers travel 'the other way' from MD to BL? What do they want/expect.

Surely that is what we need to know in order to start informing our plans

 

My wife and I went to Butlins Minehead a couple of years ago for 60s revival weekend, I fully intended to a day on the West Somerset but the weather that weekend was terrible even a short walk to the railway was out of the question, but their was plenty to do on site at Butlins, the West Somerset Railway is well advertised inside Butlins.