West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Michael (Maunsell 907) is right. The railway needs more cash to make more rapid progress. It is currently cash constrained. So as I said earlier, more bums on seats or more donations or more volunteers will see things happen faster.

 

So British! How dare the customer want a meal at 11.31!

 

One of my occupations was for many years selling and running a large family store. I was always well aware of the company balance sheet. However minds focussed solely on the cash register and not on customer service is a not, in my view, a good business model. Gain your customer loyalty and support and the cash should follow. It takes a certain amount of money to gain a good, returning customer, such as advertising, employing good, efficient staff plus product or service offered of proven reliability. Particularly more so when your customer (passenger) does not find you essential and can fairly easily go elsewhere. Once you have their loyalty it would be silly to alienate them and as a consequence waste the resources you have spent.

 

Sorry, the cart before the horse as far as I am concerned.
The PLC has, in the last year, had a very good web site update (similar to that used by the Dartmouth line). It probably did not come cheap, as they say, but it is where it, hopefully, all begins and giving the railway that patronage which it needs.

 

Or perhaps more buns on plates?

Robin

 

Oh No, NOT more snacks....!

 

Dare I suggest a combination (and aim) of all 3 would be advisable?

Steven

 

I read Robin's post as "bums on plates" - rump steak anyone?

Steve B

 

Unlikely to maintain the QB’s enviable food hygiene rating...

Robin

 

Schoolboy humour:

Cast iron sign found on a well-known auction site - is it authentic?

WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY

CUSTOMERS must not SIT on the meat SLICER
WE do not WANT to get behind in our ORDERS​

by Order - WSR​

 

My thoughts exactly, a passenger on a heritage line doesn't have to travel with them unlike most of those catching a mainline service. Therefore, it is important to ensure passengers are kept happy.

 

JD Wetherspoon do a very reasonable breakfast (regular or large) for a fair price. Of the two JDWs in Taunton, the Coal Orchard is a short walk from the railway station and close to (limited) free 60 minute parking. Thanks to a local arrangement negotiated by Somerset CAMRA some years ago, all CAMRA members enjoy a 20 per cent discount on food purchases, in both Taunton JDWs (but not the Minehead outlet), on production of a valid membership card.

That info should sort the QB capacity problem.....

 

I am gobsmacked (not something I often suffer from !). A business has at any time a finite resource it can invest. The WSR has limited cash. It needs to use this cash first to ensure it continues to run a service that attracts passengers. I never said that passengers are not key. A revamped web site was essential, similarly a carefully used advertising budget etc etc. There is much we can learn from both other Heritage Railways and the general Tourist market, not least to ensure we use our hard won cash wisely and effectively.

It is from passengers that we gain cash and hopefully additionally funds that we can invest in maintaining and improving the Railway. (Of course as with most Heritage Railways, that is not enough, ie we have to seek donations, issue shares etc) Remember please that we are maintaining 22.5 miles of railway. The market, (fare box) is what a family will pay for a day out; they often pay a similar fare on some other Railways for a much shorter journey. Our past Chairman often pointed out that in terms of cost per mile travelled the WSR offered the best value; this is not necessarily unfortunately, to many of our passengers, significant. They want a train ride, 20 or 40 miles return is not important. However we are where we are and I imagine there are few who would suggest we close half our Railway ?

But what is our USP? I suggest running (steam hauled) trains safely through attractive countryside and stations whilst welcoming passengers with a smile. The common theme on Trip Advisor is that we (the staff whether paid or volunteers) are friendly, welcoming and helpful. We endeavour, and I believe are achieving some success, to not only offer our passengers a good day out but make them want to return. For sure we can improve, indeed we must, costs are rising, the infrastructure let alone motive power is ageing, we need more passengers. However we also must ensure that whilst making investments to achieve that we remain 'a going concern'.

Finally please; managing cash flow well should not only be the preserve of Supermarkets - we should not spend hard won resources without establishing ROCE ( return on capital employed) and continually remember that cash is key.

Michael Rowe.

ps rightly or wrongly the general view of those who support and volunteer on the West Somerset Railway is that we do not wish to be like the Paignton and Dartmouth. As a matter of note we do not have a Railway only 7 miles long, a ferry service to Dartmouth, a flourishing boat/ferry service to Totness etc etc. We also aim to preserve (and enhance) our Heritage. Chalk and cheese ?

 

Perhaps we should strive to provide the authentic heritage experience .....

"I am the boy at Mugby. That's about what I am.

You don't know what I mean? What a pity! But I think you do. I think you must. Look here. I am the boy at what is called The Refreshment Room at Mugby Junction, and what's proudest boast is, that it never yet refreshed a mortal being.

Up in a corner of the Down Refreshment Room at Mugby Junction, in the height of twenty-seven cross draughts (I've often counted 'em while they brush the First-Class hair twenty-seven ways), behind the bottles, among the glasses, bounded on the nor'west by the beer, stood pretty far to the right of a metallic object that's at times the tea-urn and at times the soup-tureen, according to the nature of the last twang imparted to its contents which are the same groundwork, fended off from the traveller by a barrier of stale sponge-cakes erected atop of the counter, and lastly exposed sideways to the glare of Our Missis's eye--you ask a Boy so sitiwated, next time you stop in a hurry at Mugby, for anything to drink; you take particular notice that he'll try to seem not to hear you, that he'll appear in a absent manner to survey the Line through a transparent medium composed of your head and body, and that he won't serve you as long as you can possibly bear it. That's me."

 

Er, the P&D apart from being a 'commercial' venture has basically a unique set of circumstances in terms of its location and I doubt if any other preserved line could have done the same simply for that reason.

The only P&D type operation that comes to mind is that the SVR runs a pub at Kidderminster Station

 

A pedant writes: the SVR runs two pubs, one at Kidderminster and one at Bridgnorth. I'm not sure what you think makes them a particularly P&D-style affair, though.

 

And Bridgnorth

 

I would suggest the Lakeside and Haverthwaite runs a very similar business model to the P&D.

 

Deleted

 

Must say , how un - British . They should wait for luncheon . lol .