West Somerset Railway General Discussion

The guys are doing a great job at MD , working long hours, to ensure steam rules!

 

They certainly are doing a great job with only 4 locos for 3 duties.

More good news is 53808 expected to return to action on 1515 from Minehead tomorrow.

 

The maintenance guys have been burning the midnight oil I guess.. Half term is usually an very busy time for preserved lines.
Poor weather certainly keeps the beaches free and attractions busy! Well it seems to do so in Torbay and South Devon.

 

Any idea on when loco convoy arrives for diesel gala? Thxs

 

Here are the facts direct from the WSR Loco department.

Rich Hiscox from the WSR's Locomotive Department reports on recent events:

"Been a somewhat busy week or so for us all in the locomotive department. Various challenges have cropped up in one form or another. 7822 was failed unfortunately on Tuesday evening with a broken bogie spring bolt which isn't the easiest of things to change - involves dropping several other bits off to get at, but ever determined to get it back into traffic a 6am start this morning to fix the fault saw it haul the last service back to Bishops Lydeard today. 6960 continues in service hauling the MD1 diagram. 7F 53808 was stopped on Monday evening for boiler washout/examination and new parts being fitted to its tired Silvertown axlebox lubricator to ensure its reliability for the future. Work on S160 6046 is ongoing to ensure its reliability on the pump side of things with a aim to re-enter WSR service next week. As ever the overhaul side of things is progressing well with 7828 looking ever closer to hauling trains again later this season."

So not the crisis you make it out to be. Just the reality of using locos that need a lot of fettling. AFAIK just an unfortunate coincidence of unrelated events and certainly not a crisis. Nor is thresignation of one employee

Thanks to Steve Edge's site for the quote.

 

I wish you'd read my posts. Twice I've stated the opposite, i.e. that by saying the english don't complain I was specifically not excluding anyone else.

I've given you my evidence for believing that there is. Please now return the compliment by giving me yours for believing that there isn't.

Easy to say, difficult to substantiate.

 

Suddenly the full attention of the residents of Nat Pres was turned on the problem and lo! it was solved.

 

Yes - some of the discussions on this thread are pretty boring and wholly irrelevant to WSR Operations - and as much of a turn-off as the adverts

 

He doesn't comment on this boss's resignation

 

& rightly so; it's none of our business.

 

An Urgent Request.

Can anyone volunteer to answer the phones at MD informantion office as we need to have 2 people there for the yellow timetable and we are short of volunteers.
Volunteers are needed now. If you can help please eithe contact the railway direct on 01643 704996 or give me a ring 07932475675
The information ofice is the first point of contact for members of the public Full training will be given. Please think about giving your railway some of your spare time to keep steam alive in west somerset.

IF you cant help but know someone who maybe able to please pass on the numbers above.

Thank you

Rodney Greenway

 

Horses for courses. People bitching about what other people write about is pretty boring too. Bitch bitch bitch, you aren’t talking about what I want you to talk about. A handful of posts about topics slightly tangential isn’t going to kill anyone and they are pretty easy to skip over. No one is standing over you forcing you to read the posts you don’t like.

The WSR thread is so angry all the time.

Briefly, because otherwise, some people will explode with apoplexy. I did read your posts, if you had said ‘some people won’t complain and won’t come back’ that would have been more accurate. I don’t and didn’t understand why you ascribed not complaining as a national characteristic.

My evidence is that socialisation is received in different ways depending on things such as gender, class, region and so on, and the response to that socialisation is always different. There is a huge literature on individuals within groups and their behaviour, the study of which goes back the best part of 150 years. I am not sure that this is what you want by way of evidence, but for empirical evidence I would simply suggest going back to the findings of mass observation which are now in the public domain. This demonstrates to me that there is no uniform response to any situation.

However, it is best to leave it here simply because some people are responding to off piste discussions by getting very upset (see no uniform response )

 

A deposit in advance might be very welcome with with the overhaul to do and ensure its prompt attendance afterwards.

 

"You can still buy new bullhead". And apparently buy it from competitive suppliers: Network Rail when rerailing from Georgemas Junction to
Thurso ordered new bullhead and got it from Austria. What Voest Alpine have made of it afterwards I would be interested to know but it
seems to be a reliable assumption that it is easier to roll without the the wide thin foot of flatbottom.

 

Those maintaining the track might just have a view about the effect of such locos on the track.......

 

And was quite largely bull head. London Transport welded up long rail for British Railways early on.
Also there is no problem with welded rail on wooden sleepers which can give a really good ride.

 

I'd pay extra to ride in open wagon on the WSR! If it's at the rear of a (say) 7 coach train the sparks and ash issue should surely be minimal?

 

And the smells and smuts afficionados could pay a supplement for the return journey. Assuming the Ops department will not want to do a shunt at each end.

 

Sir William McAlpine (has) had open wagons on his railway at Fawley near Henley on Thames - it was great fun travelling in it and Watching many woman (and men) ducking to avoid the smuts and ash from the chimney !