West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Yes if she wants to become thoroughly depressed in her first week at work!

 

I do love this web site because, yes, we are doing 9351. I also have existing customer's work to deal with. I've sent out today the 5 day's worth of progress on 93 but what you won't see is the Mk1 coach the Marshall boiler, 1857 bits and bobs. So please feel free to come on down and chip in not just slate us about how little we do.

Regards Ryan

 

The WSR plc is apparently in such dire straits financially that it has to conduct a fire sale of assets as well as make redundancies. However, it states that it will refuse to sell 4110 to a group who have raised the purchase price in just a few weeks and who could complete the sale before the plc's self imposed deadline.

One wonders what they're playing at.

 

It could help her realize what had been taken on!

 

Absolutely right Ryan, I certainly know how hard you and your guys work. Keep on going my friend and ignore the moaners.

 

Since the news about the WSR redundancies came out a few days ago, I've had a few thoughts on the subject, but didn't really want to try typing them out until I was sat down at a real keyboard - the phone is OK for smart-alec one-liners but not for anything long and rambling. I know this thread moves on at rapid pace but hopefully my thoughts are still relevant.

I've been involved in making redundancies myself; it's not a nice job. It's very common on here and elsewhere, as people have noted, for the people at the lower levels to think that businesses are far too top-heavy with expensive management, people who never do the real work. The reason for this, I suspect, is that those people at the lower levels don't realise just how much work the people at the top have to do. It might seem to be easy to cut out a management post and save a lot of cash with one stroke, but that person's responsibilities will still need to be carried out. Take HR for example: if you do not have HR expertise within your business, you will, sooner or later, inevitably get into a sticky HR situation. If the business thinks "it can't be that hard, we don't need help here," it's very easy to incur expensive mistakes. Put simply: if you employ people, you need access to some form of HR knowledge, otherwise you will get stuck.

It seems strange, too, that the Head of Ops has been removed from post. It's another skilled role which is a lot more difficult than people think; moreover, railway operations managers are rather thinner on the ground than HR managers. Surely this can only be, as someone said above, the first stage in a restructuring process. I know some people only come to this site to read this one thread, but if you read around the whole place, you'll know that one WSR volunteer was, in recent years, expecting to be handed the post of WSR Ops Director and was a bit surprised not to be given the board seat they felt entitled to. I've noticed them singing the praises of the new WSR chairman upthread; maybe a bit of flattery will indeed see an experienced volunteer Ops Director replacing a paid Head of Ops. Whether that would be a good idea is difficult to say. Certainly, if you are going to replace a senior member of staff, replacing them with someone from within the organisation does reduce the risk of losing that all-important institutional memory that is often at risk of disappearing in any sort of management restructuring.

That comes back round to the point that was originally in my head when I started writing this unstructured ramble: that if you make redundant staff who do still have active responsibilities, those responsibilities will still need to be carried out. The obvious follow-on to that is: it is much easier to make people redundant at the bottom of an organisation (or middle, if it is large enough) than at the top, purely because there are more people left at the bottom to absorb those responsibilities. To some extent you can move people upwards or sideways, but it is a much riskier proposition, even if it feels like the attractive, easy and popular one. I suppose the difficulty preserved railways have in this regard is: because so many people at the bottom layer are volunteers, that generally only leaves the middle and top layers to work with.

 

The work that goes on at Williton is of the highest standard (I know because I work there at least twice a week) and despite all the negativity that has been thrown at it over the last 3 or 4 years those who work there support each other and get on well. Unfortunately, a number have fallen by the wayside probably the net outcome of the crap that has been thrown at the place in recent years. Sadly if you throw enough poo at something some of it will inevitably stick and that is the unfortunate view of the Williton works by much of the outside world. If Williton is to become a real place of benefit to the WSR everyone needs to get behind the whole operation have some positive input and create a real plan of what the railway wants out of the place. I spent several years on a Williton development committee where the stated aim was to fully consult with all stakeholders about the future of the whole station area then as sadly happens at the WSR these days, a couple of people left and the whole plan and the effort that went into it went out the window. Yes, the whole railway needs to pull together but let's hope some joined up thinking and a sensible plan comes together soon. (and is conveyed to those involved!)
If anyone on here wants to see what is achieved at Williton then why not get in touch with Ryan and offer your help. There's work for all ages and abilities.

John, continuously active WSR supporter since 1972. I've seen en come and I've seen em go. Too many egos and empty talk!

 

Good posts #16207 and #16208 and I wonder if posters had to also post their real names, some would think twice before committing fingers to keyboard.
Philip

 

Now that WSRA have declared their intention to 'exit commercial operations' and restructure the Charity accordingly, there must be implications for WS Restorations, and therefore future operations within the Swindon Shed. It will be interesting to see how this develops. The BL shop arrangements will presumably be subject to change too.

 

Been thinking this for a long time , wheeltappers & shunter keyboard warriors !......Malcolm WSRA PW gangs

 

Deleted
Lol, just seen the above post! I deleted because the quote I was using came from a closed group not 'public'

 

What has happened with 44422? Is it gone?

 

Do you know it was only some 6 months ago that I decided no more Nat Pres but I eventually spoke again. Some of the people on this thread are my friends and endlessly and selflessly support the wider WSR family. However, what consistently comes through is the petty sniping. Quotes about Company strategy that are only supposition and guesses. Well folks I have been a Trustee and a Director and have worked on and off since 1971 with the WSR. I have seen it crawl out of the financial crisis in the eighties and the slow and tortuous start when the railway was sold to the County Council. AND GUESS WHAT it will crawl out of this latest little problem because the guys and girls love this railway. They have fire and passion and a can do attitude. The anthem should be We Shall Overcome and they will and the WSR will be running trains later this year. So what is the purpose of this rant. If you have not got something useful to say then say nothing and those of us who do, and I am nearly 70, will dust off our knees from struggling and help JJP and the others to get this Old Girl back on her feet. Ken Davidge, proud member of the WSR

 

Is it not on a long term loan and there are repair obligations/costs required to fulfil the terms of that loan ?

 

Quote from the Winter 2018 edition of the West Somerset Railway Journal.

' No progress since our last report.The wheelsets remaining at Williton'.

Stef.

 

just read faol comment well said sir

 

An update on 4110 is on the WSR pictures website. Looks like matters have come full circle and that 4110 Ltd will buy with WSRA as one of the shareholders?

 

Indeed. Not a rant at all. Real supporters are fed up with all the pathetic whinging and non stop uninformed comments from the n’er do wells. You can ignore them by just tapping on their avatar and selecting ignore. It is good to read NP without their incessant rubbish. The recent post from Ryan Pope was a breath of fresh air. Let us see more from the hard workers. We know who you are!

 

Barrie - PM sent