West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Andy,

I'm sorry if my post touched a nerve with you personally it was not my intention and my post was not directed at you.
However, I feel I must bring you up to date with some recent changes happening on the railway. Including new policies for volunteers and for safeguarding. It seem to me that your assumption is that the railway is incapable of change. While there is still a lot of work to do on many fronts we continue to make progress. Perhaps not as fast as some of us would like but we do keep plugging away and I am confident things are improving. The task the WSR plc chair and his new board have taken on is akin to cleaning the Augean Stables and it's not going to happen overnight, however it will happen.
Had you been able to attend the WSRA AGM you would have heard not only or re-affirmation of our commitment to Coombes but of the likely timetable we will now be following. You'd also have heard the clear and logical reasons why.
I was, only the other day, having a general conversation about retention of volunteers. We all know we can't afford to lose good people. We also know that we must run in a totally compliant way. The bad old days of people thinking they could do it "their way" are gone. This is what the Chair and the GM mean by either you follow the rules or there is no place for you on the railway. There is no implied threat in the statements. Safety of our volunteers, staff and passengers is front and centre in everything we do. Sadly in the 21st century railways remain the type of organisation that needs a very clear structure and a big book of rules to go with it. More so as we have to prove we can operate 1950's technology safely in in 21st century. It was refreshing to hear the ORR telling us a few weeks ago we were moving in the right direction. I will be the first to admit this slows the pace of change and of innovation because everything needs to be checked and checked and checked again before a change is made.
I'm not going to reply publically to the more personal points you raise as it would be totally the wrong thing to do. You know how to get in touch if you want to and you know that many things in life can be resolved by a quiet chat.

 

F.F.S

 

Mike

Thanks for your comments, whilst feedback from within doesn’t bear out some of what you say and lots of these words have been used in the last 4 years and no action has actually happened I live in hope. However I am heartened by your comments, we both know each other well enough to know what needs to change so I take some store in you posting this in public, it’s a great commitment you are making. I will watch with interest, please, prove me wrong, and then come back and tell me I was wrong for all to see, we would both be happy and I will then buy you a pint.

Regarding a quiet chat, it would have been the better way. Indeed you will know that I had said to all more than once that I would go quietly if you all left me alone to volunteer in peace. So I tried that route as the best way to sort out our differences, your Chairman told me on email to stop complaining to people as nobody is interested and would not debate my issues or support me as a WSRA Member (I asked), the PLC Chairman & GM made repeated attempts to remove my ID Card and the Chairman messaged me more than once when I posted on social media telling me to stop or else (in fact I’m expecting all my posts to be removed from here soon!), he also as you very well know refused to meet with me to discuss my concerns and a way forward. The PLC then removed me from HOPs and the Loco Roster without even telling me so I was suspended from the footplate and the PLC Vice-Chairman who was due to talk to me in January hasn’t. Its four months down the road now, I think I’ve given everybody more than enough chances to have a chat so sorry but that ship has sailed.

It would of course have been much better for me to say all of this in my grievance to the relevant people and keep it off of here, that we can both agree on, but I wasn't given the opportunity.

Please all take a step back and be inclusive in dealings with your volunteers, it’s a start on the road to recovery, good luck.

 

Mr Andy Norman has been mentioned in the minutes of the 24th Annual General Meeting held at Crowcombe Village Hall on Saturday 13 April, 2019. Well done sir.

Chairman's Report.
''2018 was the year we were able to move forward. The Hinkley Point Community Fund awarded the Association £95,700 in November 2018, to deliver a Community Engagement Project, by strengthening the railway’s links with the local community, in order to facilitate personal well-being, community cohesion and the training and improving the skills of people living in the area surrounding Hinkley Point. The Board is very grateful to Andy Norman who as a very committed volunteer took this application through to a successful conclusion''.

Below is the full report. Thanks to wsr.org for the link. <BJ>

https://www.wsra.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-AGM-Minutes.pdf

 

Can anyone confirm if steam in use this May bank holiday Monday?

Roster shows 33/37. Have a nephew that’s wants to steam train ride to seaside

 

Well done Andy, its a pity that what has happened to you cannot - or it seems will not be undone

 

There is no such rule. Our acting Chief Signalling Inspector has an understandable view that if you are coming from a long way away, you might (1) not be able to volunteer often enough to meet the 'minimum turns' requirement and (2) might struggle with a long drive before and after a turn. But we have a number of volunteers from the Bristol Area, including signalmen.

Best have a chat with him. Do message me privately, and I will put you in touch.

I am lucky to live 150 yards from the line...

Robin

 

No info on steam rosters but I'd guess 53808 from Lydeard and 7828 from Minehead. The steam services are shown on the online timetables (for example https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/timetables/view/106 )

Enjoy your day

Steve

 

It's a shame that all the boards on the WSR aren't made up of the calibre of Andy Norman.

DJB.

 

May be when the suggestion by those in power that the only way to 'save' the WSR is the sale of Minehead Station, and it's removal to beyond the level crossing that truth dawns on those who follow the dogma of The Headmaster.
Or a similar destructive objective.
My view only.

 

What actions make you think this is even a remote possibility Nick?

 

If I purchase a local resident annual pass after travelling, am I allow a discount on pass within week of travel

 

I note that cFrank Courtney resigned from the WSR PLC board. I have not seen any official comment about this.

 

Robin, I feel I have to point out that if you were to read the intervening posts between mine and yours, you will discover that almost everything you wrote was superfluous. Your points (at least those not relating to your own networking contacts) were all raised by other people, and answered by me in post 18,751.

To reiterate, though, what I said there: if the rule does not exist, then don't go and tell people that there are distinct, precise distances within which you would like people to live. Don't be surprised if it puts people off applying. I can entirely understand that there are concerns about travelling before and after turns, and about meeting the minimum turn requirements, but if those are your concerns, those are the things you should spell out, not give the impression that fixed, hard limits exist. I would presume your Inspectorate has an interview process for anyone wanting to join as a signalman, given the critical nature of the position, and the applicants' awareness of those concerns and how it would affect them are something that to my mind should be covered in the interview process.

Moreover, thank you for the offer to put me in touch with your Inspectorate, but as I also said earlier, I am no longer interested in volunteering on the WSR. Family, work, and commitments to other railways prevent me from doing so; but even if they did not, for a variety of reasons but particularly after the things Andy Norman has posted recently, I would not be interested in volunteering on the WSR.

 

I hear cloning technology is coming on leaps and bounds these days, so there's hope!

 

I apologise for trying to help. As someone who qualified as a WSR signalman 33 years ago, I thought I might have a marginally useful contribution. Plainly not.

Life is too short to read all on Nat Pres, or indeed, all on the WSR thread.

Ho-hum, back to drafting a Commercial Instruction for use on a Railway elsewhere.

Robin

 

I hope that your skills and experience will not be lost and that you will find a line which is more welcoming, appreciative and that treats you better.

 

Thanks for all your comments. my wife has just said that one Andy Norman is more than enough thanks,,,

 

Just to lighten the tone for a moment - Heritage meets even greater Heritage

 

Not THAT old hobby horse again...!

(As has never been said on Nat Pres before...)

Robin