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S&D Railway Trust

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Andy Norman, Feb 24, 2020.

  1. Fish Plate

    Fish Plate New Member

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    Are you suggesting that the PLC board did not think through their decision to kick the SDRT out before announcing it...? :Banghead:

    The good news is that it does seem that the SDRT are now in better place, because it has given them the "encouragement" they needed to review their assets and decide how best to make them available to the public; the WSR's loss is very much the MHR's gain. I wish them all the luck in world; how they have been treated by the PLC (and how their fellow charities on the WSR failed to help them, even though they collectively had the power to do something about it) is disgraceful.
     
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  2. Wriggley

    Wriggley New Member

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    Won't be long now I expect, depends how quickly it takes for Mummy and Daddy to pay for the broken one in Birmingham!
     
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  3. Matt78

    Matt78 Well-Known Member

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    Seems like a pragmatic outcome. For all the talk of defective leases and grounds for notice to quits it seems that the matter has come to a conclusion without going too “legal”.

    a further thought-highly likely that someone, somewhere has worked very hard in the background to produce this result....if so they deserve a fair bit of credit...

    regards

    Matt
     
  4. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    I think the answer is, at least for the next few years, both.
     
  5. Wriggley

    Wriggley New Member

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    Yes all credit to whoever has salvaged some sort of compromise out of this mess, but nonetheless, the originator of this particular form of vandalism should be sacked. I do hope he doesn't try to take any credit for this. Something for PLC shareholders to consider at the forthcoming AGM when he will be up for re-election.
     
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  6. Alan Kebby

    Alan Kebby Well-Known Member

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    So the mysterious use the WSR required Washford for has now mysteriously disappeared?
     
  7. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    My view, as expressed on the WSR thread is that either the WSR wont reopen, or if it does it will be under a new operator, not the PLC so apart from its remoteness and the breakdown in trust of the PLC the decision to head for Hampshire makes a lot of sense.
     
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  8. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    I have mixed views on this latest development, noting also that currently the two sides are "in talks", so nothing is firm yet.

    It is good that at least a compromise has been reached, but - as is always the case with compromises - it's never really ideal for either side. If only this situation could have been reached 6 months ago and saved so much anguish, bitterness and unnecessary expense.

    The fact that the Trust will (hopefully) remain at WD for at least 10 more years will give them the opportunity to carry on uninterrupted with their rolling-stock restoration and maintenance programme. No need for all the hastle of dismantling and the rebuilding workshops etc. However the apparent impending relocation of (most, if not all of) the Museum to one or more locations 'elsewhere' does IMHO seem a little perverse and counter-productive. Yes, it will help to spread S&DJR awareness to other areas, but surely you need to keep a substantial presence in Somerset and/or Dorset as the "S&DJR heartland"? After all, would GWR devotees be happy if places such as STEAM were relocated to (say) Eastleigh or Derby?

    With little or no S&DJR Museum at WD itself, I wonder just how many visitors will go there now just on the off-chance of being able to see inside the workshops? And if the station itself is changing to PLC 'management', then what will happen to the 'Midford' display inside the old signal-box - it would seem pointless to have to move just a few yards across into the yard, or miles away to somewhere else - and what would the PLC use the structure for anyway? Would it perhaps come under WSSRT control?

    Of course, there are the concerns about (a) what will happen after 10 years and (b) what is the likelihood of a repeat of a premature eviction attempt? It would be nice to think that "no one would be so stupid as to do that again", but.....and as for 'guarantees'... hmmm.

    Still, probably the best bit of news (relatively speaking) to come out of WD for many months, so let's keep hoping :)
     
  9. City of truro fan

    City of truro fan Member

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    I think moving kilmersdon to hollycombe is a great idea but if it can stay at washford instead this is the best news this year.
     
  10. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Based on the comments at post 3136, if an accurate reflection of their current state then I would have to disagree.
     
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  11. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    If I'm right, that someone has come in for a lot of stick on here in earlier posts.
     
  12. gwilialan

    gwilialan Well-Known Member

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    I'll wait and see if the S&DRT get suitable compensation for the betterment of the area they are giving up before I consider this to be a 'good deal'

    If not then perhaps more 'stick' is required.
     
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  13. City of truro fan

    City of truro fan Member

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    The thing is washford will be left alone if they move out kilmerson and the trucks and no one will go there anymore. There won’t be anything worth getting off in washford for any more if everything’s at holly Combe. The WSR will be looking to close the station to save them money as what’s the point.
     
  14. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    please, stop this fetish for moving Kilmerson to Hollycombe, Its not going to happen, The engine needs an overhaul, so it has to go somewhere that can facilitate that overhaul, assuming the trust has the money in the bank to start that overhaul, at the moment they have more pressing things to deal with, they could decide to start the overhaul at Washford, but if some of the site is going to be needed by the railway, is that wise? What the new lease does, if its true, is to buy the trust time to decide where its future lies, for instance, if the tie in with the MHRPS, and MHR is a good one, and there remains tensions between the WSR family, then, in time they could , or the next generation of members, might think we need to wind down our activities on the WSR, as ever, it going to be down to the various factions to prove they want the S&DJRT to remain part of the WSR.
     
  15. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    As has already been stated, the SDJRT is currently negotiating for a 10 lease on part of the Washford site. I don't believe that Kilmersdon is even on site at Washford at present.

    Why would everything be at Hollycombe? The only person to have mentioned Hollycombe is you and it's already been explained to you by several posters why Hollycombe is not a realistic proposal.

    You do know that people get off at stations that don't have an S&D museum? Just because the museum isn't there doesn't mean the WSR will close the station - you're adding 2 + 2 and getting apples!

    As I said before, please STOP and THINK before you post.

    Keith
     
  16. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Massive and unnecessary thread drift in my view. In an attempt to shut this ridiculous Kilmersdon discussion off can I just mention:
    There is little sense in dispersing a collection across potentially three sites - i.e. Somerset, Hampshire and Hants/West Sussex border.

    The standard gauge option at Hollycombe has long gone. It was always problematic with the gates having to be closed every time a train ran across the main path through the site. So there is no line to move to, in my view.

    And then there is the derelict Commander B on the site in the open that I think is the oldest surviving Hawthorn Leslie locomotive in the world, dating back to about 1899. If there is a future for that loco then it probably won't be at Hollycombe.
     
  17. bluetrain

    bluetrain Well-Known Member

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    I see that the latest news is now also confirmed by the S&DRT web-site. I had been a little confused by the previous announcement, and left wondering where all the stuff from Washford would be accommodated on the Mid-Hants. But it is now clear that only the museum items and a few vehicles will be moving. Apart from the issue of finite space on the Mid-Hants, that means that the removal task and costs will be much more manageable.

    While not a perfect solution, this news must be the best to emerge from West Somerset in quite some time. I assume that there must have been much quiet diplomacy behind the scenes, possibly from a combination of Mr Bailey and the more thoughtful elements among the WSR's higher echelons. So all credit to them.

    The compromise may draw much of the poison from the toxic atmosphere in West Somerset. But of course it would have been better if the unfortunate actions of last February/March had not happened. There will likely be some lingering mistrust and reputational damage. It is important that, if and when the proposed new over-arching WSR membership/ charity body is set up, it is under the control of people who can bring warring parties together, and heal rifts rather than create them.
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2020
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  18. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    It all depends on the personalities, and who brings past baggage with them, and who is putting the greater railway first, instead of settling age old scores, or empire building, there is a chance for a better future, where the mistakes of the past are not repeated, but it needs some new people untainted by the past, and others who can work for whats best, not for them personally, but for the railway , experienced people will be needed , but some of the current leadership are unfortunately too toxic to play any part,
     
  19. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    We need to remind ourselves that at the moment there are still "ongoing discussions". The final result is yet to be clear, but I get the impression that everything on the south side of the running line will become a WSR station "under new management" with the S&DJR confined to the yard area north of the running line. This has implications for the future.

    IMHO it is fair to say that the immediate area of Washford village is not a great 'tourist magnet'. Unless the 'new station management' has some wonderful schemes up its corporate sleeves, with no S&DRT Museum presence I suspect that the number of visitors to the station may well decline. At the moment the station shop is the Trust's 'front door' for the public, who may spend time in there while waiting for a train. The volunteers can engage them in conversation about the S&DJR, suggest they might like to visit the Museum, supervise them crossing over into the yard etc. I doubt that the 'new management' will do that to any great extent.

    In any case, if most (if not all) of the Museum 'display items' go elsewhere, then the yard will become essentially just a repair and maintenance works facility, which IMHO is unlikely to entice and/or encourage casual visitors. Unless the Trust sets up some sort of 'welcome kiosk' by the crossing (and how often could they man that anyway, with resources now diverted elsewhere?) then public access to the yard may well be restricted to occasional 'open days' at Galas etc. In some ways it will become perhaps more like the DEPG yard at Williton.
     
  20. City of truro fan

    City of truro fan Member

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    There isn’t any difference from it being at Helston or at hollycombe actually except I can’t see it as well but I have agreed with the people that I can live with that. So that is already 3 places if it’s back to Helston so that shows there is sense. Also why is it not good to change the gates every time. People like to watch things like that and makes it more interesting. Saying because opening gates is difficult is just lazy. They would of had a footbridge if it was that much problems. So non argument. You just don’t like my options I feel
     

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