West Somerset Railway General Discussion

I'm afraid that poor Dando at Foxcote was much maligned. It is clear that he was put into a position for which he did not have the relevant experience. A very careful study of all the evidence will show that basis of the accident was incorrect block working, where most - if not all - of the fault lay at Wellow. Yes, he did send an Up train into a section already occupied by a Down train, but at the time the block instruments did not register that occupation. As the fact that, prior to that, he had accepted the Up train from Radstock when the Down was already approaching from Wellow and there was no facility to cross trains at Foxcote - well, not exactly ideal, as one of them eventually would have had to be shunted into the siding, but not in itself 'dangerous' if the signals for opposing directions had all remained at 'danger' and been obeyed by the drivers.

A typical example of a disaster caused by a number of minor problems - some long-term, others just happened at that time - none of which on their own might have lead to any accident, but sadly all combining by unfortunate timing into one big accident.

 

Yet curiously, although the box at Foxcote did not meet the BoT criteria for the 'Bath Extension' that boxes had to be at stations with passing-loops, they made no mention at all in their Report into the Accident about other similar boxes which existed on the line at that time (eg Bath Ticket Platform, Midford etc).

 

It is somewhat encouraging that there is progress on the Seaward Way crossing at long last, but of course there is not a dickybird about why it wasn't all finished a year or more ago.

 

The crossing has needed to be replaced with a more modern one and this work needs a lot of time to do. When it’s done it will be a much better design and safety.

 

I don't think there's much disagreement with the basic point of the need to replace the crossing; that aspect is not the issue.

Noel

 

A little Steam at BL this morning

 

Sounds far too familiar and far too close to home for comfort.

The issue of literacy is interesting because I read a case of a level crossing accident in the 1960s where it turned out that the keeper was virtually illiterate and couldn't read the notices.

 

This one: https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=1090

The crossing keeper only spoke Welsh, while her manager only spoke English, yet he claimed to have examined her on the Rules.

 

which were in English only...

It describes her 'virtually unable to read or write' but I am not sure if that means at all or just in English.

She'd been in post for 28 years as well.

 

Interesting. https://www.west-somerset-railway.c...-to-the-west-somerset-railway-for-2021-season

 

Hang on, So If I am reading this right, So The railway is hiring in a locomotive, costing money having agreed to the loss of one that was a home fleet loco, which did not cost them anything to run, as it was not on a hire agreement as such ,So what was the real reason it had to go? Oh, sorry , it wasn't GWR, clearly the loss of 53808 was down to it being the wrong type of locomotive (not GWR) .

 

If I were part of the 5199 owning group, I'd have the invoice for steaming fees on a next day payment. However with the alleged cash flow problems at Llangollen, is it a case of out of the frying pan into the fire (box)?

 

Looks like I was right all along then RE: plenty of locos looking for work in 2021.

 

One is plenty, is it?

 

Signing up a highly desirable class 4 tank engine for a contracted minimum of only 35 days in a year certainly seems a bit of a case of desperation and a sign of the times we are in to me.

Fingers crossed things improve to allow railways to get back to something like normal as early as possible in the season in which case the number of steamings available across the board will go up.

That they (5199) have launched a 'Go Fund Me' appeal for the locos overhaul 2 years in advance says a lot about the finances and loss of earnings this year, though I thought in some seasons she'd been doing in excess of 100 days at Llangollen which should have been a decent earner..?

 

....if they were being paid. Perhaps they are among the loco owners owed by the LR and have little chance of ever seeing it.

 

More unsubstantiated s**t. The group are currently being re-paid outstanding steaming fees , as are other owners.

Bob.