S&D Railway Trust

I am still trying to work out what the connection with the Whitaker token exchange apparatus and the travelling Royal Mail post office trains are?
Both are completely different.

 

As a relative little'un at the time, it was absolutely bloody spectacular to watch. I'm sure that if you'd told me at the time it was getting up to 80mph I'd have believed you, even though the more educated and older me knows that that would probably have been a bit tricky in the space available!

Simon

 

I don't think there was anything beyond the speed of transfer. I will happily shut up about Mail trains now.

Simon

 

2 simple questions.

1. Have you forgotten that the S&D Trust have recently been evicted from the Washford site?
2. Are you expecting the team to regularly keep the station in pristine condition as before the eviction?

<BJ>

 

I think it was simply the case that both were process which involved automatic train-to-land transfer at speed.

 

Stephen Townroe has recorded that, on takeover by Western Region of the northern part of the S&D in 1950, the WR civil engineer announced an intention of replacing the Midford apparatus with one of GWR design. The meeting he convened at Midford to discuss such a change was soon over when he was enlightened as to the continuing use of other S&D exchangers outwith the regional boundary, a fact of which he had evidently been unaware!

It may be worth mentioning that at at any passing place with a single line section on both sides, a meet would (almost) inevitably involve the crossing trains approaching the passing loop with both home signals guarding the loop at danger, and that surrender of the token for each of the single line sections involved would be followed by a request to withdraw a fresh tablet for the section just vacated*. It seems likely that in the case of such a meet the Whitaker apparatus would play no part, the tablets being passed by hand between signalman and traincrew. This, of course, was an opportunity for error, and there was at least one occasion when the the Shillingstone signalman, having drawn tablets for both the Shillingstone-Sturminster and Shillingstone-Blandford sections, gave the Blandford tablet to the train to Sturminster and the Sturminster tab to that destined for Blandford. Fortunately, there was a series of pop whistles as the Sturminster-bound train came to a stand at the Up Starting signal, and the fireman was to be seen waving the tablet pouch aloft as he raced back towards the box, having correctly ascertained that he was not in possession of a tablet for the section he was entering. One would hope that the Blandford-bound crew would likewise have discovered the error, but in any event it was one discovered and corrected before the Blandford train's departure and the need of a report to Authority avoided.

<edit>* As already explained by @RailWest at https://www.national-preservation.c...eviction-notice.1417790/page-186#post-2669793, posted whilst I was writing the above </edit>

 

I would like to record my thanks and congratulations to the team of S&DRT members who have successfully accomplished the dismantling and safe storage of the replica interior of the box at Midford hitherto housed within the Washford signal box. Dismembering and extracting that lever frame can scarcely have been an easy task.

It would seem that the endgame at Washford is its restoration to a condition not unlike that in which it was found when the S&DRMT moved onto the site in 1975-76. If that state of affairs was one the West Somerset Railway plc did not desire then it should have honoured its obligations under the agreement it formed with the S&DRT in 2018; the present outcome is one for which it has only itself to blame.

 

I am sad to see the S&D go, I wish them all the very best. I remember posting the above some
15 months past.


I recall at the time ‘Magic monkey’ afforded it ‘hatchet job’ status. It was no such thing, merely an
attempt to be objective.

Michael Rowe

 

However I was very dissapointed that when we were preparing with the various stations for the
Flying Scotsman visit in 2017 the S&D Trust were unable to join in. Indeed the Station other
than the platform remained unopened during the event. We used Plc volunteers to patrol the
platform, specifically against line trespass. All the other WSR stations engaged enthusiastically
in the event, in some cases arranging additional car parking nearby, extra food and drink
facilities and most important all the requisite safety facilities ( including individual station plans )
essential for the overall
event plan.
I was at Washford on two of the days of the FS event. They were open on both of those days and serving tea and coffee. Additional parking had been arranged with the Washford Inn. The station was patrolled by 2 security men that had been drafted in for the event by the plc. The plc staff were in attendance purely to collect the admission fee and issue a platform ticket.

 

What ever you might think of the S&DRT trust it is not their fault about the appearance of Washford station, and not their fault another party reneged on the the deal.

 

I'm still not convinced that's particularly helpful, deepening factional divisions like that. It wasn't "The Plc" any more or less than it was "The WSR". If you want to ascribe it to the then plc board then that's fine, but lots of people on the WSR seem to get 'categorised', and then dismissed, as "Oh he's a Plc man he would say that" or similar with WSRA or WSRHT or whatever, which has always seemed deeply damaging to me. As if being "Pro-Plc" is different, or even worse, opposite, to being "Pro-WSRA". Drawing those lines in the way that they are makes it very difficult to move on, compared to other lines that have had difficulties in the past around divisive personalities. Even if people change, the lines stay the same on the WSR. That's why I think changing the organisational structure is so important and could bring about meaningful change, as it would break those long-standing divisions.

 

Assuming that the S&DRT removes all its vehicles and movable artifacts from Washford, that leaves the workshop shed and tracks. I suppose the options there are:
- Sell them to the WSR.
- Dismantle and sell for scrap.
- Dismantle and transport for re-use elsewhere.

But presumably a significant proportion of S&DRT members and volunteers reside in the West Somerset area, so may prefer the S&DRT to keep a presence in the area, even if on a much reduced scale?

 

Edited for you Alex.

 

While I agree with the sentiment, and the need to remove badges for people, I also think it wrong to detach association from the organisations that made the decisions. The blunt truth is that it was the plc, under the board of directors in office in early 2020, that gave the S&DRT notice to quit. It is that body that exercised itself in that way, and it is the consequences of the exercise of that power that were of concern before this happened, and continue to be of concern. The disease does not lie in any individual at the WSR, though the symptoms may be strong in some, but in the structure of the organisations as a whole. And without proper diagnosis, healing cannot commence.

 

I'm unable to tell what you changed. Any chance you could edit your post (perhaps with 'bold' flags) to make it clear? Thanks.

Noel

 

Agreed, it's a tricky one, but I do firmly believe that everyone involved in the WSR being seen to have an "allegiance" to one pan-railway organisation or another to the extent that they therefore must be anti another pan railway organisation is extremely damaging long term, and anything that entrenches that should be avoided.

 

I agree with that entirely.

 

Especially when that anti the others feeling becomes so entrenched that one side would rather see the railway closed and derelict, than allow the other side to have a go at running what they perceive as " their railway" there are no winners, everyone loses, Lets assume the present management does succeed in running the railway into the ground, there can be no knight on their white charger galloping to the rescue, to pick up the pieces, it will be totally lost.

 

I’ll message you if that’s ok Noel

 

My five year old self is telling you that it was easily 80 MPH

On the other hand using the term WSR means that some interpret criticism as being criticism of the whole entity and everyone in it. Many people had no say in the initial decision. On the other hand, there have been opportunities to change things and to alter the direction and instead the rank and file chose to support the status quo, and indeed, those who spoke out have been sidelined, while some of the most fawning supporters of the board have been rewarded. Of course, 'nothing to do with me guv' is a good way for people to get out of taking responsibility for the decisions that have been made.

You were challenged at the time about your statement about Washford during the FS events, I note that you have repeated it again and failed to respond to those who have said your claims are untrue. Which I think says everything about your 'objectivity'.