If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by gwr4090, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. JBTEvans

    JBTEvans Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2008
    Messages:
    2,344
    Likes Received:
    673
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Casnewydd, De Cymru
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Twice the number of carriages, yes, but they also have 60% more mileage to cover. I don't see why you mention that. Longer lines generally have more carriages, it just makes sense. You're not going to get as many round trips out of one set on the SVR compared to the MHR.
     
  2. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2014
    Messages:
    17,609
    Likes Received:
    11,223
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    St Leonards
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    What really is at the heart of JBT's gripe, its not the old inter region hostility is it, Does He supports the WSR, because its mostly BR(W) engines, whereas the MHR gala is Midland, BR, and Southern designs, does route mileage really come into it, ? Actually if using the train, / public transport then Alton is the easier option, as the train drops you off at the opposite platform, and returning, is just a walk across the footbridge ,
     
  3. LC2

    LC2 Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2012
    Messages:
    845
    Likes Received:
    999
    Occupation:
    IT
    Location:
    70B
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Is it? Oh well. Regardless, if you do the potential miles traveled calculation it's not much different.

    The last time the MHR did a home fleet only gala, it charged the normal rover fair for the day iirc.
     
  4. 6960 Raveningham Hall

    6960 Raveningham Hall Member Friend

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2016
    Messages:
    713
    Likes Received:
    1,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired.
    Location:
    Near St. Austell, Cornwall.
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Had a great day at the WSR Gala yesterday. Locos and carriages well turned out, staff friendly and helpful and a reasonable number of passengers.

    The only thing that disappointed me was that I travelled from Blue Anchor to Bishops Lydeard, back to Williton, then to Norton Fitzwarren and finally back to Blue Anchor and was never once invited to show a ticket or other authority to travel.

    I hope that the Railway didn’t lose too much revenue.
     
  5. mdewell

    mdewell Well-Known Member Friend

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2005
    Messages:
    1,653
    Likes Received:
    2,564
    Occupation:
    UK & Ireland Heritage Railways Webmaster
    Location:
    Ruabon, Wrexham
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    That may be a valid point for a transport system, but frankly I'm more interested in the 'entertainment' value when visiting heritage railways. Yes, I enjoy a steam hauled train ride, but I'm more interested in what there is to see and do at each of the stations (or nearby).
    (And yes I am familiar with both railways so no need for anyone to start listing them).
     
  6. Snifter

    Snifter Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2014
    Messages:
    1,628
    Likes Received:
    4,210
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Was the collecting tin brought round for the £1M appeal ? With the culture recovery fund round 3 looming and the plc debarred in round 2 for being judged to be a commercial operation, the plc need every penny they can get. I don't see how they can suddenly qualify this time.
     
  7. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    I am told, by people other than on the WSR, that the disqualifying criterion doesn't apply in round 3.

    Patrick
     
  8. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2014
    Messages:
    11,247
    Likes Received:
    17,947
    Gender:
    Female
    Occupation:
    Barrister
    Location:
    Stogumber
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Explain it to me again, it was better for the WSR not to move to charitable status in late 2020 /early 2021 because…?
     
    ross, MellishR, Bluenosejohn and 3 others like this.
  9. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2005
    Messages:
    5,283
    Likes Received:
    2,650
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired Rolls-Royce engineer
    Location:
    Bath Green Park / Mangotsfield
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    For visitors to the 'Steam? Gala' note that Hymek D7018 will be replaced today by Crompton D6575 'due to an operational issue'. <BJ>
     
  10. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    26,103
    Likes Received:
    57,432
    Location:
    LBSC 215
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Ahh, but it would be so expensive - six figures, so I've heard.

    As you'll no doubt be aware, the Bluebell has been undergoing Governance changes of late. One change has been to aim to convert the BRPS from an unincorporated Society into a Company Limited by Guarantee. At the Society AGM last night, the legal costs from the Society were given as having been £1,300 (2018) - £5,617 (2019) - £900 (2020). The jump in 2019 was noted as being in connection with advice for redrafting the rules of the Society so they would be compliant with the companies act when it turns into a CLG, while maintaining all the existing member benefits and provisions etc.

    (I can't remember the figures now, but a related change a couple of years ago with the Bluebell Railway Trust to change the legal structure under which it was set up must have been similarly cheap, since the total administrative costs of that body never run above four figures in total in any year, so the legal costs must be lower than that).

    Maybe Somerset lawyers are more expensive than Sussex ones? ;)

    Tom
     
  11. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2005
    Messages:
    9,635
    Likes Received:
    8,303
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Alderan !
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    but also I think one of the qualifying criteria is a business at risk of imminent failure
     
  12. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2015
    Messages:
    1,826
    Likes Received:
    3,871
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I was surprised when the auditors' doubts about the WSR Plc being a going concern were made public, but now it makes sense.
     
    jnc likes this.
  13. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2014
    Messages:
    17,609
    Likes Received:
    11,223
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    St Leonards
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Because change is to be avoided, anything that may threaten those in positions of power has to be stamped on, and stamped out, people who may harbour feelings of disquiet, made silent, the dear leader, see's all, knows all , Or thinks he does ;) because those around him keep telling him so,
     
    Piggy and johnofwessex like this.
  14. Windsor branch line

    Windsor branch line New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2020
    Messages:
    44
    Likes Received:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Berkshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    That’s a shame
     
  15. Monkey Magic

    Monkey Magic Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2018
    Messages:
    3,498
    Likes Received:
    6,845
    Location:
    Here, there, everywhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    And why the narrative is 'we're doing really well and making loads of money but in danger of going bust imminently if you don't pony up the cash'. In other words - we are a viable business (look at our profit) but have been soooo badly hit by covid we are in danger of going bust (just ignore everything else you hear about the railway).

    It's an attempt to position the narrative for the funding application in such a way as to say that it would not be good money sent after bad.

    Do the accounts include the amount of money spent on lawyers fees?
     
  16. granmaree

    granmaree Member

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2015
    Messages:
    541
    Likes Received:
    497
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    The accounts went onto Companies House a few days ago
     
    bluetrain likes this.
  17. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2014
    Messages:
    11,247
    Likes Received:
    17,947
    Gender:
    Female
    Occupation:
    Barrister
    Location:
    Stogumber
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    All lawyers, wherever we are from, have very well-developed 'tosh' detection equipment. And this Somerset lawyer has been providing some (free) minor assistance and advice on the Bluebell reorg. ;-)

    Robin
     
  18. JBTEvans

    JBTEvans Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2008
    Messages:
    2,344
    Likes Received:
    673
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Casnewydd, De Cymru
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    D7018 has been fitted with a steam heat boiler. ;)
     
    Dennis John Brooks likes this.
  19. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2012
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    2,706
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Western Atlantic
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I wonder whether the conflicting narratives arise for direct (but blundering - in the long run, the dissonance will be harmful to important goals) reasons, such as your "an attempt to position the narrative for the funding application", or if confusion over the true state of things is a desired outcome (for reasons which I'm sure everyone can work out).

    Noel
     
    The Dainton Banker likes this.
  20. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    I too have seen this in the stage 3 webpages. I'm also aware of others who have applied but have not - as have WSR PLC's auditors - expressed concerns about potentially not being a going concern. I don't pretend to understand more than that, but it puts a doubt in my mind how closely that criterion is intended to be/will be applied.

    I'm not sure the two are linked, publicly reporting 'material uncertainty relating to going concern' in the accounts is a regulatory requirement rather than choice. The auditors included such a caveat in both 2019 and 2020 (I haven't seen the '21 accounts but gather there's one there too.)

    Patrick
     

Share This Page