West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Sorry, I didn't actually look at the timetable when answering From @johnofwessex 's description it sounded like on some days the steam loco came off early to be taken over by a diesel, which is what we do on the GWSR for the reasons I explained. I didn't say it saved on number of loco crews overall, just steam crew, assuming you have a diesel department full of people not passed out on steam. But the steam/diesel on the red timetable is actually the second train i.e. 1 carriage set does 2 round trips in a day, always steam hauled, and 1 set does 1 round trip, either steam or diesel hauled as required. In which case the difference in cost is a lot more than coal, but all the other costs associated with steaming a second loco for the day.

 

Two economic realities flowing from the fact that the WSR is a 'big' heritage railway.

Firstly, the WSR needs a significant passenger flow in the year to cover operating costs, rolling stock maintenance, costs like insurance, the wage bill etc. That becomes harder if you run fewer services. Do the books balance for 2022 and with what passenger count?

Secondly, what is the plan in 2022 for the £1M annual inward investment over the fare box identified as necessary by Director Martin Brown, including arrears from previous years?

Without answers to both the future is a lingering death.

 

In the real world, business on those railways who tried rather harder to run a proper service (ie: not giving up and just expecting yet another big Government handout) will attest to a superb recovery in the later stages of 2021. Of course in Somerset someone knows better than anyone else..........

 

We did rather well on the K&ESR.

 

There appears to be what I might calla 'public transport' service between Watchet and Minehead which really needs a reasonably frequent service which only the Yellow timetable comes anywhere close to providing on a handful of days a year

 

The IMR looks to have taken a Confucian saying* to heart and in the teeth of the pandemic has had not just one, but two rather good years, very successfully tailoring and marketing it's service to an isolated island population of just over 83,000 souls who, for too many decades, had largely overlooked the gem on their own doorstep.

*Everything which exists may be turned to advantage, if only one can work out how.

 

On the IOWSR 2020 was better than could have been expected while 2021 was excellent.

 

Does the PLC need the Washford station building to run the railway, selling it off or leasing as a holiday let would produce additional funding.

 

Hmmm, I think the question is more open on point one. When I saw the timetable published, I immediately looked with a view to dropping in on my annual mid May pilgrimage to Barnstaple (timing constraints mean this must be on the way out, not back). That particular Thursday is a non running day this year, meaning that WSR cannot get my business; GWSR or L&B are liable to gain instead.

The other side of that is thinning the timetable on operating days to match supply to demand. Given the heavily tidal traffic on the WSR, I find it hard to criticise a decision to run fewer trains, better matched to demand.

Time will tell whether this timetable delivers on that.


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One snag would be the cost of modification and refurbishment for use as a dwelling, as well as planning permission for the change of use, all of which would be cash up front before it could be either sold or rented.

 

Would it?
Llots of buildings get sold for development without planning permission. Sometimes approval is not given and the purchaser/developer catches a cold. Heard of one yesterday in Bournemouth where outline approval was given and the council's listing officer decided it has some unique features which need to be replaced, having already been removed, and the development is not proceeding.
Fencing of the station from the moving trains surely resolves safety issues.

 

How can you sell a parcel of land which is leased from Somerset County Council?

 

Somerset Council sell it then if the railway does not want it and gets a small rent reduction (maybe?)

 

When travelling on a thursday in mid may previously, would you consider the loadings to have made the service profitable?

There is no point in running services that make a loss, that said, let's hope that their traffic management/planning is better than their fundraising and PR skills.

 

The company do not pay rent

The company do not pay rent.

 

As regards selling station sites, the land isn't theres to sell, Then theres additional costs in changing a station into a residential building, so can the railway afford to spend anything that isnt needed just to maintain a service? But why Washford, is it contaminated now by the Southern influences, does the ghost of the pines rattle the station, as it thunders through, on a quite night hauled by an air smoothed Pacific , passing a midland 4f on a freight

 

Very quickly, to someone who doesn't know what they are buying, I would have thought.

 

The WSR does not have a need for the Washford site now, but in the future - say 2023 - they may have. Why would they need to part with it?
Looking at the major building at Washford it does not seem to that portable.

 

If they had an urgent sudden need for a 6 figure cash sum?