West Somerset Railway Spring Steam Gala 2013

The WSR is paying the price for dumbing down what for several years was the best gala of the year.
Despite several years of ridicule, the hourly timetable looks here to say, as does the mindless loco roster scheduling.
There is no point providing feedback because they don’t listen.

They do not have business acumen to stage an event that bridges the gap between a timetable for the general public and a programme that attracts rail fans.
The WSR is a very poorly run railway, the PLC seemingly oblivious to it's failings by attacking the WSR association.
Volunteer numbers are in decline as people with limited experience are propelled into roles for which they are not suited.

To put it simply, the PLC needs to be replaced. But their unconstitutional resistance to change means even the most well planned of challenges is doomed to failure.
The term ‘enough rope’ comes to mind!

 

Sorry to say it ,but as an ex volunteer of 23 yrs, i'm afraid I agree with you.

 

I throughly enjoyed the WSR gala this year. I did the SVR gala on the Saturday and the WSR on the Sunday. In terms of entertainment, the WSR gala beat the SVR's hands down. The railmotor and s160 were big draws for me and didn't disappoint. The fact that all locos were being turned was also unique, as was the locos swapping trains. The trains were not full by any means, but there more passengers (not suprisingly) than at the SVR on Saturday. Performance wise, 6960 put in a stirring performance up the back from Williton to Crowcombe, 4160 was also running particularly briskly and the S160 sounded great. Finally a word on the Railmotor. This was my first encounter with this magnificent machine. It was excellent to travel in it without having to pay a supplement (thank you WSR), brilliant to have travel on the Norton extension - first time i've done this for many years and what awesome acceleration it has! Overall the quality of restoration is exceptional, a true benchmark for the preservation movement. Thank you to firstly the WSR for a brilliant day out and to all the volunteers for delivering the railmotor, a true piece of living history.

 

More photos of 5542 in action during the WSR Spring Steam Gala added to WSR 2013

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed the WSR gala, acorb. Others who criticise the timetable might care to be more specific about what they would like to see - unfocussed and frankly juvenile rants will cut no ice. I find it very telling that the variation introduced of running one non-stop in each direction on one gala day has also drawn criticism. For myself, I found the sound and performance of 6960 on the up non-stop was excellent and was much appreciated by those who paid their money and rode on the train. And don't forget that there are still approximately hourly stopping services running in the other direction - it just requires a bit of advanced planning by those who want to ride all the time !

David

 

I see in the local newspaper (see also wsr.org.uk) that the WSR's GM has hinted at possible changes for next year. Maybe a return to a single (long) weekend? Perhaps a change might be a good idea and give more and different options for the gala timetable and loco roster planners?

Steve

 

Being a videographer I find the hourly timetable a great benefit, but on the very occasion that I do ride the very slow schedule makes it a very boring experience and is not worth the fare charged. I can see no reason why the hourly schedule can't be kept but make the point to point timing a little sharper.

I think a change to a single weekend is pretty well inevitable, but my experience is that the weather tends to be better on the first weekend than the second, so I would prefer that the first weekend is used. This would also remove the issue of the competition from the SVR, which is much more important than my weather preferences!

Regards

 

Thanks for your comments Orion. In fact the point-to-point running times between passing loops in the gala timetable are hardly any different from ordinary days. The difference in section times is only about 1 minute or so. But the gala timetable has longer dwell time at the passing loops which makes the overall end-to-end journey longer. On the other hand it is much easier for passengers to change between trains without rushing. Operationally it is a more robust timetable and includes scope for catching up on any delays. There is plenty of evidence from previous galas that passengers do not appreciate late running, especially when making connections with public transport etc ! So it's swings and roundabouts, but my preference is to stick with the hourly interval service. This does not of course preclude making faster trips between the loops when required with early arrival at the next loop, as happened quite a few times in the recent gala. Anyway, constructive feedback is always welcome, and it would be good to hear your suggestions for future galas.

David

 

A bit harsh to say not worth the fare - pence per mile compares well with other railways.

John

 

At the recent HRA meeting, the GM said that the day of the mega gala was over. I think other railways are also coming to that conclusion. Bringing in several guest locos is not a cheap option. A tender loco is going to cost at least £8K (probably nearer £10K) to bring in and that needs to pull in a lot of extra (paying) punters.

 

Surely this is a reason to advertise the days and times that a visiting engine will be running beforehand rather than charging people £4 to find out?