jnc's Recent Activity
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jnc liked The Dainton Banker's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
The discussion has developed from the finances of the WSR in particular to a more general conversation on the topics of Gift Aid and other means of financing Heritage Railways in general and their future prospects. As this is of interest to...
Oct 16, 2026 at 2:32 AM -
jnc liked free2grice's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
A tribute from the West Somerset Railway and an announcement by the BBC. <BJ> ''The West Somerset Railway is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Jonathan Jones-Pratt, Chairman of West Somerset Railway PLC, aged just 42, following a short...
Oct 15, 2026 at 11:04 PM -
jnc liked Steve's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
the NYMR has been badly managed for a number of years, principly because the Trust seemingly sits back and lets the PLC get on with things with the Trust apparently having no control over what is happening. The adoption of a nominations...
Oct 15, 2026 at 11:03 PM -
jnc liked Wagoniester's post in the thread Bluebell Railway General Discussion.
All well and good until (like this year) you've had insufficient rainfall. Rainwater isn't exactly clean either. I think all the water columns on the railway take from the mains; that said, the one at EG hasn't been in use for a while. I have a...
Oct 15, 2026 at 2:26 PM -
jnc liked Dan Hill's post in the thread Bluebell Railway General Discussion.
IIRC the water towers at Sheffield Park and East Grinstead collected rainwater.
Oct 15, 2026 at 2:25 PM -
jnc liked WorkingPressure225's post in the thread Bluebell Railway General Discussion.
The railway recently installed a reverse osmosis plant at Sheffield Park, so the majority of water will come from that unless something needs water at Horsted or Kingscote.
Oct 15, 2026 at 2:25 PM -
jnc liked William Fletcher's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
So many people in so many places need to understand this right now...
Oct 15, 2026 at 2:24 PM -
jnc liked Sidmouth's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
having read the travails of many an AGM , accountability and votes the chair holds lets not kid ourselves too much that existing structures are morally and accountably better
Oct 15, 2026 at 2:24 PM -
jnc liked Sidmouth's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
A lot of people really do need to understand that the heritage movement is deep deep deep in the mire on almost every level. There is a very real risk of a line folding and I have a short list The hot summer will have killed cash flow with lower...
Oct 15, 2026 at 2:23 PM -
jnc liked 35B's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
You understate the significance of the change in Articles! More seriously, you highlight the difference between constitutional change and managerial changes - where the majority of what @Steve describes at NYMR is "managerial", albeit enabled by...
Oct 15, 2026 at 2:23 PM -
jnc liked Robin Moira White's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
The changes at Swanage - essentially combining the Trust and the operating company into a single charitable body - have been discussed and approved by the Swanage membership. I’m just a technician helping to get the job done. Robin
Oct 15, 2026 at 2:22 PM -
jnc liked MellishR's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
Certainly the logic escapes me. In general, donors may receive "no more than minimal benefits in consequence of a donation". That make sense so far. Paying for a ticket for one day, which is a significant benefit, does not qualify. However paying...
Oct 15, 2026 at 2:22 PM -
jnc replied to the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
Most of your post was plausible, but that particular thought, I think many of us might disagree with. Shakespeare on lawyers comes to mind; add politicians to the list. (Apologies for the off-topic, but my reaction was too powerful to contain.) Noel
Oct 15, 2026 at 9:41 AM -
jnc liked Jamessquared's post in the thread West Somerset Railway General Discussion.
That feels perhaps a more realistic position, though I still feel there are a lot of booby traps in trying to implement a Gift Aid scheme for a heritage railway. (Fortunately for everyone else, the NYMR has gallantly decided to "take one for the...
Oct 15, 2026 at 9:34 AM -
jnc liked SECR 65's post in the thread Bluebell Railway General Discussion.
They're still going. I think Bluebell's boiler has been sent off to the Severn Valley? Evidence of overhauls of both engines is very much apparent in Sheffield Park works. I think the hope is Bluebell may steam in 2027.
Oct 15, 2026 at 9:31 AM
