Teifi Valley Railway

That was an interesting read! It shows how easy it is for small organisations to fall "under the spell" of charismatic but destructive people; and how things *could* have taken a very different course if steps had been taken when things first started to go bad. I agree it's easy to see whose viewpoint it's written from, but I don't think anybody comes out of it smelling of roses.

As for it being "the back of beyond" - it might be a bit out of the way, but the National Museums of Wales manages to run a successful site only a mile or so down the road; and there are other railways in equally obscure locations (Heatherslaw for example), so by itself that can be overcome.

 

What a sad and upsetting read. It feels to me like the Teifi is finished, how can it survive against such negative PR and supporters jumping ship? Alan George and Sgt. Murphy are the big worries for me, they need to be protected ASAP

 

I hate to say this as I know it's going to make me sound callous - perhaps I will even be accused of "trolling" - but since this sorry debacle shows no sign of coming to an end, I just can't hold my tongue any longer.

As sad as the situation at the TVR is, the worst aspect of it all is that the whole drama is being played out in public. This latest Facebook statement seems to be discussing internal TVR politics that should have probably have remained internal. Indeed, it is probably a mercy for the railway that, since its length rivals that of War and Peace, I suspect very few people will bother to read it all the way through. (For the record, I didn't - but I read enough to get the gist of it.)

No matter what problems your organisation is going through, airing your dirty laundry in public is not going to help matters. Indeed, I think it is actually quite likely to harm them.

Firstly, because it makes pretty clear to the whole world that the TVR's supporters are not a united force. Dismissing certain members of the society as being "reminiscent of a branch of the Women's Institute" frankly looks a little bit petty. (Quite apart from the insult that whoever wrote this piece has offered to the members of the WI, by using their name in what is clearly intended, from the context, to be a derogatory manner.)

Secondly, because it makes those involved in running the TVR look incompetent. I'm sure the TVR had the sympathy of the entire preservation movement when the damage that Mr. Dearing had done first became clear. But now, this statement gives the impression that other figures in the TVR are not capable of clearing up the mess he left behind.

So when I see a statement like the above, I think: why on Earth should I have any sympathy for anyone involved in the TVR? This statement gives the impression that they're all squabbling like children and couldn't organise a party in a brewery. So why should I give them any support? Theirs appears to be a sinking ship, and the only sensible course is to steer clear of it.

Now, that may or may not be a fair assessment of the situation - but what matters is that this is the impression that public statements like the above give - and as my old history teacher taught me, perceptions are very often more important than reality.

Moreover, I would argue that this situation risks damaging the reputation of the entire railway preservation movement. Many heritage railways have worked hard over many years to build up a reputation as successful, professionally-run concerns, which can make a positive contribution to the local economy - and hence, have won the support of the HLF, local authorities and other important bodies. If the people who run those bodies see the apparent lack of professionalism and self-discipline from the TVR's self-proclaimed supporters, their general impressions of those involved with heritage railways may be tarnished. This creates a danger that they will be a little bit more hesitant next time those heritage railways need support.

Please, for all our sakes, can those involved with the TVR either settle their differences quietly, or else leave the organisation and maintain a dignified silence.

Here endeth the lesson...

 

Whilst there may be merit in not putting such sad stories into the public domain for all the reasons you give I hold the alternative view that the writer has done the movement an enormous service by demonstrating the risks many small societies run. Had you taken the trouble to read the whole story and reflect on its content there are many lessons for the movement about the risks of strong personalities, inadequate commercial and legal advice and over reliance on individuals who may be "past it" (no disrespect to them but we all need to recognize the impact of age on our actions and thinking).

Many lines are likely to face similar skills and cash issues in the future and this story is a real warning to others about what not to do particularly in respect of taking chances with operational safety which may have enormous repercussions if disaster strikes. The challenge is for the wider heritage world to learn from such events and come up with ways of avoiding repeats elsewhere.

 

I went on the TVR about 8 or so years ago.

It was quite pleasant, however the bottom line is that it isn't a 'heritage' line, it is a collection of stock running on the trackbed of a former standard gauge line.

By all means preserve the stock but the line itself is an 'artefact' - it might be possible to recreate it as, for example a collection of 'ex military' NG stock - and there is quite a story to tell there, or run it as simply a 'tourist attraction' - and by all means do it with volunteers who want to use or develop their skills.

But for the future of the line, let it decide what it wants to be first

 

I think the Facebook page has been pulled. It would prob be best to delete the quote. It contains too many contentious statements that someone will find something libellous.

Sad but no railway has a right to survive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yes, I did contribute to Simeon Rowe's "Teifi Valley Railway Disaster" and so did others who felt it was important that there be some sort of record of what went wrong and why. I felt we owed it to all the hundreds of local people who bought 50p raffle tickets back in the 70s to help bring the railway back to the valley, and who gave us their support over the years since. The piece aims to bring out into the open what actually happened, to counteract all the confused speculation that has followed attempts to sweep everything under the carpet. That this attitude still exists is shown by the posts about "washing dirty linen in public", and the fact that the Minutes of recent Company and Society meetings have "gone missing".There is nothing libellous in the account. Alex Martin's account of the concessions by the Inspector makes it even more tragic that the Society committee agreed to tear up the track.
As to the competence of the present management, it is hard to feel confident when the Responsible Person walks out, leaving them in the lurch without explaining why. It seems there is still a sad lack of professional, experienced railway people - which is what caused the trouble in the first place.

 

Then surely, all the more reason for those who wish to see some future for the stock at least to be talking to other railways who may wish to incorporate the TVR's assets into their set-ups? It does look as if a reborn TVR on its current site is less than likely...

 

Nothing but the truth

Hi

I was given this forum from a colleague and read it for the first time tonight. I never realised that we were so popular/notorious. This will be a once only statement from the TVR management team. We will not enter into any further correspondence with anyone on this forum. Firstly we would like to thank those who wish us well. Continuing on we have made NO appeal for any position with any railway magazine what so ever to date. We are however receiving assistance from other railways and will be doing reports for railway magazines in which we shall mention that any assistance will be gratefully received. We do find it somewhat amusing reading some of the theories and assumptions. They seem to be based on little or no knowledge of what is actually happening. We do not intend to go into any detail of the plans that we are working through on this forum. Quite simply if any one should wish to know anything at all about our progress on ALL fronts viz p-way, motive power, rolling stock, future development, infrastructure, funding applications, volunteer levels etc they can contact us directly at teifivalleyrailway@gmail.com or the General Manager at swallow21247@gmail.com. It would appear that there are a group of people who would like nothing better than for us to fail. THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN. The current management team have been in place since last October. There are NONE of the previous management left. It is US who are investing time, money and commitment that is sorting out the horrendous mess that WAS the Teifi Valley Railway.We will however obviously make mistakes. We will learn from them. We are getting the finances in order. We are paying off the debts of the previous regime. We are re laying track. We are repairing rolling stock and motive power. We are attracting new volunteers. We are involving the local community at a much higher level. We have dealt effectively with complaints made about us to several organisations. We have dealt successfully with court cases brought against the Teifi Valley Railway after having visits from the bailiffs on more than one occasion having the judgement's over turned in our favour. We have no problem with FSA, Charities Commission, ORR or any other organisation of note. It is the policy of the new management team to be open, honest and straight talking. We will ensure that ALL operations on the railway are carried out to the standard required. We will fulfill all our legal obligations. We will defend ourselves against any attack in whatever form that the attack should take. We will succeed in rebuilding the Teifi Valley Railway. This will take some time ( but not too long) as we are finding out on a regular basis just how badly it had been run.

 

That's not a very positive attitude to take if you are looking for volunteers, engineering assistance, finance etc.

Do you not think it would be a better idea to start a new thread ('Teifi Valley Railway updates') and actually update people with what you are doing and where help/finance/skills are required? From your message above, it reads very much like 'it's our railway and no-one else can have an interest in it'


Keith

 

Agreed, this forum can be a very useful place to hear about what's happening on particular railways and provide an 'official/semi official line on plans, developments etc. There are lots of people on here and who read the forums who could potentially assist in all sorts of ways.....

Regards

Matt

 

.... perhaps as Public Relations Officer to name one?

 

The above should be copied and pasted on to the WSRA thread. Unfortunately, the majority of those who post on the WSRA thread never seem to venture any further, so will not read it but the sentiments are equally applicable over there

 

Thanks for mentioning the WSRA thread. If you go to wsraplus.wordpress.com you will see an open invitation to contribute to the future direction of the West Somerset - exactly the opposite of the paranoid attitude shown by Nikki Cox.
"NONE of the previous management are left" - the words "baby" and "bathwater" come to mind.

 

Hello, I belong to lots of railways and do my best to read a diverse selection of threads! have followed this thread from the start.

Nick

 

I wish the Teifi well and hope there will be news of solid progress soon. Concerned members of a heritage railway group are in a cleft stick: if they stay silent they may well have too little suppost to be effective, especially against massed proxy votes when all communications are controlled by the directors. If they campaign to raise awareness they get accused of rocking the boat and "bringing the organisation into disrepute". If the ordinary Teifi members had known more earlier, might the damage have been averted?

Are there general points which emerge which may protect other organisations in the future? Independant mechanisms for scrutiny and reporting? Is the management of your railway charismatic or systematic?

Tim.

 

Plenty of updates on Facebook (every couple of days it would seem) and you don't have to sign up to FB to view.

https://www.facebook.com/TeifiValleyRly

More power to their elbow. Keep it up, looks like they're on a mission.

 

Just been reading through the new website, and I have a suggestion.

It seems the railway has rail and sleepers, but limited man-power to lay the track. Have you considered contacting the local army for help relaying the track? Get a local reporter involved, its good publicity for the army, the railway, and gives an opportunity to explain the situation and show improvements. Everybody wins. All you need is a few qualified people to oversee proceedings, and a local news reporter.

Edit to add: there is precedent for this .