West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Thinking about it of course the stock is all WSR branded which these days is unique for a 'first rank' standard guage preserved lines

 

I know what the PandDSR do is sneered at in a lot of quarters but they used a simple but effective washer over the lunchtime the last time I travelled with them. So no need for large gangs of external cleaners and labour effort was spent cleaning and tiding the interiors. As a result the coaches were immaculate outside and inside. As a fare paying passenger that's what I want. I have often wondered how much a simple DIY washer would cost before the Gold Plate merchants get at such a project.
However even if the carriages are clean a bigger issue is keeping those stabled at Minehead out of the salt air. The fact the WSR still has no carriage shed is in my opinion one of its biggest management failings over the last 10 years bearing in mind the number of carriages it needs, the cost of overhaul and impact of poor stock on its customers.

Brian

 

*cough*

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I've often admired the way the P&DSR clean their coaches There is a slight break in services at lunch time and a diesel is attached to the rake of coaches at Paignton station. It hauls them out of the platform. An FLT with a brush attachment applies detergent to one side as it does so. The diesel then propels them back in, this time the brush is in rinse mode. The FLT then goes to the opposite side and the process is repeated. It takes about 15 minutes, from memory, and employs two people, a driver and a brush operator. At the same time a cleaner goes through the stock removing any waste, etc. Very efficient, to my mind
I have suggested that the NYMR might do the same although the response was along the lines of we're afraid of polluting the beck so they still have an army of people with brushes and buckets/hosepipes.

 

Yep. Been like that from the start and long may it be so branded. But then IMHO the WSR is more than a "preserved line"

Steve

 

Some folk suggest I do the coach lining like that, but cleaning that way is a genuinely good idea, I might suggest that!

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Presumably you could use a car type 'wash & wax............' which would help keep things looking good

Surely though a set up like this is far less likely to 'pollute' as the run off can all be collected at the FLT point rather than dribbling out all along the track

 

Quite right & justified in my humble opinion.

Last thing you need is to get done for water pollution, no matter how minor...... they come down hard & that's money that could be better spent elsewhere!

 

I agree. However, there are many things that can be done to reduce this risk to acceptable levels. It's not rocket science. If it was, your car wash would be an expensive affair. On this point, have you ever wondered where the water from washing your car on the drive/road ends up?

 

When the two train running timetable is in operation the DSR (formerly P&DSR) puts the two rakes through the washing system on alternate days in the manner described in previous posts.
It was pleasing to see the headboard carried on loco 53808 smokebox. I find Cathedrals Express wording strange, particularly as the only cathedral anywhere near today's route is in fact near Victoria.

 

Nope - because it just ends up in the local drains & the shite they wash off does too, just blocking them up - trust me I know.

Oh, and I've never used one mainly since they use illegals & I'm not funding that activity.

But we seriously digress!

Getting back on topic, I suppose it would depend on how much the NYMR are willing to throw at the problem of coach cleaning - if you can prove to them that what you propose would save time & money & not endanger the beck, then why shouldn't they adopt it..........

BUT in the wider view, it seems external carriage cleaning in general is a problem on heritage lines is a problem, yet producing a nice shiny loco to haul the grubby stock isn't - go figure!

 

Not really - I have always felt longer lines need to be able to be 'a day out', either by what options they offer for a day's travel, because they go 'somewhere' or a combination of both. That brings cost but also rewards - I would suggest that all the busiest lines (including the West Somerset) fall within this definition and gain visitors as a result. I also know of plenty of volunteers for whom the challenge of a more extensive operation is part of the appeal, including some who both work normally on shorter lines nearer home and others who have largely left shorter lines for the challenge of longer ones.

Horses for courses - no 'general rules' really can apply!

Steven

 

The Swanage stock carries the familiar BR carriage roundel, but there is at least one vehicle with the words SWANAGE RAILWAY around the circumference instead of the more usual BRITISH RAILWAYS (in the same typeface). Always strikes me as an effective compromise between an authentic look and local branding.

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Although I do have reservations about some comments made on Tripadvisor I do recall the observations made by someone along these lines, who was pleased to find a railway that put as much effort into cleaning the inside of the carriages as the outside of the locomotive. She commented that she had been disappointed by the general run of preserved railways. (By tracing her postings back I found the line which raised her particular ire was one praised in this thread, which shows that a gricer's ideas of what constitutes "clean" may not be those of the general public.)

PH

 

Swanage, one of the busiest lines, is also one of the shorter ones,

Paul H

 

In the event a bus load of volunteer painters come forward I've got four Mk1 coaches I'd like done in BR maroon please, with proper lettering RESTAURANT CAR and the real painted numbers Sc1804, E3108, W1909, etc. No need for Disney names thanks. We have a sixteen day window of opportunity immediately after the forthcoming gala, so four days per coach? If only.

 

Our newly appointed contract cleaners did a decent job of one side of the 'Belle this afternoon. Frustratingly similar attention to t'other side awaits their staff attaining PTS. As we're off to Norton before our passengers board on Sunday I might request that the set be turned to facilitate completion of the job!

 

The Brush 4 (D1754) that appeared with yesterday's charter carries the name Chris Fudge. Chris was a professional railwayman, railway enthusiast and an active member of the Campaign for Real Ale. He was the driving force behind Lichfield Beer Festival and had attended our own Festival on Minehead station at least once. Read more here: http://www.lstcamra.org.uk/fudge.htm

 

Wells?

 

At least one of the blood & custard repaints has BR crests on it. I believe that WSR crests could not be applied to these coaches as the transfers have a brown background!