West Somerset Railway General Discussion

‘I’m SURE there was something in the WSR Operating Notice about alterations to Watchet Harbour...’

 

Garden Advice - promoting primroses.

Stogumber Station allowed me, 18 months or so ago, to cut down the three conifers on the Station approach. Lowering joyless dark green lumps. The result is the amazing show of primroses this spring. I undertook to look after this area and I will shortly be discussing this with our regular Station gardener but some help from more experienced folk would be great. How to get them to colonise the patches? How long to leave before mowing (nettles and brambles already showing signs of life)? How to look after the area through the year? Anything else to plant?

 

The head gardener at BL whose name escapes me might be a good starting point.

 

If they are anything like the primroses in my back garden you can treat them rough. We enjoy them in the flower beds. However, they self seed in what I laughingly call a Lawn. I mow, they recover, I mow, they recover. Only repeat treating with lawn weedkiller slows the brutes down.

 

Comment about the Primroses from Mrs P. (who does know a bit unlike me)
If you want them to spread then look for the densest clumps, dig out a bit and replant in a sparse area.
Try and handweed out the bramble etc if possible.

 

When will the cadmium colour non-photogenic hose be relocated? !!
RobinL

 

The ratchet strap police have branched out to cover hoses...

 

There seems to be no antidote to sense of humour failure.
RobinL

 

I think there is some celandine in there too... very impressive display.
Robin L.

 

Liking the southern express theme for Sept before 1949s weekend. Is this the autumn gala ?

 

No. The Autumn Gala is a few weeks later. 27 to 30 September 2018.

Steve

 

6046 failed again today. Red timetable now cancelled and now there is a later service from Minehead at 1715.

Due to a loco failure this morning, Minehead departures will now be at 13.15 (7822), 14.15 (53808) and 17.15 (7822). Bishops Lydeard departures will be at 12.15 (DMU), 15.15 (7822) and 16.15 (53808).

 

It kept doing that when it was on the NYMR.

 

What was wrong with it?

 

No, you saw a cold winter coming.

Whats your forecast for next winter

 

2019 will start in January...

 

September seems like it will be a brilliant month.

Late summer weekend, southern ace week, 1940s weekend then autumn gala. And for me September also includes GBRf 4 day rail tour.

 

An Ace? More like the 7 of clubs.

It is high time that someone (why does it always have to be me?) called out the 'Southern Ace' week as an Emperor with no clothes.

The WSR powers that be have been politely warned that this is a bad, bad, bad idea, and nothing I hear improves it. It is an attempt to run a 'Flying Scotsman' experience with no Flying Scotsman. Is City of Wells an equivalent attraction FOR THE PUBLIC? There does not appear to have been any market testing with the folk who rode on FS last year. Can you run an 'ACE' with chocolate and cream or blood and custard coaches? But more seriously, at the end of a long summer season (as it always is here in Somerset) is it right to burden the staff with such a full September calendar? In any event, September is a pretty busy time with those fortunate folk able to take their holidays outside the school holidays, and is it a good idea to punch a hole in the 'day out' timetable with a non-stop service 'ordinary' folk cannot ride on? Timetables and loco allocations keep being promised but always seem far off, and with a more difficult attraction to sell than FS, all our hard pressed Commercial team can do (because they dont have the information) is 'teaser' ads, which raise expectations, make them work, but generate no funds.

A good idea? I think not.

Far better to take the now-booked visiting locos and add them to the September Gala week and run a couple of really good specials then, perhaps on the weekdays running up to the Gala.

There, I've said it. There's an elephant in the room. How does the song go? 'The King is in the altogether, all together...'

Robin Cassandra White

 

The PLC board & commercial dept. with "The Southern Ace" has got us quite excited.

DJB.

 

As always, Cassandra has her point of view. It is perhaps worth reminding some individuals that the day before Flying Scotsman ran last year I received a phone call from a then colleague to say that the event must be stopped for various reasons and would be a disaster. It turned out to be one of the most successful events we have ever run.

No doubt, assuming this goes ahead, I can expect a similar call on the day before this event starts. Also it does not take a commercial genius to see why this proposal might not be a sounder bet than "adding two locos" to a gala. And surely you, of all people, Cassandra, should know that the Atlantic Coast Express ran with blood and custard coaches in the early 1950s, before the Southern Region reverted to BR green in September 1956. (Just in case anyone should challenge this - surely not - BR Mk 1 Open 3rds S3828-31, amongst many other Mark 1s, operated on the South Western section in crimson and lake ("blood and custard") from 1953, when they were built, until they were repainted in BR green some time after 1956.)

Frank