West Somerset Railway General Discussion

The comments by a local newspaper.
https://www.somersetcountygazette.c...rom-january-to-april-after-safety-inspection/

 

The local paper has managed to Ctrl A, Ctrl C and Ctrl V in the correct order to produce an article!

 

Probably reads Fakebook!

 

Remember that a thousand or so people have access to the staff site and the WSFP have lots of connections there. It took the Somerset County Gazette until today to cotton on.

 

WSR locos going out for hire to other spring galas ?

 

As a complete outsider and mere onlooker in Internetland... it does seem a bit much seeing screaming headlines about "three month closure", when the railway would apparently have been closed for most of that period anway. It all smacks a bit of typical media hysteria to me, from which people who don't know would make the (incorrect) assumption that usually the line would be open throughout that period, making the period of closure seem rather worse than it actually is.

I think this is what Robin W means by 'using social media wisely'. Indeed using any media wisely, but of course we know that's not going to happen, because more hyperbolic nonsense = more readers = greater ad revenue.

Meanwhile, amongst the voyeuristic bystanders on t'internet, sales of this stuff skyrocket... https://www.tyrrellscrisps.co.uk/range/superlative-poshcorn/

 

Thank you. The L&B would be a good choice as I haven’t been there. I’ll check nearer the time to see if they’re open.

 

Hestercombe is certainly worth a visit. But it's definitely one to do on nice warm sunny day.

 

As another outsider to WSR may I be so bold to actually come up with an idea/suggestion?
Now this might be rather alien to the keyboard warriors on here but with, so it appears, the WSR has quite a bit of work to do over the 3 months mentioned and I suspect a tight ish timescale too, how about appealing for people to come and help out. Too many people on here shout/scream/poo stir etc.. there might be a few on here who would not mind spending a few days getting their hands dirty even though they may not be members of WSR. If this is allowed by WSR why not start a separate thread for those to register an interest to help out....even if only for 2/3/4 days.

Just an idea......money where mouth is put me down as registering an interest....

And for they keyboard warriors.....please stop. The record you keep playing is rather boring now.

 

Which record have you in mind? Most of the recent posts have seemed fairly sensible to me.

 

Typical Nat Spec, find a stick and beat an organisation with it to death instead of just waiting for the official report. Thank you SouthWest Mainline for actually posting some positivity, whether its do-able or not its a positive idea.

 

The record that constantly criticises the WSR......it doesn't stop......and keeps being repeated. We don't hear anything as like for other railways...

 

Given that - presumably, the ORR report is critical, I suggest that some of the criticism may well have been well founded

 

A valid idea, but in the 21st Century lets sue anybody culture, you would probably have to be a member to be covered by insurance. Great for those that want to be members of the WSR but just somewhat annoying if you don't I suspect.

 

Its a good idea & info is here on how to become a volunteer but gone are the days when you could simply turn up unannounced & help on any responsible heritage railway:
https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/volunteer

 

I wonder How Many Train Operating Companies Routinely Inform their Shareholders of ORR Visits and Recommendations?

 

Your logic is flawed. Consider what happened with the WSRA. Literally for years there was increasing private, and then public criticism by a number of people including myself. Time after time the same arguments were made as have been made in this case. It took enourmous effort by a lot of people to bring about change. I am not for a moment suggesting that the same scale or type of problems aflict the WSR PLC. What I, and a number of other people, am saying is that for a long time there have been managerial problems at the WSR PLC that need to be addressed. Private approaches have failed to bring about change and it has become clear that there is bunker mentality that is preventing it. Involving an outside agency i.e. the ORR really was a very last resort. The ORR interevention should IMHO, be seen as a opportunity. If the WSR PLC management take it then it should have a very beneficial effect. Apart from the changes required by the ORR the employment of a professional PR firm to handle the prentation to to shareholders, staff, press and the public is vital. Releasing the story only to the staff and telling them to keep quiet, by the effective embargo on them releasing it, is a textbook example of how not to handle serious news. AFAIK shareholdeers have still not been notified and have first learnt about it from the press.

 

The fact that "In the end several people have approached the ORR with detailed evidence that they needed to take action," is an Indication of Everything that is Wrong with the WSR and could ultimately cause its Demise unless Firm Action is taken and NOW!