West Somerset Railway General Discussion

As found by the big railway beyond Norton Fitzwarren 165m15.5ch, as you "shed" experienced (often higher salary ) staff much of the experience departs with them. Experience is what often can make the savings and resolve problems if carefully and tactfully led.

Any cynicism in this comes from experience, roughly a reorganisation every 2 years from 1980 to 2017, including one being announced on the day that I joined a section....

Cheers, Neil

 

Not a term I'd heard of before. Google suggests it may be something to do with an educational environment.

I presume you mean grading existing employees as RED meaning first to go, down to GREEN meaning their job is safe?

 

Yes, basically, staff are appraised and on the basis of that given a Red, Amber or Green. If you get red then you are in trouble.

As one colleague pointed out it is a terrible system, very bad for morale and at their last place of work it led to a lot of grievances being filed. It made their work place environment toxic. Now, admittedly we are talking about the WSR so the question about how much more toxic could it get is another matter.

One of the things that is interesting reading the critical reports into the big railway and safety is the issue of how loss of experience has had a negative impact on safety. Whether that is individual experience or collective institutional memory, I just wonder what kind of view the ORR might have about a railway losing skilled staff and the potential negative impact on safety.

 

Is the norton manor on the other side of 7828

 

Thanks, Ben. They look very smart too.

 

Those who let the line get in the state, That its got itself in should be first to go.
This isn't the titanic the captain doesn't need to go down with the ship,

 

Of course how does one point the finger?

I have no idea of whats happened/happening

It may well be that many were aware of the issues and tried to raise them but nobody listened, perhaps nobody could agree - which seems possible, ......................

I can go on

BUT if we get rid of those we blame, we may well end up as has already been pointed out with no skilled or experienced staff/volunteers

 

Good to see the news about the Tidy Trains

http://www.wsr.org.uk/news.htm#1649

 

I'm not a big fan when it comes to giving locomotives nicknames.

That said, having spent time with a group of Llangollen Railway supporters at a recent WSR gala,
I have been known to refer to 7822 as 'Foxy'.

Stef.

 

I thought no trains were to run for the next few months. So is it just no public trains, while engineering, stock movement, etc trains are continuing?

 

Correct. If you watch the webcams today, you will see empty stock movements.

 

Winter works at Stogumber - Cattle Dock refurbishment.

(1) First Cattle Dock replacement step cast.

(2) Next five steps waiting to replaced after a 50-year ‘holiday’ as the back steps at Station House, Stogumber.

 

Quite right, @Ian And, I understand, the HOBC trains will continue. Public passenger service trains start running on 30 March 2019 - until then the WSR is most certainly not closed.

Steve

 

I'm probably going to regret adding to this thread, but....

Context: I turn around troubled businesses as part of my job. I'm a generalist director, not a legal or HR or finance expert. (I employ experts and listen to them!) I have no knowledge of the specific WSR position, and wouldn't post it here if I did.

Whilst the above is basically correct, it does not factor in timescale quite correctly.

Selling an asset DOES balance the books, because the books are always a snapshot in time. What selling an asset doesn't necessarily do is fix an underlying problem, which is where income and expenditure come in. And if an underlying problem remains, then the books will eventually become unbalanced again.

Most business do not go bust due to lack of profits, but through short-term cashflow. This is a key point.

What we appear to have here is a pretty standard turn-around choice:
+ Sell the asset for cash now, and the business survives in the short term, but doesn't have an asset that's useful to long term success; or
+ Keep the asset, but the business potentially fails, and then the asset can't be used for the business anyway. (And unless the business is rescued intact, may then get sold.)

In situations like this, it's essential to steady the ship in the short term or there is no long term. As soon as the short term is secure, then (and only then) you need a medium and long term plan ASAP.

The board will have weighed up the options, and decided the risk of keeping the asset verses potential for failure comes down on the side of a sale.

Whilst steam locomotives are not particularly liquid assets (i.e. easy converted to cash) there are not many other options open, and it seems buyers are available. I'm sure speed of cash will be on the WSR Boards decision criteria, as well as overall sale price. (So, £100k in January might be better than £120k in April - remember time matters.)

There are very few mechanisms of raising similar sums of money in the same short-term time frame. (I assume the WSR doesn't think transparency and a direct appeal would be successful.)

Once the short term is secure, then the medium term plan needs - as many have said - to look at income vs. expenditure. This is is where redundancies are a potential option. (They are not quick enough for a short term plan unless things are going-to-the-wall desperate, and care and time needs to be taken to ensure the right people are released to retain skills and be rock-solid legally.)

I don't know the shareholding structure of the WSR, but this will play into what options are available. (I assume the WSR aims to make profit in the short term, but to be neutral in the long term as all profits are re-invested into the railway, not paid as dividends.)

 

Oh dear, almost £100k for a locomotive that does not work, does not have a secure future, might not even be a successful bid all within a afew weeks. Would an appeal for a carriage shed with workshops etc be as successful? I would happily donate towards a carriage shed.

 

Hmm, I have resisted the temptation to post anything on this forum since the latest batch of problems have come into the public domain, several will recognise me from many years ago. Alas paperwork issues aside the need to sell assets such as unrestored locos and interestingly prioritising the recovery of rail from the former double tracked sections of the line indicates to me that the lack of investment in the infrastructure over the last 25 plus years has come home to roost, some may decry me for bringing this up, but rest assured this is something which is NOT just confined to the WSR with which I have a particular soft spot. If nothing else may I please appeal to ALL other groups in the heritage railway movement to take note, yes it is nice to see wonderfully restored locos and stock out in lovely countryside, but if the basics of what they run on is under financed then I am afraid the writing is on the wall. It saddens me to have had to say this but sadly the majority of genuine enthusiasts have little understanding of the work and financial implications of maintaining a SAFE railway infrastructure ! Regards to all Bishdunster.

 

I used to live just outside Radstock in Foxcote Colliery Cottages . A row of six cottages , so not too many miners but all with outside lavatories , we did have access to the coal tip so free fuel , however sometimes difficult to tell the difference between stone and coal and you only knew for sure when the coal/ stone became a missile and burnt a hole in the carpet . Never a dull moment . The mine had closed many years ago but I did know a Geordie who had worked in the North Somerset Coal Field back in the 60s . You could still see the mine buildings that hadn't been destroyed also the remains of the railway that ran from Radstock to the colliery . Radstock was infamous for having two level crossings within 10 yards of each other one GWR and the other S&D on the Bath to Shepton Mallet Road A 37 ,so plenty of traffic disruption if you were unlucky enough to catch one gate shut only for the second one to drop once you got through the first . So when I see " Foxy " it always brings back happy memories .

 

Sorry wrong Foxcote, as the Manor in in Gloucestershire on the edge of the Cotswold Hills https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...x75eb0e344edee9fb!8m2!3d51.015344!4d-3.106849

 

There's a summary of infrastructure in the board meeting updates.