West Somerset Railway General Discussion

I have purchases to collect from the Buffer Stop Shop and I hope to be able to collect them while I'm in the area for the meeting on 2nd March. I'm grateful to @West Somerset Wizard for telling us that the shop re-opens tomorrow. I visited the WSR website to ascertain what the opening hours are beyond tomorrow, but the website hasn't been updated. Not very helpful! I've sent an e-mail to the shop and when Judy replies I shall share the information on here.

Only last Wednesday we were told that a local radio station is still broadcasting adverts for the Railway, although it is closed for another three weeks.

Call me a cynic, but could these failures of communication be in any way connected with the dismissal of the Head of Commercial?


Edit: Paragraph 2 should read 'closed for another seven weeks'.

 

The return is mainly by means of an ongoing free travel entitlement rather than cash dividend. See https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/shareholders for details.

 

... and a very generous one if you have a couple of thousand 10p shares!

 

I have heard the Heart FM radio advert several times and it is thoroughly accurate and upbeat. The ad clearly states our Railway's reopening date and is designed to garner advance bookings, a very useful income stream at this time of year. I'm not sure what percentage of bookings are advance sales but suspect it is substantial. The QB certainly wouldn't get far without such a facility.

Barrie

P.S. The Railway is closed for another seven weeks (almost), not three weeks.

 

Abbreviations yet again that no one understands.

Is it a disease with the WSR that they need to abbreviate everything?

By Arts I assume Articles whatever they may be but Mem stumps my guesswork.

 

Memorandum and articles I imagine.

 

I'd go for Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association

 

No, it's not a disease specific to the WSR. It's a "disease" (for want of a better term) that is common to all professions, industries, hobbies and the like they all have their own abbreviations and terms that are specific to them and are used so often within their specific occupation that people forget that those on the 'outside' of the occupation don't understand them. Railway workers and enthusiasts are not immune either, my non-railway friends have trouble understanding common railway terms such as rake, four-foot, cess & token and that's before I get into terms like BSK, FO & TSO.

 

Here's an example as posted this morning at South West Rail Gen. I take it that it's a movement around Stoke Gifford yard. <BJ>

66519 DFIM STKGIFFD STKGIFFD C * N 0Y15 -8D A

66569 DFIM STKGIFFD STKGIFFD C * N 0Y15 -76D B

 

Wise words indeed and well phrased. Inclusion, Community Engagement (meaning the railway Community as much as the external one) and a positive ‘safe’ culture to work/volunteer within would also be words I would add to that. Continuing the past in an insular and negative environment where those who disagree are cast aside by politics and egos is a road to dome in my opinion. Any heritage railway which allows itself to become a centre of power for a small group of people is on a difficult road, a community lead project can’t be a community lead project without the community.

The Heritage Railway industry is changing, it’s now a big responsibility which needs many skills and buy in/inclusion from many stakeholders. It’s a tough ask of anybody stepping into the shoes, a tough road to take and no-doubt a thankless task, but any volunteer run organisation needs to move forward, not keep its self in the past by people hanging on to power, however well-meaning those people are (and most are). The game is changing so evolve or die.

This episode should be a live and ongoing lesson to all heritage railways, the WSR is large, so has this hurdle to jump maybe sooner than others but the industry has changed from a couple of blokes, a siding and a few bits of rusty stock to a multi-million pound leisure attraction with responsibilities to education, heritage and the community, all are becoming community projects: By the community for the community, not one persons or even a small group of peoples railway.

If I’m wrong the WSR will prosper quickly, if I’m right I fear for it, however if I was wrong maybe it wouldn’t be where it is today. Time for cultural change, to open ears, listen and invite people to come and enjoy the best of the WSR and contribute. This is a message I believe in, I’ve stated it for nearly a year now internally. I’m now on the outside looking in but my view hasn’t changed so here is now my only voice and that’s a shame as just one person from a large community.

 

If staff and volunteers are forbidden from discussing WSR business here, they will surely continue to discuss it in private settings, where there will be more likelihood of "echo chambers" and no opportunity for outsiders with relevant knowledge to chip in. That doesn't seem good to me.

Edit: corrected a typo.

 

Thanks for the clarification Barrie. I've not heard the radio advert so was simply quoting post # 16608.

 

More to the point, one has to ask why an external forum has become a significant place for such discussions. I am aware of unofficial NYMR and Bluebell forums or mailing lists, both of which tend to exhibit a "glass half empty" view of the world, but these are tolerated and serve to some extent as a safety valve.

One wonders whether the WSR needs something of the sort.

 

New houses for Williton, N of the industrial estate

https://www.somersetcountygazette.c...-approved-despite-councillors-mayhem-warning/

 

It is difficult - when running a business, you can't advertise all your strategies, problems, arguments and dirty linen to the general public. Having run my own small business, or at least been a partner in it, I would certainly have taken a dim view of any employee who criticised the firm down at the pub, or indeed on line as it tends to be these days. On the other hand, management needs to keep its stakeholders in the loop or morale suffers.

 

"Councillor Ian Aldridge"?

THE I A?

 

More passengers for the commuter trains?

 

No this one https://democracy.westsomerset.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=136

 

There is an unofficial WSR discussion group - it has been around in one form or another for about 20 years. WSR staff are free to use it, or any other social media platform. It is what they might write that may not be tolerated. It's all in the policy that we, the staff, accept (or not). I speak from experience of a meeting with "those who frown".

Steve

 

I may be wrong but another one I believe. Happy to be corrected if wrong.