West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Hooray! As a former TTI the electric lifts on Lorna Doone were a real pain - even when they worked loading a wheelchair using them took about three times as long as pushing it up the ramp!

 

Its a pity of course that the DMU is not in good condition unlike say the 108 on the SVR

I might add that I did the round trip on Braunton, leaving BL at 11.15 (11.30?) ish again a less patronized service but what about somesort of catering 'offer' - say a hamper from The Farm Shop at BL?

Obviously needs pre booking but with reserved seats in a smart TSO & crockery/hot drinks/tablecloth??

 

The electric lift was installed to enable wheelchair access to ground level in case of the need to evacuate the train away from a platform in an emergency. In my 15 years of working on the trains, it was never called on for that purpose, and, as Ron mentions previously, it got in the way when loading wheelchairs from the platform using the standard ramp.

 

Re access to ground level via the e-lift, I didn't know that was possible, @Ian Thanks for that! I guess when restored 'Lorna Doone' will adopt standard evacuation procedures laid down for the WSR's other wheelchair accessible vehicles, which may not be as comfortable but (depending on the situation) clearly better than being left onboard

Steve

 

Not many of the staff had been adequately trained for safe handling of the lift either?

 

Mmmmm, May be time to read Andy Norman's recent post. ' One Railway' is a long long way off. Does the public care what kind of steam locomotive is pulling the train? Does the WSR need another Castle?

 

I have to agree with you on all of your points. The only problem that I can see is the suggested 10:30 arrival time at Minehead for the first service train. As most passengers begin their journey at Bishops Lydeard that would require a departure time at approx. 09:15. Most folk prefer to arrive 30 mins early to park their cars, walk to the station, buy tickets and use the loo. That would require arriving at BL at 08:45 before including the journey to the railway. If I take the family on a steam train to Minehead they look forward to a leisurely day out. I'm not so sure that setting off from home at 07:30 would fit the bill.

Just a thought. <BJ>

 

Well, it is not as if the WSR hasn't tried an early arrival into Minehead before So it has the best possible knowledge of how worthy is the idea. In any case, we can all come along this summer and find out cos there's a 9.25am departure from Bishops Lydeard on the yellow timetable with a 10.40am arrival in Minehead. Local shoppers with a local resident's card will find the fares reasonable and those with an Annual Pass might find it a real bargain. Everyone is welcome to join the train (or any other train) and prove the theory.

Steve

 

That would still be an early start for most families Steve …..and can you imagine their weary faces when a DMU / diesel pulls into the platform. <BJ>​

 

Indeed a bit early, but not as early as the 7.30am Minehead to Williton and the 8.05am from Williton, arrive Minehead 8.35am. I did guard duty on a few of those

As for 2019, I guess, though, that if they know there is a 9.25am departure they'll know it not a steamer

Steve

 

From what you say it is quite obvious that you are not part of the target market. If you are looking for a leisurely trip on a steam railway starting once the streets have been aired then the railway already caters for you.
If you wanted a family day out at the seaside that included a pleasant trip on a railway with great scenery that delivered you right on to the esplanade - and you were not fussed about the traction this could be for you.
Chances are those who would use such a service are not reading this forum.

 

All sounds logical - but how far from likely starting points for passengers is BL?

The first Pickering to Whitby train has been 09:25 since the second platform opened some years ago. Before that, it was 09:00 (from memory) and started as a DMU connecting service leaving Pickering at 08:45.

If people want a decent day in their destination and chance to break their journey at somewhere nice (say Watchet?) on the way back, then they seem to accept and early start - and/or late finish (last train back into Pickering at after 19:30 on the peak, earlier other times).

Pre-Whitby, the first train was 10:30 and then later 10:00.

Steven

 

If I wanted a day at the seaside with the family I would just go the whole way in the car

 

Sounds ideal When I'm on hols this year I'll be able to jump on at Doniford at 10, get to Starbucks in Minehead, abuse their free wifi to upload the convention pictures I'll be editing, and get back to Doniford just gone lunchtime.

The family week ticket seems to have gone up a bit this year? Still can't complain, they need the money.

 

Starbucks?

 

Surely one of the biggest factors to consider when lengthening the operating day on a heritage line is how to staff it? If you have huge pool of volunteers then fine, otherwise it can make for a very long day for volunteers in all departments, with the loadings unlikely to justify using paid staff.

Jon

 

Has the cost of a annual ticket gone up? It really did seem too cheap to make sense last year

 

And I am sure a majority of people do - but my experience is that, in the case of Whitby, significant numbers decide to combine their day trip to the coast with a ride on a steam railway. There may be factors which mean this wouldn't be the case in West Somerset, but these may include lack of suitably timed trains to do so.

It is interesting that of the preserved railways, most have the coast at one end. The SVR is an obvious exception.

Steven

 

I can think of a few others which are land-locked, such as Bluebell, Spa Valley, Kent & East Sussex, Keighley & Worth Valley, Llangollen, I am sure there are others.

 

You're right, it's Costa isn't it.
Still free wifi though