West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Agreed, more comprehensive (and scary) than the Steam Railway piece.

Certainly puts the musings from some on here recently about whether or not a particular loco should or shoud not visit for the Diesel Gala into perspective!

 

Exactly
If you put out as far in advance as possible Said diesel is on a say 60 ish mile running day.
Buffet on train where to get beverages from.
decent load behind the loco.
People will come, its pretty simple to see.

It works on the Severn Valley for example. no reason why it wouldn't else where. If certain people pulled their heads from where the sun doesn't shine.

 

They already did to their cost, load 3 if you're lucky running days, with cut down mileage.
No wonder the numbers dropped almost like they was trying to get rid of the diesels.
Shame as the DEPG always turn out a decent standard of loco.
Yet get crapped upon from a great height.

 

Moving away from controversial matters.

I have read all the stuff on here and also the magazine articles about the finances of the WSR. Having visited the Railway and enjoyed it very much,it would be a shame to lose it after all these years.

I decided as a philanthropic Yorkshireman,yes there is such a thing,to send a few bob to the WSR.
I unlocked my wallet,took my heart pills,and navigated to what appeared to be an appropriate page.

Not a chance,no bank details,Paypal link,nothing.

I could see specific appeals on the WRSA site,but nothing for general donations.
Surely the aim should be to make donating as easy as possible.Am I missing something obvious?

Regards.
https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/donations

 

And how many aboard those trains?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Kind of you to say, thank you.

Robin

 

If it is not too late and your purse is still unlocked do have a look at the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust website - www.wssrt.co.uk - you'll find a donation button on the top right of every page and also on the front page. You can't miss it. Thanks very much in advance. Invitation extended to anyone else so inclined to part with a few pennies

Steve

 

I think the intention was for plc use not Trust or other specific projects?

 

How full they are will depend far more on time of the day and direction than haulage.

 

Yes I agree. And yes it is disappointing to find a 'donation' page with nothing to help the potential donor part with the cash.

However. We are all "WSR" and each organisation (for example the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust) is pitching in to help

Steve

 

Thank you for your replies Steve. I stand by my original point.

It is imperative that organisations make it as easy as possible to donate,if not people will look elsewhere.

Best wishes to all at the WSR and good luck.

 

I certainly enjoyed the Maybach memories running days

 

I know, but the question remains valid. Especially on a line with strong primary flows like the WSR. So, again, what were the loads?

 

B17/19 mentions "sale of Promotions". That looks like one bit of the restructuring that some on here have long been calling for. Can we be told any more?
B21/19 includes "We remain determined to obtain our share of the profits on the QB from the Plc so that we may use it to improve our coaches". That could be read as implying an ongoing disagreement between the Association and the PLC. If that is the case, let's hope it's resolved amicably ASAP.

 

There does appear to be some gaps appearing on the WSR website. Similarly, as below, some ticketing functionality has disappeared. Possibly missing a commercial manager? When trying to maximise revenue, it is important to ensure customers' wallets can be emptied as efficiently as possible. Hopefully, these odd little problems will be resolved soon.

https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/events/detail/freedom-of-the-line-tickets

 

Yes, the 'donations page' comes back blank for me as well. Disappointing, but I guess if you've got one of those old-fashioned cheque books like me you could just post a cheque to the address shown.

 

I see the subject of donations has cropped up again.

Can I just remind everybody that if you donate to one of the railways charities you can do so by a number of methods including sending a cheque. It is true that from time to time the charities will have specific appeals running. Generally these appeals are aligned with the current needs of the WSR. (Occasionally they are for something very specific and special interest). If you wish to give a general donation can I suggest you consider combining it with a membership (or a membership renewal). Remember that for most people the charity can then reclaim the gift aid on your donation (and indeed on your membership fee and any subsequent donations).
Rather than donate money to the WSR plc it might give a better sense of ownership if you bought shares in the company. Much the same thing as a donation but with the satisfaction of knowing you own a bit of the railway. (No gift aid to the railway of course.)
The big difference with a charity, other than the gift aid, is that if you give money for a specific purpose the charity must use the money for that purpose. This is why some people prefer this route as you know exactly what your money is spent on. If you give money by way of a share purchase (or donation) to the WSR plc the money will be spent as the board of directors see fit in the same way that a general donation to a charity is spent as the trustee's see fit.


Go here to join the WSRA and make a donation. https://www.wsra.org.uk/membership/
Go here to find the WSR shareholder application form. https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/shareholders

 

Also a suggested change of name to West Somerset Railway Trust. Re-branding might be a good idea but the proposed name might be too easily confused with the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust - unless the two charities were thinking of merging, of course

 

That would be the obvious course of action...