West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Sadly true on some occasions. We never look if we are not ready. But we do try to be ready, I hate having to have a pause for a blow up at a station but it does sometimes happen. We are operating old machinery and sometimes it does get the better of us. Loco's can throw their water out for no good reason at all, might have been fine all day long then suddenly it primes or foams and your boiler is almost empty. The lightest shower on a summer day can play havoc with railhead conditions and all of a sudden you're fighting a problem on the run up to Washford. Injectors, particularly on some tank engines, have a habit of not working as well as the water in the tank warms up.
However we never forget the guard is in charge of the train. Prompt despatch is entirely in their hands. We just provide the motive power.

 

Oh yes it does. I can think of 3 or 4 occasions when I have been acting as Controller that the lightly loaded last BL to MD train has been held back at a previous crossing point to give the heavily loaded MD to BL train priority.

This doesn’t always work given the length of block sections.

Robin
(Now WSR ‘Responsible Officer’ on occasion).

 

Something for those of you who don't know how a proper locomotives controls are laid out.
http://www.heritage-railways.com/glossary/footplate.php#bkvalve

 

An all Manor gala would be brilliant

 

In your opinion

 

I was going to say "it's not long since the SVR held the 'Manor 50' weekend," but realised it was 3 1/2 years ago already! Time flies, etc

 

Would you regard a gala with just three locomotives (as things stand) as brilliant ?

 

Memories of Shrewsbury on a summer Saturday in 1965, when there were plenty of 'extras' to the Cambrian Coast. lovely locos.

 

Are we on the forums to constructively debate preservation issues or to score "gotcha" points

 

The East Somerset Railway had a brilliant gala with only two locomotives.

 

Yes, bigger is not always best it seems.

 

Not a good day.
DMU failed and being dragged about by D6566.
1100 BL-MD arrived MD 57 late.
1525 MD-BL 23 late Williton and in for a long wait at CH as:
1620 BL-MD 45 late start.
1630 MD-BL at Williton for a long wait for 1620 from BL.

 

The DMU had problems Tuesday also, and there were other issues earlier in the day causing late running.

 

Amidst all the other WSR goings on, it seems to me that the DMU could do with a comprehensive overhaul, and possibly a spare power car

 

It would be nice if people would think before they post. Previous evidence has shown that large multiples of a single class (Standard 4 tanks, Black 5s) are not that big a draw and I would imagine just three of a kind by themselves even less so. On the other hand, it would definitely be an inexpensive event to stage!

 

I had the day of the 2017 PLC AGM in mind when I made this comment. The return service to Bishops Lydeard was much delayed, for good reason, at Washford. However we still had to wait for a light engine movement further along before we reached our destination.

 

Just checked my photos of WSR galas - the Autumn Gala in 2013 was a bit of a "Manor Fest" with 7812, 7822, 7827 and 7828 all in action. The supporting cast appeared to include 4160, 6960 and 5029 so it wasn't entirely a Manor event.

 

Well, as it would not cost any money why not advertise a 'To The Manor Born' event?

After all the Swanage did a S&D event last Autumn using what it had

Its a bit of a pity that the WSR didnt do the same with the two 7F's & 44422

 

Some folk seem to have short memories - the SVR did the definitive Manor gala a few years ago, and likewise a few years ago the WSR did the definitive gala commemorating the S&D, with the 2 7Fs, the 4F, a 4MT, 9F and Spamcans rebuilt and unrebuilt, doesn't get much better than that!

 

It is hard, at a distance and without the paperwork, to comment with full authority, (and I wasn’t on the Railway that day) but, as I recall, the train on that day was delayed at Washford while an ambulance crew attended to a person who fell ill on the train.

If I recall correctly, it wasn’t known how long the attendance was going to take and so other movements carried on as far as they could awaiting the release of the train by the ambulance crew. I suspect your train then reached Williton at an unpredictable time and had to await another movement before proceeding.

WSR control staff are good but don’t have a crystal ball.

Robin