West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Doh

 

If you look at Wiki, there doesn't seem to be a world-wide shortage of Edmondson ticket printers - it looks as though the Bluebell has a few.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmondson_railway_ticket

A couple of years ago I was able to find a source to have new moulds & type for the date-stamp machine re-cast here in the USA. It wouldn't be cheap, but a collective order might make it worthwhile. There are several UK letter-press enthusiasts as well.
I would guess that Dunster might be a local source for information - I believe they found some new type from somewhere.

 

Sorry, I recalled the wrong museum. The attached article (Swiss Express March 2017) states that the ex SBB machines are now operated by a Blonay Chamby Museum Railway volunteer.

Cheers, Neil

 

Where do you draw the line to maintain historical authenticity? Would this I then assume, to be something, relating to tickets, that matters less to some heritage railways than others?

 

Also matters a lot more to some people than others

 

Chris White died on the 17th March 2015

 

I've also remembered receiving attractive computer printed tickets on the Durango & Silverton and Cumbres & Toltec Railroads

 

The line is hard to draw, grey, and indistinct. But in organisations set up for the purpose of preserving an historic past, allowing decisions to be taken on purely "commercial" or "practical" grounds and not allowing "history" at the table, risks taking that organisation to the very place that it's founders sought to preserve it from.

It is for the same reason that I regret decisions taken by the NYMR to use modern colour lights at Pickering, or the Bluebell to move away from all steam operation, even as I acknowledge the practicality and probable inevitability of those decisions.

 

Cor what a mouthful try saying those names after a few jars of scrumpy & a chicken korma curry.

 

Before my time but I think it meant only 1 box was required rather than 2 to operate Pickering.

 

I visited Cheltenham Racecourse the other day (I keep meaning to post my phone snaps on the GWSR thread) and noticed the track between the platforms there is jointed flat-bottom

 

Agreed, understood, and nonetheless regretted.

 

I think we've probably got most combinations somewhere or another, which is fine until the P'way guys have to work out what sort of fish-plate they need, especially if it's between different types of rail with differing wear!

 

How about a modern print-on-demand system, with a laser or inkjet printer, printing on Edmondson blanks? Booking clerk selects the relevant ticket from the (probably not extensive) range of tickets that are valid on that day, from that station, at that time of day, and the ticket pops out of a slot.

 

I have been supporting heritage railways for more than 50 years - I couldn't give a toss ( and nor I suggest do 99.9% of visitors) about about the clicketty-click sound of jointed track. I recognise the advantages in maintenance of CWR and appreciate the costs of maintaining infrastructure.

 

Actually as most car owners have moved on to using smoother roads and smoother riding cars - gone are the days for most of the old bone shakers plus those who travel on trains are used to a wheel hum rather than a clickety clack, I believe Michael is correct in what he says about carriage wheel sounds.

 

At heritage railway speeds, ie less than 25mph, the "clickety clack" is not particularly noticeable anyway.

It was more noticeable at mainline speeds over the general background noise.

 

This question, like many on Nat Pres, comes up on a regular basis. We should probably be grateful that the managers of Nat Pres provide a forum where such things can be aired. However, the views expressed here are those of a very small sample of the interested enthusiast, so does it make any difference? This does beg quite an important question about heritage railways in general and the WSR in particular. The recent abolition of Edmondson tickets must have been decided on by somebody somewhere, but as a Board Director until last April, I have no idea who, or why, or using what financial or other criteria. Clearly there are good arguments for changing the ticketing system, but a mainly volunteer staffed organisation cannot make decisions simply by business based arguments. If it does, and the majority of volunteers begin not to like the decisions, they will simply walk away - and then there will be no railway. But if it doesn't focus on business success, then there will be no railway either: so how do you achieve a balance that all can sign up to?

Taking the argument further, there are also good arguments for the railway going over to colour light signals and centralised control - it would certainly reduce the number of volunteer signalmen necessary! On a purely business basis it is fairly easy to defend. But I guess most readers of this posts would be horrified at the suggestion - I know I would.

So the conclusion, surely, is that you cannot run a heritage railway simply as a business, using purely business criteria. But if you don't maintain business disciplines it will surely fail. I can't speak for any other heritage railway (though I guess they are not much different), but the West Somerset is, in my view, currently finding this a very difficult balance to achieve. There are, I'm afraid, still significant egos stalking the lanes and byways of West Somerset and as Mel Hillman's recent posting very well illustrated, amongst our nearly 1000 volunteers there are many many people who could be making an invaluable contribution. They will however require (and expect) a rather warmer welcome than has been in evidence over the last year or two. The West Somerset currently requires every scintilla of wisdom and expertise it can find: these people may not particularly wish to spend time in the pub together, but they are united in a desire to make the West Somerset survive. There is, sadly, not much current evidence that the leadership knows how draw this resource together.

 

As a long standing member of a steam loco owning group (or two) we much prefer the locos to be operated on good CWR rather than 60ft jointed track. Far fewer joints (particularly dipped ones) means far fewer broken springs and less wear and tear on suspension & frame related components. I expect the C&W dept lads would say the same.

 

It is illuminating that someone who was so instrumental in sorting out the WSRA appears to lack confidence in the current leadership of the railway and it's attitude to volunteers.