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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by gwr4090, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. Dan Taylor

    Dan Taylor New Member Account Suspended

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    Well as we know what works elsewhere, won't be taken on board at the wsr,

    They thought they knew better and look where they ended up..
     
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  2. mvpeters

    mvpeters Member

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    Quote of the week:

    "Nothing beats the friendly face of the guard or TTI coming through the train to explain the situation in person."
     
  3. pgbffest

    pgbffest New Member

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    Generally, it isn't the train in trouble that has the irritated passengers - it is the ones stuck waiting for it. Encouraging people to interact with the passengers, get them off the train (ok, it is winter) to get them to look at the loco / cab etc. Get the loco crews to explain to a group how it works - they will remember that far more than any message through a PA system
     
  4. Mike Birch

    Mike Birch New Member

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    "Get the loco crews to explain to a group how it works - they will remember that far more than any message through a PA system".

    I think that the crew of the 7f are to be complemented because, viewed from the comfort of my armchair watching this all unfold (on the various webcams), this is exactly what they appeared to be doing at Williton while waiting. I saw at least one family going up on to the footplate and they were also chatting away to people as they passed by. It was very good to see.
     
  5. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    What I can't get is this, why was an engine that was struggling for steam not assisted for the rest of the day, as I understand it, the first run had assistance, so wouldn't it have made sence to at least keep the assisting loco attached , if it was a positioning move, then couldn't a diesel loco have been prepared to run that other service at least it would have reduced the delay, and bought time to either sort out the fire, or to enable a crew who are signed to operate diesel traction.
     
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  6. Dan Taylor

    Dan Taylor New Member Account Suspended

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    See there in lies the problem with the wsr.

    They don't see anything as a problem and seem incapable of taking any constructive criticism at all,

    look at how everyone dog piled onto lilbear

    wsr where the customer is always wrong, or wsr where we have your wedge now sit down and shut the ... up.

    The number of holes they dig for themselves local jcb dealer must be doing a roaring trade.

    you go back through this thread and or any other about the wsr

    1 it cures your insomnia
    2 it shows that as soon as you offer a solution or ask why x , y ,z never happened , you end up with 3 reasons why it can't happen when theres at least double that , which proves different,

    and finally you get we fudged this up we will learn from it but it never happens or as quick as you can say jack robinson it has been conveniently forgot and the same mistakes happen over and over again and judging by the threads it the same few people who are still making these and some how theese same people are still allowed to make the same mistakes over and over again
     
  7. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Kind of you to say. Having performed a similar role for the ‘big railway’ helps, along with having known the railway and its people for 40 years now (gulp!).

    A particular help those days are the webcams at all terminal and passing stations, accessible from my smart phone pretty much anywhere on the railway (thanks Vodaphone, Steve Edge and others).

    It’s a rewarding role, if you are a ‘hands on’, ‘problem solving’ sort of person, and I would encourage anyone with the right background to put themselves forward on their Railway.
     
  8. Dan Taylor

    Dan Taylor New Member Account Suspended

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    its the wsr nothing is ever simple as i'm sure a useful idiot will be along to tell you once they finished theyre work in the village
     
  9. 1472

    1472 Well-Known Member

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    I was the afternoon driver on 53808 on Sunday 29th and the fireman and I always make a point of engaging with passengers/bystanders when time allows. It might interest the critics on this forum to know that we booked on late morning & expected to book off at 17.00 ish. In the event after doing an extra 40 miles to get 7828 & its train (by then ECS) back to Minehead we actually booked off at 22.00. Nobody was complaining though - we volunteer to do this and still much prefer it to golf!
     
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  10. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Apology grateful accepted - thank you.
     
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  11. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    I can only go by my own experience when I worked on the MHR, Most, if not all drivers did sign for diesel traction , and if an engine was reported as having difficulty, a thunderbird was dispatched as soon as what practical and if it meant you spent the day assisting the loco, that's what you did, if it was really bad, then the steam engine would come off go on shed, and the rescue loco took over the service. then if cured, would then take the service back over either on the next time it passed, but often the loco would be failed on shed, to enable a proper inspection to be done.
     
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  12. 1472

    1472 Well-Known Member

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    Strange how a less than good day on the WSR attracts such vitriol whilst similar happenings elsewhere usually go pretty well unnoticed. Time for some folk on here to seek out a new crusade for 2020 perhaps?
     
  13. Mike Birch

    Mike Birch New Member

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    "I have never experienced such a rip off in my life, I can only echo the other negative reviews for this event, my only hope is that if there are enough 1 star reviews the railway will not run this again. My only advice for anyone thinking of going is DON’T DO IT!!!!! You will regret it".

    "I don't think this could have been a lot worse....... It's really not good enough and i can't believe the hype behind this. There is clearly only one thing on the minds of the company, and that's maximising profit margins, by cutting corners with staff / the basics. Disappointed!"

    Both quotes come from Trip Advisor and both are for steam railway offerings in December - the first is for the North Norfolk Railway and the second is for the Dartmouth Steam Railway (fortunately they both also have lots of 5 star ratings as well). Surprisingly (given what I read on this forum) there are very few negative comments about the WSR last month.
     
  14. torgormaig

    torgormaig Part of the furniture Friend

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    Well, West Somerset (public) operations have now ceased for some 10 weeks. Dare one hope that this thread will go dorment until operations resume in the spring. You can but hope!

    Peter
     
  15. 1472

    1472 Well-Known Member

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    Another heritage railway elsewhere is beginning to take Trip Advisor comments with more than a pinch of salt. Rather different feedback has been forthcoming with other more direct survey means. Yes potential visitors will still, at least for now, consult Trip Advisor but some of the commenting has become no less than extreme making it not especially useful.
     
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  16. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    I'd second that, though it also takes a bit of experience to know the ropes - not something you can jump straight into!

    FWIW, at the Bluebell I'm one of our qualified Running Foreman -- essentially the grade down from our Operating Superintendent (your Line Controller), with responsibility for everything that happens within our loco yard during the day. The responsibility is to make sure all the locos go off shed on time, cleaned, equipped and with crew; that during the day any moves take place safely (for example a loco coming on shed for replenishing the coal, cleaning the fire etc); that the yard is tidied (pits emptied, yard floor swept, cleaning and other supplies replenished, lighting up wood prepared etc); liaising with the signalman to control moves between the yard and the station (it's a ground frame operated by the RF but released by the signalman with signals to control moves "slotted" to both frames, for the signalling aficionados!); dealing with the public on days when the yard is open (such as galas); ensuring loco crews get drinks and relief where necessary, and monitoring fatigue; directing the work of cleaners and ensuring any new volunteers are fully supervised; keeping the Operating Superintendent aware of any developing problems (for example, absent crew, a problem with a loco etc) and possibly making contingency plans; then at the end of the day getting all the locos back on shed, coaled and berthed in positions suitable for the next day in traffic. There's a lot of decision making, communication, "situation awareness" and thinking on your feet in amongst that lot! Also good exercise: I reckon I walk about 5 or 6 miles on a typical day as RF without ever leaving the confines of the station. (I'm of the "management by walking about" school!)

    Those kinds of roles aren't necessarily what you think of -- or are even aware exist -- when you start volunteering, but they can be immensely rewarding. There's a tremendous buzz when you sign on at 6.30am in the morning of a busy gala and four hours later you've seen half a dozen clean engines go off shed precisely on time, and probably solved half a dozen problems along the way unnoticed by 99.9% of the public...

    Tom
     
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  17. pgbffest

    pgbffest New Member

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    I'm going to take a small guess that you've got an issue with the WSR...
     
  18. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    You did not read what I said properly. P.a. systems have a part to play when untoward things occur which, I trust, is not every day or even every month on the W.S.R. They were around in the pre-preservation era so are perfectly "heritage". Just don't put them in places such as lavatories or museums (I have seen both) and use them sparingly.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 4, 2020
  19. Triumph 2500S

    Triumph 2500S Well-Known Member

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    We are now in the closed season and have a fresh start when the Railway reopens in this New Year 2020

    Let us hope that it has fully covered its costs in 2019 and that lessons have been learnt not to persist with engines in trouble and that they are helped or substituted at the first sign of trouble

    The WSR also requires a full time General Manager who understands and knows how to motivate Volunteers a number of whom seem to have deserted it in recent times because without Volunteers the WSR has no future. The question is should this very important function lie with the West Somerset Railway Association or be under the control of the Company and its management? Whatever is happening presently does not appear to be working, sadly.
     
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  20. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Glass.jpg ?
     

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