West Somerset Railway General Discussion

It is rather disappointing to find that the museum is 5th out of 5 Trip Advisor "Travellor ranked" visitor attractions in Washford (behind e.g. Cleeve Abbey and Torre Cider Farm) and is the only one without a Certificate of Excellence.

 

Perhaps a very simplistic view but, if the S&DRT are required to leave the site I can only see two options:-

1. All the works/building that the S&DRT have done are left in place. In which case I'd assume that the WSR would be required to reimburse the full cost of which under 'betterment' of the site. But then where would the money come from with the WSR so strapped for cash? or,

2. Everything that the S&DRT have done (and paid for) to improve the site has to be removed, leaving the site in the condition in which they originally occupied it. Potentially leaving (for want of a better term) a large hole in the ground where there once was an attractive site.

It is a very simplistic viewpoint and perhaps there are sections in the lease agreement that cover this in which case my questions are irrelevant, but I just can't see the WSR benefitting from either option.

 

1472 provides a predictable reply.

Historically, the S&D Trust has had a base on the WSR. Personally, the upheaval of uprooting everything from Washford to elsewhere, and the cost implications this involves for the S&D Trust, for no apparent gain to the WSR, is what saddens me, as is the sudden nature of the decision by the WSR PLC Board without any consultation.

Especially when only in 2018 the S&D Trust were given a new 25 year lease of Washford.

From the WSRA Trust Board members we have on here today only an historical analysis of Washford Signal Box and the origin of the station buildings, which anyone should know anyway as it is a rehash of what is on the WSR PLC website for the station, and from the Acting Chairman a correction of a 'typo' for Paul Whitehouse's name to a post by JNC.

2 days to sort out this PR mess, and nothing to explain Mark Smith's statement of 16th February on this on behalf of the WSR PLC Board, or the WSRA Board

 

And what is the tortured logic behind all this? Conversation of late between WSR PLC, and S&D Trust... (hypothetical and allegedly)...

Q. Give us a large amount of money for the track renewals!

A. We can't afford to give you anything...

Q. Give us S&D loco '88' instead then!

A. (unprintable)

 

So there is another fallout, but it's alright there's a steam gala in 2 months with 3 tender engine visitors announced so far (76084, 78018, 92134) meaning transport costs of upwards of 30k, assuming there's no mates rates involved, and assuming there are no more guests involved. And there's breakfast on the Thursday! Reminder that this is a railway who doesn't have any money, but can apparently afford such moves of locos.
Meanwhile, in another bit of the country, in March and on the same weekend so that visitors can go to both in the same weekend you have the KWVR and ELR galas which to date have one tank loco between them announced as guests although it's early days yet, particularly for ELR who seem to have mainline connections...........
Now KWVR and ELR rarely figure in National Preservation world, but seem to be two railways who just get on with it sensibly.
Enough said???

 

The S&D trust is apparently preparing an official response to the WSR statement. It will be interesting to hear their side of the story.

 

A typical response from West Somerset. I would expect nothing else.

What the hell has happened to the railway that I once loved to visit and looked forward to becoming a volunteer at when I took early retirement?

This is a very sad state of affairs. <BJ>

 

They say to mind who you offend on the way up lest you need them on the way back down.


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Think I will have to visit asap, have never rode the line, as its far away- doesnt look like it's long for this earth. I see D&EPG are sending a loco to Grosmont for a long term loan... Expect a 3mile rump line and asset stripping shortly?

 

Picking up late on this, a number of points......

Quite by chance I was involved with many discussions circa-2010 when the S&DRT first had concerns about being asked to vacate and a number of things became very clear there:-
1. Moving something like the S&DRT to a new site would not be simple. It would require many months of planning and months of execution, plus perhaps years of re-building elsewhere. There was doubt then that the S&DRT had the expertise or manpower to manage and execute such a move - does it now?
2. People talk glibly about moving to MSN or Shillingstone. In 2010 neither place had space to accommodate a new arrival and I doubt that situation has changed - after all, MSN has only just gained outline planning permission for expansion for its own needs, let alone those of another body.
3. Any new 'home' might well be a brownfield site devoid of track and buildings - not a place where you can just walk in, set everything up and start afresh - it could take years to recreate a Washford equivalent.
4. By ironic coincidence, I have learnt that the S&DRHT at MSN has given 3 months 'notice to quit' to the group there who are restoring a MR coach, allegedly on the basis that it does not fit with the '1950s/60s era' image which they want to have at MSN. So how would the S&DRT's Coach 4 be allowed there on that basis ???

A rumour reaches my ears that the WSR wants to use WD as a site for boiler work 'cos MD residents object to the noise - I wonder what WD residents would think about that?

 

Given that a pub / hotel backs onto the line with residential properties alongside, the boiler shop theory seems improbable. In any case, it would have been given as a reason for evicting the trust.

A statement from the WSRA is long overdue. Mike ? Robin ?

 

I concur.
Are there GWR/WSR supporters out there that have turned their backs when S&D 7F has been the mainstay motive power?
Reading this thread fills me with despair that Heritage Railway supporters are as seemingly tribal as I've ever known them and I can only hope that the visiting 9F doesn't need a copper-topped chimney to get past Taunton for the spring gala.

 

I suspect that there may be more to this decision than meets the eye

 

Fully agree with this. I've given up supporting the NYMR after 45 years as a volunteer because the commercial v heritage balance has swung too heavily in the commercial direction now. The words "business case" crop up in just about every conversation one has with a railway manager now, and there's no interest in trying to do things better than they are now, it's all about maintaining the staus quo. Take the new bridges at Goathland - some serious engineering going on there but the end product will be a modern bridge, that looks nothing like the one it is replacing, in full view of the station. Couldn't have been built to at least look like the bridges that are not being replaced?

 

The Challenge is to find management with the energy/ vision to merge the best of the Heritage tradition
with the mores of the 21st century ?

Michael Rowe

 

Was there not supposed to be some sort of WSR 'Heritage committee'? Did it not ever meet/deliver anything?

At a time when 'heritage projects' finally seemed to be moving forward again - eg Crowcombe Goods Store, Stogumber Cattle Dock etc - sometimes with support from the WSRA, it would be a shame if the PLC started to go in the opposite direction.

 

Heritage committees are only ever any use if the management are prepared to listen to their suggestions and engage with them, rather than just dismissing things as too difficult, too expensive, or a waste of time as barely anyone cares.

 

I suspect we are moving to a two or three tier model. The WSR is in the process of becoming DSR North.

i) increasingly large fleets of locomotives in the hands of a handful of very wealthy owners. The national collection becoming smaller and static. Heritage lines moving out of mainline running. The dominant owners using their position as leverage. Fundamentally a commercial operation. Handling all rail tours. You can't organise a railtour without going through them. They will take advantage of the inherent deference that people show Mr X and so on, so no one will question whether this is a good thing.

ii) in response to declining volunteer numbers, lines becoming professional by necessity. Increased costs meaning that more commercial operations have to be pursued. Whether that is umpteen war on the line weekends for the war cultists, or light trains, or contract work.

iii) closer collaboration between rail tours companies and the now professional heritage lines where the terminus of the line makes a good end point for a rail tour. A chosen few getting lots of traffic.

iv) small lines getting by on a mix of volunteer, commercial efforts and so on, likely to attempt to consolidate or potentially retrench some activities, potentially able to market themselves to heritage enthusiasts.

As I said elsewhere, I suspect that we will see more legal fights over ownership as owners age, I suspect lines in transition from heritage to commercial will undergo some fairly internecine conflict. I also think, some small groups will go to the wall, and I also think the oversight demands that will require more professionalism from the industry will be beyond many volunteer organisations. I also suspect there will be many 'useful idiots' who will aid the processes leading to the demise of some groups and lines.