S&D Railway Trust

It seems

Spot on, while other lines may be entering choppy waters, the WSR has potentially brewed up its own Perfect Storm

 

A curious affair. If it is continuing for a second year how is it that critics say that it never took place at all in the first year!
As usual, the facts and statements regarding the WSR are often difficult to equate with what actually happens. That 'lessons have been learned' has been well commented in another post here. More smoke and mirrors?
Whatever the outcome it seems that the ball is now rolling and there will be questions to answer to the kind of people that, I believe, are not easily fobbed off.

 

opps

 

As I see it, part of the problem here is the inability of the press, and the world at large, to distinguish one bit of "the WSR" from another.

AIUI from Andy Norman's comments one body - the WSRA - holds the money and is responsible for spending it, and another body - the PLC - provides the services (ie trains etc) on which that money will be spent. If the latter refuses to facilitate those services, then you can't blame the former for not having spent the money.

The real questions would seems to be:- (1) has the money actually been spent, and if so then (b) on what ?

[But maybe all this should be in the other thread?]

 

Some Llamas, a meerkat and a Donkey for the petting zoo maybe?

 

It should - but I ask why "the press" should need to distinguish between two bodies that are the public face of the WSR.

 

When I read the headline I did have to check that it wasn’t Minehead.

Mass monkey brawl

 

The significant element was presumably the 2 year contract for the employment of the community officer who has the responsibility of organising appropriate outreach, maybe she has formed a view that the family events reported in the journal rather than school trips better meet the objective, employ a professional respect respect their experience ?

 

There's enough stated here to make me suspect that those events were the result of the original plan not being possible; not a free choice

 

But that is surely irrelevant: it was a joint bid for the railway (singular) to deliver an outcome. There are valid structural reasons why behind the scenes it was set up so the association (as a charity) would fund and the plc (as an operator) would deliver the outcome. But the bottom line is did the railway (singular) deliver what they had agreed to do? If they didn't, that's a collective failure.

Tom

 

http://www.wsr.org.uk/wsra-press-release-11-march-2020-final-1.pdf
Well that's clear then, the WSRA are backing the PLC and saying there is nothing wrong. Well at least we can see somebody nailing their colours to a mast at last !

 

I have scanned through this thread and it seems this whole affair is unfortunate for the WSR and the S&DRT and one that seems to have no winners, except perhaps the various legal teams who are currently or about to engage in court room combat.

I make no judgment on who is in the wrong here – I, like most people here don’t have all the information – but it doesn’t seem to faviour the S&D Trust as even if they manage to legally enforce the lease on the Washford site their relationship with WSR must be seriously damaged - perhaps not permanently - and must make life ugly for the future, especially for 53808 and its next overhaul which it seems that WSR should perform.

I hope that they can all amicably sort the issues they have out and can both move along happy, but I fear that at some point either now or after some expensive and protracted legal battle that the S&DRT will move on.

I have wondered where they could move and set up shop, I can’t think of a railway in the south-south west that has space to spare and surly the trust would struggle to move their museum/stock/infrastructure and buy some appropriate land to develop all at the same time.

I really hope they can maintain all their stock/artifacts at a single site, I cant see Shillingstone or Midsomer Norton sites able to fit the S&DRT comfortably and wish that the East Somerset, Mid Hants or Swanage Railways could accommodate them if the worst scenario occurs.

As for me I am joining the S&DRT to show my support.

 

From the 10K foot level, it's unfortunate that time & energy has gone into this, as opposed to staying focused on helping the WSR. (Note: I am not saying it shouldn't have been brought up; this is just a general observation.)

Noel

 

The S&DRT appears to have no interest in any rebirth of the actual line, signing a 50 year lease infers Washford is their comfort zone, rather than a base to prepare restorations for relocation on the line and eventual migration in its entirety.
So they could relocate to a greenfield site, like Mangapps museum did perhaps, no connection to any existing line required.
Whether it would be closer to the old S&D line rather depending on the location of the volunteers.
WSR should in fairness cover the costs of the move and give fair recompense for their extensive site improvements.

 

Should this not have been in the general WSR thread? It does not seem relevant to the S&DRT eviction business.

 

Why?

The Trust does an excellent job of conserving S&D relics at Washford, where they have local members to support them. The cost of relocation would be high.

Reinstating a section of the S&D is another story altogether which at least two groups are making some progress on.

 

Yet another "sleight of hand" methinks; lessons may have been learned BUT have they been applied ?

 

This needs unpicking. The SDRT had established a base at Radstock on the old S&D, but was forced to find a new home around 1975, and the WSR PLC offered it a new home at Washford which was then a blank canvass - pretty much a derelict station and empty signal box, and a yard that was once a goods yard that was without rails or buildings.

The SDRT restored the station and signal box at no cost to the WSR PLC for the last 45 years, and developed the yard into a very attractive amenity, and with adequate covered storage for 3 original S&D coaches, one of which has been superbly restored, and much else besides.

As far as I can see, and I have no reason to doubt this view whatsoever, the WSR has played upon the SDRT's involvement as one aspect of it's operations and enhancements; recreating part of the S&D, in Somerset, for a considerable time. And the SDRT have developed it's facilities on the back of all this and established a wonderful museum in Washford Station etc. To many of us, the S&D '88' loco is as much a part of the WSR as would be a GWR loco, so intertwined have the 2 organisations been till 10th February 2020 when the 'Notice to Quit' was suddenly served.

A further new lease of 50 years signed in April 2018 for Washford was with the wholehearted agreement of the WSR PLC at the time, and Ian Coleby signed the new lease as WSR PLC Chairman. It was also never anticipated that the SDRT owned loco '88' would not remain on the WSR or that the WSR PLC would by various means recently depart from the terms of it's separate agreement regarding loco '88'.

For many, the WSR is a recreation of part of the SDRT, and for 45 years the SDRT has supported the WSR, and until 10th February 2020, the WSR (via the WSR PLC board) have always actively supported the SDRT at Washford. It has been a mutually beneficial arrangement in respect of maintaining Washford at no cost to the WSR PLC (plus paying rent etc) and providing a S&D loco for the line. Indeed last year S&D loco '88' was used quite extensively and on long incoming charter trains.

S&D loco '88' is now partly dismantled for a piston and valve exam with nothing having been done for quite awhile.

For years and years the WSR has trading on it's S&D connections via the SDRT and Washford, and that this should all be thrown away on 10th February 2020 potentially, is something that makes me very sad, for an impeccable valued tenant and stakeholder for so many years, as the SDRT has been.

If JJP doesn't understand all this or get a grasp of it very soon and it's implications for the WSR PLC board, and contested County Court proceedings over it's 'Notice to Quit', and the costs implications, (and the adverse publicity), then hopefully some of his board members might see sense and take a different view.

Cheers,

Julian

 

Ahem. See http://www.wsr.org.uk/pics for evidence of "something being done" on 53808. Do try to look beyond the four grey walls of Nat Pres, folks.

Steve

 

Maybe people would be more receptive to the WSR, if people didn't keep attacking NP users. The first part of your post was useful and interesting, the second part less so.

It is again amusing, someone makes a post attacking the S&D, there is a response from Julian refuting it, and then an aggrieved response from someone about picking up one point to complain about how unfair everyone is being to the WSR. (Ignoring the rest of Julian's post)