S&D Railway Trust

Call for an EGM ?

 

But here’s the thing, you only need to look at the posts on here by volunteers and supporters of the WSR, no matter how badly the board behaves they fall into line. The board makes an appeal for money and they are digging into their pockets. The board makes various claims, and here they are defending those claims.

Given how some volunteers and supporters act on here, I see little reason to believe that there will be any push from below to remove the board.

 

Then alert Somerset County Council (if they are not already aware) that they face a problem too .... this cannot go on.

 

Given recent letters in the press, and their representation on the (apparently dormant PDG), I would imagine that they are only too aware. However, given the current civil situation, trying to keep a non-operating railway in business to carry lots of socially-distanced tourists in an area not over-endowed with massive numbers of ICU beds is probably rather low down on their list of priorities at the moment.

 

Then increase the pressure to concentrate the corporate mind.

 

Hello once more. Yes it's that 'fairly ordinary member of the public' again, but one that's getting increasingly exasperated. It just goes on and on! Now I'm no journalist, but even I can see there's a story in 'heritage railway appeals for donations in order to evict supporting group'. Because irrespective of all the pathetic-sounding recriminations, that's the essence of the story. Oh, and the timing couldn't be more apposite could it, being as there's zero chance of any WSR ticket income for the forseeable future during a period of national emergency?

As essentially an outsider, but now member of the S&DRT, I need to point out what an utterly unedifying spectacle is being presented of the railway preservation movement generally and especially to any interested but random person who might be thinking of investing, volunteering or travelling. There seems to be an assumption in certain quarters that the WSR is just too wonderful a railway to fail, but who in their right mind would be attracted to a bunch of squabbling grown-ups playing trains and threatening to throw their toys out of the pram? I repeat again - mediation is the only way to save the WSR or it will be curtains!

 

Are you sure he is not doing it for his own end.?

DJB.

 

No. But nor am I sure that he IS doing it for his own ends. And my experience is that if you allow yourself to assume someone is acting in bad faith when they are merely mistaken, a bad situation will just become worse.

 

Having experienced (Dont) Relate, I think the Physiologist Oliver James made an excellent point which is that these things need to start with diagnosis.

 

Moreover, the largest shareholders are clearly giving tacit support to the PLC's actions.

 

[My emphasis]

The highlighted and underlined bit I emphasised is very very important, and deserves the most important attention and consideration.

Cheers,

Julian

 

That seems a recipe for insolvency. Somerset CC will know that one of their tenants narrowly avoided insolvency recently and I am sure there are ideas already formed by them if that were to happen. A bank seems to own most of the PLC it appears so they I presume they are also watching how this will play out especially now when the usual and regular sources of revenue heave ceased. The required £500.000 mentioned some while ago is unlikely to be realised - even after supporters financial help.
Nationalisation maybe an answer after all DMU's do not need a 'red route' I imagine.

 

Or a new community company to run it? the problem though is if the state were to bail out the railway, then you would be taking non heritage operation, ok you would get the Minehead chamber of commerce dream of services to Minehead linking it back into the national network , but I would imagine NR would have to relay much of the line before much could happen .

 

I have received today, as no doubt many other have, a letter from JJ-P addressed to Colleagues and Supporters. Given that not doubt there are some of both on this thread, it seems reasonable to me to post a bit of it here.

Inter alia he writes:-

"..For some time we have seen some very negative things in the press and on various social media...."

Well, that is hardly surprising, is it?

"....We face an extremely challenging time, and I really hope that this can stop, and that now more than ever, we can build on the positive, we can champion our success, acknowledge where we have come, shine a light on the wonderful family that is our railway, and move on through this crisis to a bright future."

Are not, or were not, the S&DRT part of that 'wonderful family' then? Are not their Museum at Washford, the 7F and Coach 4 'successes' to be championed?

"...The time for throwing stones is over.."

An eviction notice seems like a b*** big stone to me

"....We are in the extraordinary times of a National Emergency and we all need to pull together to ensure our railway survives...."

I have no doubt that, under better circumstances, the S&DRT would have continued to help for 'all to pull together' within their legal capabilities.

 

More than relaying, I suspect. Train control matters aside, wasn't there some adjustment of cant on curved line to reflect the 25mph limit?

Having read the measured post by @pgbffest [West Somerset Railway Operations thread #24052] and the response thereto, I can't help feeling there's more chance of unanimity concerning Bulleid's Leader than progress on some small degree of consensus, let alone progress regarding matters down Minehead way. I suspect the gravity of things right now really hasn't sunk in, in certain quarters. Reality check. The perennial nut kicking contest isn't the overriding problem right now. When the building's ablaze, continuing to argue about the underpinning seem rather redundant .... or perhaps that's just me?

There would be more than a little irony, should the 'perfect storm' of endless bickering, internecine strife and effects of the current global situation on the longterm viability of the WSR (and organisations under that umbrella) result in the return of the Minehead line to 'the big railway'.

 

Really?? - I thought that was the whole point. Its all very well hiding behind "charitable" status & continuing to plough your own furrow.

Whilst all others have embraced the "One Railway" concept we are told of splendid isolation in S&D land.

 

I find the tone and content of that claim deeply questionable, given what's previously been said publicly by the S&DRT about how they've sought to help the WSR. I would also observe that for the S&DRT to just become part of "one railway" would be to risk losing it's identity and purpose.

 

Until a couple of months ago, the S&D trust was not part of the problem that "One railway" intended to solve.

 

Do you really think a government that has just thrown its aviation industry under the economic bus would to interested in nationalising a long branch line that already has a parallel bus route?

 

What part of a charity having to comply with specific objectives as it is a charity do you not understand. For heavens sake, enough people have explained this numerous times on here in the past.