S&D Railway Trust

I won’t criticise them for the last of those; any responsible organisation will be careful who is allowed access to closed premises.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The counter-argument to that might be that, the more local volunteers are 'wandering around' their local station for their daily exercises, dog-walking etc, keeping social distancing and adhering to all the usual WSR safety rules etc, then the more it might help to reduce the potential for any vandalism. Deserted places tend to attract ne'er-do-wells...:-(

 

We have heard a lot about the law around the lease bit what are the legal duties of the S&DRT Trustees?

Presumably they are duty bound to protect the interest of the trust and if The Trust were to have to move get the best deal

 

That is fair, though my memory of the WSR is that many of the stations (though I don't think Washford) lend themselves to being overlooked from local footpaths and roads, without requiring access to premises.

 

Not replying to a letter indicates a lot about the recipient. At the very least, a holding reply along the lines of "thankyou for your letter, I'll get back to you shortly" would be polite. The word "ignore" is not dissimilar to "ignorance".
Robin L.

 

Hi Keith

That's odd - I had a swift reply and an offer of a chat on the phone.

May we see your letter? Thanks.

Steve

 

I remember the Dear Leader stating that he was going to "sort out" the details of the S160 hire contract. Does anyone know how that turned out ?

Changing the subject, West Somerset Railway TV is well worth a watch. A short programme on the excellent work of the S&D trust would be very useful.

Keep checking the channel at

 

I suspect that they may be hap[y to talk to someone such as yourself who presumably they know and trust rather than someone clearly unhappy who they do not know

 

This is a typical railway preservation task involving people learning how to do new things. Further along the line (sorry!) I am sure that precious seconds will not be taken up with views of individuals sitting on stools or exercising their dogs. Sorry if I sound sharp but I have seen a couple of videos already from other lines which seem rather crisper'

 

Out of courtesy to the recipients I would rather not publish the letter as I did not say it was an "open letter". I will however be writing again soon and will ensure that the recipients will make sure they are aware that it will be published in due course.
Keith

 

Quite understandable. I hope your next letter results in a helpful response.

Steve

 

Just clarify one little point for me please. Are you currently a member of the Board of the WSR?

Otherwise I find it hard to understand why you put the word charitable in inverted commas when they plainly are a charity and have to comply with their own objectives, and further accuse them of ploughing their own furrow when all the work they have done, as well s preserving S&D artefacts, has significantly improved the visual impact of Washford station to the benefit of all who might travel the line. Work they have been doing for the last 40 years or so without any such comments or concerns being raised

 

Take a long hard look at Washford then Dumpster.

Says it all really.

 

Furthermore, for those who are unaware of the history in this situation, I have always understood that S&DRT were established on site at Washford before WSR was properly formed, helped them with track-laying and other practical matters, then (with others) helped to pull them back from 'the brink' with practical help when in serious financial difficulties in the 1970s. Perhaps ignorance is bliss ...
There are some senior members of the fraternity still compos mentis who would remember this.

 

I think the first part applies to me, but I'm not sure about the second, although I was certainly there

It depends what you mean by the WSR being 'properly formed', but according to the S&DRT's own website (with photo) they had repaired the station building by the time that the first train ran from MD to WN, and then sidings were in place in 1977 ready to receive their stock. So clearly a long association......

 

That would be logical - so perhaps logic is not the right tool to use to analyse this situation.


I am sadly coming to the the conclusion that Adlai Stevenson's famous line applies: "In a democracy, people generally get the kind of government they deserve." If the people of the WSR want to know why it seems to incessantly lurch from crisis to crisis, it is my current belief that they all have to look in the mirror. Obviously, the blame is not evenly divided, and most of the WSR community are good people, but... I reckon that until everyone in the WSR truly believes 'I am part of the problem', it will continue to lurch from crisis to crisis.

I do wish the best for the line, but..

Noel

 

This old frater says this. The WSR was well formed (but not open) by the time the offer of the Washford site came up. The S&DRT have a history of helping the WSR over the years with practical help, most obviously at Washford itself (the place is now charming) and currently allowing the Plc to use the yard during nearby engineering works. I understand the S&DRT did indeed give help - along with WSRA and DEPG - to the Co in the early 1980s when the Co was likely to go out of business, although the S&DRT were not part of the 'gang of four' who planned the rescue deal. I believe the current S&DRT could offer financial help to the Plc and within its charitable status too. Why this did not happen is not clear to me.

Steve

 

I think you're probably right there, I recall @35B has suggested the same. But did it have much money to give?

 

Maybe not. I wonder what plans for urgent fundraising the S&DRT had underway.

Steve

 

All this talk of whether or not the S&DRT can or cannot support the plc financially seems to completely miss the point that by the simple virtue of maintaining the station, they are absolving the plc of thousands of pounds liability for said maintenance. If the plc succeeds in removing them, it will simply turn a low positive sum in rental income into a large negative sum the plc will have to find for building upkeep. I suspect I am not alone in struggling to see the financial logic.

Tom