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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    Just how do you suppose that anyone is going to bring this about? I am afraid that you are displaying "the reckless courage of the non-combatant" as Saki so neatly put it. It is quite obvious to all but a few hotheads on here that this is the best plan, so the only logical conclusion we can draw is that it is not a possible move without a force that the relevant parties neither possess, nor would wish to use if they did.
     
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  2. Fish Plate

    Fish Plate New Member

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    I have found some of the recent posts suggesting you and your fellow Trustees haing ulterior motives for postponing the AGM really quite distasteful. I think it the only option you could have taken, given the present national situation.

    And on the same theme, I find this quite extraordinary. Surely, given the present situation, the only game in town is saving the railway from closure? What is the point in donating to reserve funds for rail renewal if there is no railway?! There has already been the annoncement that paid members of staff have been put on notice of redundancy; to my knowledge, the WSR is the only railway to have announced this (although I stand to be corrected on this) and the GCR have even run a test, steam-hauled train in preparation to reopen. This could not be a clearer indication that the structure of the WSR is totally wrong. By way of a contrast, take a look at the video released yesterday by the FfWHR:



    The headline news is that three charities have donated £250,000 to the emergency appeal to keep the FR Co solvent, no mention of redundancies, news about the condition of the locomotives and the railway's plans for the future, and the welcome news that a locomotive has received a legacy to fast track its 10-year overhaul. What a difference the WSR's chairman's recent VLogs, a difference that speaks volumes. I know there is nothing that can be done about it in the short term but if the WSR survives this crisis, it needs to have a very long, hard look in the mirror.
     
  3. aldfort

    aldfort Well-Known Member

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    Folks please stop all of this.
    1) There is an ongoing process to hopefully resolve the S&D question. It's being conducted in private because that's what all parties have been advised and have agreed to.
    2)I'm sorry to say this but none of the relevant charities owe any duty to keep NP "in the loop" on their activity. Neither do the WSR plc for that matter. They are run as membership or shareholder organisations not plebicities. (My thanks to Yorkshireman, a former stalwart of these pages, for schooling me in this before I became a trustee.)
    3) We do all owe a duty to our members (or shareholders) and I'm confident WSRA dishcharge it fully. I answer member question regularly and as fully as I am able.
    4) All of us trustee, director, what ever have an over-arching primary duty to the railway that's either our pupose or the object of our support.
    5) As had been said, ad nauseam, If you don't like how your chosen charity is doing something then (i) join the charity. (ii) make your points to the trustee board (iii) Still disastisfied - then stand as a trustee and change things. (iv) Suggestion - Don't do (iii) if you can't accept the constraint of (4). (It's been tried in the past, failed in the most spectacular fashion, plunged the railway into chaos.)
    I don't have any claim on "being right" about what WSRA do. I try to do what I think is best (in concert with my fellow trustees) from inside the family tent. I know the view from outside the tent is different 'cos I'm wet!

    The big difference is that in a NP debate you don't have to reach a consensus. You can maintain your stance and debate it endlessly, you don't have to listen to alternative views put forward, if you read what you all write you don't ever reach agreement. Imagine translating that "stasis" to actually trying to run a railway? You'd endlessly argue about the priorities, the trains, the consist, the livery (especially this!).
     
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  4. Monkey Magic

    Monkey Magic Part of the furniture

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    The accusation of reckless courage of the non-combatant’ seems to be thrown out quite often as an accusation here. It seems to be used as a fig leaf for inaction.

    Many of those urging action, have in other circumstances, taken action, spoken out and taken risks at cost. Far from being ‘hotheads’ they are speaking from experience in different places and different contexts. Maybe, just maybe, those from outside the WSR might actually have a point, and they might be worth listening to.

    With regard to point 2.

    You also want people on NP to donate to the WSR and to support the WSR through this difficult time.

    You can not ask for money and then say we owe you no explanation for our actions.

    Many people are wary of donating to the WSR because of the behaviour of the PLC, if you want us to donate to you, then you do have a duty to keep actual and potential donors in the loop and to respond to concerns.
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2020
  5. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    It has been said before, but seems to need to be said again: few if any contributors to this thread want the WSR to fail, but many of us are afraid that it may fail because of the PLC's actions, both through their direct effects and through alienating potential supporters. Evidence of dwindling support is in the respective amounts of money raised for the WSR's appeal and other railways' appeals.

    Apropos the WSRA AGM and whether the Trustees are doing the right things or not, I accept that postponement may be appropriate, but if so some interim statements from the Trustees collectively, about where they stand on various issues (particularly the S&D Trust eviction and potential improvements to the structure of the family), could be helpful.
     
  6. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    I think it's clear from what @aldfort has written in post #25603 above that comment from within the WSR/S&DRT on the S&D is rightly highly unlikely while the current process is underway, while focus on the structure of the WSR will distract from the current challenges.

    Meanwhile, I still see nothing to change my view about where any spare cash I might have might end up.
     
  7. WSRA AGM is postponed until Autumn (not August). AGM papers are to be mailed with the Autumn edition of the WSR Journal in September, so it follows that AGM is likely to take place in late September or early October, assuming conditions are right.

    Personally I would prefer a delayed AGM that I could attend to an earlier virtual AGM. I wonder how the plc AGM plans will pan out.
     
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  8. The Dainton Banker

    The Dainton Banker Well-Known Member

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    Grammar ? :D:rolleyes:
     
  9. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

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    If the steam fayre at Norton Fitzwarren is cancelled this year.

    How about a charitable road run.
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2020
  10. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    [​IMG]

    Is this the man? :D:D
     
  11. nine elms fan

    nine elms fan Part of the furniture

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    Looks like the Religious study teacher i had at secondary school in the 60s, a real sadistic b'=$"**d made us all sit in full school uniform on the hottest day of the year, :mad:
     
  12. Piggy

    Piggy Member

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    Well, I read it as a pun ....... !
     
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  13. Ploughman

    Ploughman Part of the furniture

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    Isn't a Roan a type of horse or something?
     
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  14. DragonHandler

    DragonHandler Well-Known Member

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    I too will be continuing my membership of the WSRA. I'd also like to see trains run on my favourite standard gauge railway again and to that end I've contributed to the WSRA appeal and drop a few quid in the WSR Plc appeal each month.
     
  15. RichardBrum

    RichardBrum Member

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    But what is the full market value?
    The trackbed won't be worth much, & would only be of real interest to the neighbouring farms. Only other purchaser would be Sustrans, who wouldn't have the funds to take it on, & certainly wouldn't pay much.
    So any value is the non-trackbed stuff, as in station buildings & station sites. The plc already owns the freehold on two properties (Station House*, Bishops Lydeard, & Land lying to the west of Station House, Station Road, Bishops Lydeard. * bought 2017 for £350,000 with a loan)
    Most of the stations aren't much, certainly not the type that got snapped up years ago & converted to private houses.
    Minehead would be worth the most, & SCC could easily neuter any sale/value of that by having it covered with covenants. It's already Grade II listed since 1993, & so is the goods shed.

    Even if they could buy it at half the 'full market value', where are they going to get the funds from in the first place? Who's going to lend them money when they are already in debt, burning through cash & making losses? The lender isn't going to base their decision on a future possible new loan being used to pay off this new loan.



    Further, if the 'WSR family' believe/think that the track & sites freehold is at risk of being sold elsewhere by SCC, why don't they have a long-term fundraising into a restricted fund, so that they could purchase it via an entity that is setup in a way that the freehold can't be borrowed against or sold piecemeal?
     
  16. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    as a tangent , on another thread on another forum one person said of the current crisis we can't save them all and may have to accept that some lines will not be with us after this

    I wonder how many would save other lines over the WSR especially given its uniquely dysfunctional operation, history of infighting , and the fact that as a GWR secondary route/branch line it is adequately represented by other lines ?
     
  17. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    I think saying "we can't save them all" implies that somehow there is some homogenous body of enthusiasts, making grand strategic decisions about the movement as a whole.

    Whereas in fact there are myriad small groups, focused on their own little bit of it (and that is quite right). So the question of whether the WSR survives or not is independent of what happens anywhere else: it is entirely a matter for the supporters of that line, and whether they have the strength of will (and financial resources) to keep it afloat. There is no white knight; and nor is there some committee of the great and good deciding who should survive and who should be sacrificed for the greater good - rather, no-one is going to save the WSR except its own supporters.

    Tom
     
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  18. JBTEvans

    JBTEvans Well-Known Member

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    I think that is quite a disrespectful post.
    I can't think of any other railway that matches the WSR in terms of it's character, it's not nondescript thats for sure.
    There's no other railway with 10 stations which vary immensely from layout, design and location.

    'The big 3' for me are NYMR, SVR & WSR. Would save all those before any others (excluding the DFR as that's a special line to me), and I feel many others would feel the same.
     
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  19. Monkey Magic

    Monkey Magic Part of the furniture

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    Whether the WSR survives depends entirely upon the decisions current senior management and the leaders of supporting organisations make over the next weeks and months.

    If the WSR does or does not survive is down to those involved with the WSR.
     
  20. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

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    Well spotted. Corrected.
     

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