West Somerset Railway General Discussion

As the poster whose quote was edited, I was disappointed that @Fred Kerr chose to make that edit, especially as in Tapatalk it is harder to see the nature of the edit, but he was transparent about it and left himself open to riposte. I therefore have no complaint about that aspect of today's moderation of this thread.

 

And now for something completely different. I've just watched the WSRTV Track Circuit film. Very clear and informative..
Pat

 

And..........

Over the winter a DMU power car was delivered to Bishops Lydeard.

But as yet no announcement has been made as to what it is doing at the railway.

If it is for use on the WSR then I think thats a good thing.

But does anyone know what its for?

 

In fairness my edit was made partly tongue in cheek as I have empathy with @ 35B's views BUT from my distant perspective it seems that the PLC has determined a course of action that is proving questionable to say the least and has shown little sign of taking other people's opinion into account; the criticism on here suggests that theirs is not a popular decision and I find neither little support from anyone nor a justification from the PLC to counter-act unfavourable comments. IMHO their unwillingness to justify their action(s) suggest a hidden agenda. Over the years I have witnessed previous hidden agendas with the ex6 being among the most recent and I believe the WSR deserves better.

 

Concerns about WSR Operations and its future are clearly increasing in wider circles according to this article. There appears to be an underlying sub-text if you read closely regarding the way the WSR is being run in my humble opinion.

https://www.somersetcountygazette.c...needed-west-somerset-railways-future-says-mp/

 

Interesting IMHO to note another WSR-related situation where one party claims that the other has failed to engage with it....

 

It's almost as if all sides are resolutely determined to not hear what anyone else is saying. The "Insert fingers firmly in ears and go La-La-La" technique is scarcely the best way to promote constructive dialogue IMHO.

 

Its the tone of the PLC reply which sounds very defensive.

Why not 'We understand the concerns and look forward to meeting Mr Liddell-Grainger to discuss these issues'

 

Sadly West Somerset is rather hampered by an MP who selectively ignores invitations to meet or respond to requests for clarifications.

Hard to make progress with an MP who wants to meet but won't. And frustrating when clarification requests are ignored.

Steve

 

Unfortunately, he's just one more example of the diverse squabbling parties involved in the ongoing dysfunctional behaviour down thataway.

 

What the WSR comments do not say is that the £500,000 figure is old and not a new appeal. It has been going longer than most heritage line appeals. Assets are safe? Well, as the bank seems to own them I guess they are.

 

A lazy internet search shows Class 117 DMBS No. W51354 arrived at Bishops Lydeard on 30th October 2019 but nothing further. The railcar association page is out of date but its November newsletter said "An announcement giving more information is “promised soon” according to an unofficial WSR source". There is nothing in subsequent bulletins.

Patrick

 

I trust you make this comment about Ian Liddell-Grainger as someone who has tried to meet with him and failed? Or are you just going on what the WSR Plc claims? My experience with ILG is the complete opposite, if he engages in a subject he will meet or communicate with the relevant parties. Otherwise he is no better or worse than every other MP. Directors of the WSR Plc however are known to not engage with other parties within and outside of the WSR, such as deciding not attend traffic commissioners hearings as one example.

 

Would that be an operating profit or a paper profit?

 

My own (and others who are not Plc directors) experiences of trying to have a dialogue with him.

I would love to see him better engaged with (and better informed about) the WSR. Let's hope he agrees to meet the Plc (by any means). As he seems to engage with you, perhaps, you could help ensure that happens?

Steve

 

Today seems full of news / Information.

For me the most interesting relates to the ongoing WSR "Appeals".

Attached are some simple graphs showing the data freely available on Steve Edges excellent website (There are some gaps which I have acknowledged). As someone who really supports the survival of the WSR moving forward, I now believe a radical change to the fundraising approach is needed.

Whilst one graph shows the good news that donations are steadily increasing, compare that to the week on week growth of the "Appeals" streams. There seems to be a collation to the graphs presented by the government in the recent weeks! And it would appear that we are past the peak with a downward trend for most of the last month. Indeed the large jump in the total is down to the generous donations of existing WSR groups, very much robbing Peter to pay Paul. Contrast this with the news from those Heritage Railways which have one appeal and the news couldn't be any different!

As I have said before, if the WSR is to survive a radical organisational change and a different fundraising approach is needed sooner rather than later! Unless a very large one off donation comes along, the £500k target appears to be way out of reach! This is where charitable organisations and applications for grant funding could come into their own (As the WSRA proved with the rail renewal fund!)

 

Exactly Steve, just look around the Bridgwater areas he has involvements with !

 

And the next bit of PR for the WSR. Steam Railway (released today I think) pages 11, 12, 13 & 19. Stories on the WSR Freehold, S&D Eviction & 4160 legal dispute. How can one railway get into such controversy all at one time ???