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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. Wriggley

    Wriggley New Member

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    I don't deny for a minute that the WSR's problems pre-date the recent chairman and board. They go very much further back, and certainly the last decade has been one of resting on their laurels and an almost complete lack of business innovation.

    However, as I've said before upthread, The Chairman has now had more than ample time (nearly 2 years) to write down his great vision, turn it into a detailed business recovery plan, and consult with the staff, volunteers, charities and local communities - without whom delivery of any plan will be impossible. We should have been well into the implementation of that recovery plan by now. Furthermore, with so much work to do, he should have built around him a strong and talented team to do that, full of diversity and flair. It would be impossible for one individual to turn around the WSR single-handedly. But instead we have had one of the smallest PLC boardrooms in living memory, up until some additions just recently. And as has been observed, most of the previous management team, the vast majority of whom had only been in post for less than 2 years, were either made redundant, sacked or resigned in the early months of The Chairman's reign. Now this may well have been entirely justified on the basis of reducing the headcount to save the business. But what has filled the vacuum? Where is the vast army of volunteers flooding in to fill the now-vacated management and board-level leadership posts, as the GWSR (for example) do so well? Where was the recruitment campaign?.....

    Sadly, much of what has happened in the last 2 years has been the complete opposite of what should have happened, and what a lot of people probably expected to happen. The Chairman has shown himself to be a poor leader, completely lacking in innovative flair (compare him to other railway chairpersons and GMs e.g. Paul Lewin at the FR or Chris Price at the NYMR), and inconsistent in his approach. This would be bad enough, were it not for his tendency towards self-destructive, vindictive and untrustworthy behaviour, reacting badly to any sort of criticism or even mildly helpful suggestions, expelling anybody who doesn't toe the line, even lashing out against the line's most important potential funder (HPC), the local MP, and a primary school! Talk about biting the hand that feeds. His business practices outside of the WSR have also been demonstrably suspicious at times, witness the recent incident with the 'stolen' trailer, not to mention the 20 directorships and the issue with the bus regulator. And there are several other areas of concern which I dare not even write on this forum for fear that our Moderators might start receiving legal threats!

    I expect this post will soon be removed as being overly personal and against the forum rules. But as somebody else said earlier, it is hard to separate the apparently downward trajectory of the WSR at the moment without bringing in the personalities (or one personality) involved. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that The Chairman is way, way out of his depth.

    Addendum: thanks to the mods for reinstating this post with some minor alterations :)
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2020
  2. Downline

    Downline New Member

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    Aswell as them two items, you need to add to the list;

    1. Suitably qualified people who are trained in spraying of weeds
    2. The necessary PPE

    Whilst it may be a much slower process, pulling weeds by hand doesn't require the training and qualifications needed for spraying weeds in a commercial environment
     
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  3. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    Most other railways, use mechanised weed killing but that costs money, and needs the PW staff and operations staff to carry it out, but then, they haven't just told their paid staff, you might be made redundant ,
     
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  4. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Pulling weeds by hand over a distance of 20 plus miles will take some doing. Who is going to do it? I know there a many volunteers on the WSR but weed pulling is backbreaking work. Maybe it will be completed by the 2022 season. ;)
     
  5. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    So many different pieces of evidence to show that the plc Board would have difficulty organising a party in a brewery.
     
  6. jma1009

    jma1009 Well-Known Member

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    "You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!"

    (To the WSR PLC board; with a bit of emphasis to a few who we cannot name apparently on here, and cannot organise a decent 'village fete', nor run a preserved steam railway passenger service)
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2020
  7. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    From the news items I've co-edited for SVR Newsletters they were quite open, at lockdown six panels of track to relay to reconnect Bewdley and Kidderminster plus welding, ballasting and signalling (to include the new turnout at Foley Park). A weedkilling train was run either side of the breach during lockdown using paid staff. As you say there was a programme of work drawn up with plans to bring staff back off furlough and volunteers back from lockdown, with time planned to do the work before test runs/reopening. Plans also involved moving stock across the relaid gap to allow maintenance at Kidderminster (stock was north of the gap) to allow reforming of coaches into the three rakes of compartment stock. Additional track relaying is now also taking place between the Foley Park ground frame and Stourport Road bridge. This is apart from other paid and volunteer work on locomotives, stations, PWay, S&T, pubs opening etc and work on the landslips.

    Just wondering out loud, those plans cost - the SVR's cash position involves the £750k appeal, £1.5m overdraft and £1.5m CBILS loan which will need paying back. I seem to remember the WSR eschewing borrowing and the future repayments that it would require. A different approach by different railways to different circumstances.

    Patrick
     
  8. Forestpines

    Forestpines Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for filling in my vague memory with facts, Patrick! I think the key issue with the signalling was that the signalling cable carrying the block circuits and track circuiting wires had to be relayed in much the same way as the track - the new equipment at Foley Park isn't quite so urgent.

    As for CBILS I think that - in general - it seems to be a good scheme with pretty low rates and flexible terms; however I can understand the point of view of not wanting to get further into debt.
     
  9. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    Is it confirmed that staff are being asked to sign new contracts?
    I know things are "different" in Somerset, but is that legal? I'm not a lawyer, but I wouldn't have thought so, otherwise you could threaten your staff with redundancy anytime you fancied cutting the wages bill.

    Keith
     
  10. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    My response to Councillor Rigby, a few personal details removed

    Dear Councillor Rigby,

    I understand that you are seeking views on the restructuring on the West Somerset Railway.

    May I comment on the matter?

    I am a 'Railway Enthusiast' and WSR Annual Pass holder, however I am not a member of any of the WSR organisations, I do not have any 'management' experience or much experience in railway operations.

    I dont know what your experience of heritage railways is, but might I suggest a visit to some of the lines within a days journey of your home? The Severn Valley Railway, at 16 miles long is probably the closest comparator to the WSR in terms of length, The Bluebell Railway is the UK's first Standard Gauge preserved railway and has an excellent collection of vintage locomotives and rolling stock, and The Swanage Railway runs to the seaside and has recently extended to Wareham.

    Because its close I visit the WSR regularly, but there is little doubt that the line is 'Tired' I visited it last year with my wife who also came to The North Norfolk Railway with me, and her comment was that the WSR is run down and neglected compared with the North Norfolk Railway where Stations, Coaches and Catering were all to a high standard.

    The WSR's fundamental problem is that it is trying to run the railway based on its trading income which simply isnt enough to maintain the infrastructure, hence the financial crisis of 2018. There is no doubt that the PLC board had been aware of this for some time but for whatever reason the issue has not been addressed.

    By comparison I have been a member of The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society since about 1977, during that time the Society has raised money both by public appeals and grant funding to reboiler the larger of its two paddle steamers, Waverley no less than three times, put the ship through a complete rebuild in 2000, and contribute towards its maintenance, resulting in a vessel that is massively improved both mechanically and in terms of its passenger accommodation from when it entered preservation. This didnt just 'happen', the Society had to change from an unincorporated organisation to a charity and gear itself up to raise funds to support its two ships.

    I am a member if the Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust at Midsomer Norton, an organisation that is actively looking for projects that can attract external funding, and growing as a result.

    The petition which has just been submitted to the three organisations associated with the WSR deals with most of the other issues I wish to raise, the details are here. Clearly the existence of the petition must be a measure of the concern felt by many for the future of the WSR.

    Sign the Petition




    [​IMG]
    Sign the Petition
    Open Letter to the West Somerset Railway PLC, WSRA and WSSRT


    The other issue that I must raise with you is the behaviour of the PLC board, in particular The Chairman.

    The announcement that Notice to Quit had been served on the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust (S&DRT) at Washford described them as 'Cuckoos in the nest', a copy of the statement is on the PLC website here

    Board Statement

    Board Statement
    Board Statement


    There have been various statements about the PLC's inability to fund the overhaul of the S&DRT's locomotive 53808.

    The statements might best be described as 'Bringing the Railway into Disrepute' and damage the railways reputation both with passengers and more importantly its creditors. It has also adversely affected the WSR's ability to raise funds in these difficult times.

    In addition to this there is the risk that the S&DRT may seek to defend the Notice to Quit which would drag the PLC into Legal Action and/or end the hire agreement for 53808 and seek a payment to cover the overhaul costs, this may threaten the PLC with bankruptcy.

    Given this and other issues such as the issues his other business's have had with The Traffic Commissioner, for example TC revokes Crosville's O-Licence - routeone news

    TC revokes Crosville's O-Licence - routeone news
    The 24-vehicle international licence held by Crosville Motor Services has been revoked by Traffic Commissioner (...


    ****** Two lines removed as they may not comply with NP Guidelines ********************

    Yours Sincerely
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 8, 2020
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  11. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    Well said. The present Board's behaviour deserves scrutiny by SCC - the Notice to Quit to boot out the S&DRT and the anticipatory breach of contract with regard to repairs to 53808 at the end of the hire, coupled with a poor record on other locos which were hired out on repairing deals, are giving the Railway a poor image and quite possibly threatening its very survival.
     
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  12. malcolm imps

    malcolm imps New Member

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    Those figures were changed a bit by JMA ? from my 4 weeks ish info to a longer time it seems ??
     
  13. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    reflecting over night as you do I thought a summary may be in order

    on a plus point
    apparently rescued the railway from the brink of insolvency
    considerable amount of work done to implement ORR recommendations
    returned 9351 to traffic

    on the negative side
    seeking to remove long standing associated trust describing them as a cuckoo in the nest
    announced that overhaul agreement on a locomotive cannot be afforded
    terminated agreements on two other engines
    Engaged in public arguments with MP's , educational establishments played out in local press
    Support charity forced to declare major charitable incident as a result of an "accounting technicality"
    placed staff on notice of redundancy
    Railway GM left , infrastructure manager left
    entered lockdown with at least one section of track needing considerable work to allow railway to restart. Is the railway giving confidence there is a plan to complete this work ? Briefing on 4th June indicated consideration being given to reopening . no mention of fundamental impediment to so doing
    emergency fundraising results does not compare favourably with peer lines
    Volunteers create open letter calling for change
    Nat Pres thread now up to over 1300 pages
    FOI request reveals further approach to acquire the freehold


    A review of this thread will add further more individual items to the list

    in view of the above do people conclude that the board and current management are on the right track or is it time for fundamental and wholesale change (beyond the implementation of the bailey report with the current incumbents)
     
  14. malcolm imps

    malcolm imps New Member

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    Maybe because there was no funding budget money, to help the small company gang continue forward in difficult times, with some contractors help....before we were all locked down & kept away.....
     
  15. RichardBrum

    RichardBrum Member

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    Off-the-shelf weedkiller, as in the stuff sold in major diy centres etc, does not require any training, & the only PPE that could be useful is some decent gloves & maybe goggles.
    The stuff freely available to the public will even kill brambles.
     
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  16. Snifter

    Snifter Well-Known Member

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    To be totally correct, it ended up as a joint effort with the WSRA.

    A few other items need to be added

    Chairman appoints a PA. The first one ever IIRC.
    Chairman's father appointed to a senior post (again, a first).
    4110 departs the railway despite an amazing fund raising effort by volunteers and staff.
    Chairman of the WSRA told to Foxtrot Oscar.
    HR function outsourced to an external party.
    Bean counting similarly outsourced.
    Entire asset inventory put in hock to a bank.
    All woes blamed on troublemakers.
     
  17. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    Does the work require money for materials or is it related to labour and therefore could possibly be done with volunteers?

    The Chairman says the WSR made £300k profit last year - a budget for PW reinstatement should not be a problem....

    Keith
     
  18. granmaree

    granmaree Member

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    It is when the first call on the cash is a solicitor and the second is the bank
     
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  19. Andy Norman

    Andy Norman Member

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    There are some further things (also in addition to @Snifters reply to you) which can't currently be spoken of for various reasons to be added to the list. Some people have used the word 'bizarre' a number of times to me very recently, no-doubt some things will play out over the coming weeks.

    Still it was announced here that the WSRA Board met yesterday and given they have knowledge of some further things they must surely have to think in the same vein as you do and perhaps they need to consider calling a vote of no confidence, or ask their members what they think rather than just decide within the WSRA Board, or ask their members to consider the Petition/Open Letter as they didn't relay it to any of their Members to have an opinion on, or of course they could just continue to go along with things with some nice words.

    Sadly I think an important chapter in WSR history is being written here and now and we all (I include myself) will be judged on our actions taken now in the future.

    I think you are right to have summarised: Continue on the current path or make some changes (and as you rightly say, we are not just talking about the Bailey Report).
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2020
  20. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    The WSR's weedkilling train sprayed Blue Anchor to Bishops Lydeard in the early morning of 7 August 2015. Powered by by the RRV, two flat trailers carry the spraying equipment and suitably protected staff. Seen here approaching Roebuck Gate Crossing.
    © Martin Southwood
    This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. Any re-use of the above image must conform to the requirements of the Creative Commons Licence.

    Visit wsr.org.uk for all the latest pictures

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    An early start for a land rover converted to road-rail use for weedkilling as it leaves Minehead at 6.40am on 14 July 2017. The photographer was acting as travelling signlaman.
    © Robin White
    This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. Any re-use of the above image must conform to the requirements of the Creative Commons Licence.

    Visit wsr.org.uk for all the latest pictures

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    The view from Class 03 no D2133 of the weedkilling train in action on 24 April 2014.
    © Robin Fisher
    This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. Any re-use of the above image must conform to the requirements of the Creative Commons Licence.

    Visit wsr.org.uk for all the latest pictures

    [​IMG]
     
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