West Somerset Railway General Discussion

The .org site is successful despite it being fed with only what the plc decides to feed it and the plc site does not even have an up to date list of Directors www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/corporate-information

It is such a shame that they do not trust Steve to run both sites, if only!!

 

It isn't a surplus, really, of any description - it was only achieved by cancelling necessary investment in future motive power provision!

 

I suggest you go back and re-read it.

 

There was the bank involvement when much of the assets had a charge against them and also the mortgage on a property, so maybe that where some of the money came from?

 

Regarding communications I think this is somewhere the WSR falls down on certainly on some social media platforms.
I don't do Facebook but just looking on Instagram the latest post is from December last year, yet there's other railways that I follow that have used Insta to remind people every 24/48 hours that they're still around.
5/6 that stick out for me (that I follow)are the North Norfolk, Tallylyn, East Lancs A1/P2 trust and NYMR.
The marketing people involving these lines and groups seem to get social media , remind people that there still there and give a gentle nudge about opening wallets and bank accounts.
Is there a marketing/social media officer at Minehead?

 

I do not have anything other than a laptop and when I went to the RSS I was greeted by gobbledegook!

 

He certainly said nothing which required an apology.

 

I may be wrong, but I've a feeling Steve's site actually predates any other WSR online presence, along with most other railways' websites, dating to the late '90s?

 

No, my great chum and WSR legend Hein Burger got there a year or so before me with the first WSR website (1996 or 1997?)

Steve

 

Ah, well it was 2 or 3 years before I was born, so hopefully I can be forgiven! but before any "official" website yes?

 

For a browser, I think you need a RSS plugin/extension - free ones are available, easy to install. I should have mentioned that, sorry.

Steve

 

Accounting not your strong point, Greenway ?
I don't have access to the accounts but a bank overdraft, if this is what you are referring to, would show as a liability against the company and not an asset. It is also standard practice for a bank to take a general lien over the assets of a company where there is no specific item large enough to cover the borrowing / limit on its own. Taking the simplest example : a company borrows a sum "A" from a lender and puts the money into its current account. If no other transaction took place the company's books at the end of year would show an asset of "A" (the cash in the account) offset by a liability of the same amount (the debt to the lender). Net result - a nil balance. i.e. no surplus.

 

You suggesting Creative Accounting?

 

If the plc become sensible there will no reason to resort to the legal route which could go against them

These issues must be resolved by polite discussion or we are Doomed anyway!

 

Agreed.
It really is surprising that so many organisations fail to allow for the cost of replacement and/or repair of major assets in their accounts. Most engineers, of whatever persuasion, are only too conscious of the need to carry out proper maintenance and replacement on a regular basis, being aware of the dangers and costs of not doing so.Where a company is dominated by non-engineers there may be some excuse for undervaluing this requirement (although it does suggest pretty poor management) but there can be no excuse for a railway company operated largely by people with a background in engineering, even if that background is sometimes only in an amateur capacity.
As far as I can gather, in this case, it seems that little or no provision has been made over a period of many years, and previous Boards must accept their share of blame for the current situation, it is not all the fault of the current Board. That said, there needs to be an honest opening of the books with the potential and committed costs laid out, prospective budgets presented, and some indication of the possible fund-raising required to meet these needs. It is pleasing to note that some action is now developing on the fund-raising front but, without clear targets or a real understanding of what needs to be done, there is still a lack of focus.

 

If the PLC do not support Steve's site, and I have never seen a hyperlink to it from their site (so I guess not) why is the truth something to apologise for?

 

I'm suggesting creative description, I'm sure they were probably technically correct.

 

In the last edition of the official West Somerset Railway Newsletter, it stated:
And, of course, everyone is recommended to keep a close eye on Steve Edge’s “unofficial” WSR site at www.wsr.org.uk There is a regular flow of all sorts of information and the best, most up to date flow of pictures you are likely to find anywhere.
and it will say the same in the next issue, due out this coming week. Steve has been a fantastic supporter of the West Somerset since the very earliest days and in several roles.

Steve's site has, however, always been independent. We think it is one of the best, if not the best, websites associated with a particular heritage railway. He is however entirely free to say what he wishes and to post whatever material he thinks fit. It has a different purpose from the main West Somerset Railway site. This arrangement works well for all of us.

Frank Courtney

 

Several pages back, but only a few hours ago

Some things that are blindingly obvious to us on here, and should be blindingly obvious to anyone with a few brain cells to rub together, seem to escape certain persons (who shall of course be nameless).