West Somerset Railway General Discussion

I feel it's worth pointing out that anyone with a Facebook account can create and run their own Facebook group. Should you wish to start a "West Somerset Railway Unofficial and Uncensored" group, there's nothing stopping you

 

If it is a form of censorship then that could mean the leaving of more volunteers. We already read about a volunteer who had a very responsible and necessary job on the line being called out and deciding to quit.

 

The trouble with censoring a Facebook page, is that it’s very easy for anyone who is being censored to simply set up a new Facebook group to express their views.

 

I don't see it as a 'trouble' . probably a necessity to set up another group. But then they are welcome here on NP.

 

Perhaps more important is - don't those people have a railway to run? If true, it seems a strange prioritisation of scarce resources (including paid resources) to be moderating what is in essence an unaffiliated chat group. What you really want for that sort of role is three or four trusted, volunteer, old hands - volunteers with some standing within the wider supporter community. But if the chairman and another board member is spending time moderating, one questions whether they have their priorities right.

(Quite appropriate if from time to time they wish to contribute as a means to better communication. But surely in an organisation with hundreds of volunteers and thousands of members, spreading the workload around a bit - and thereby utilising the widest possible talent base - would seem better?)

Tom

 

That's how it was when I had a failure at Canute Road in Southampton. Problem was that the nearest bluebottle was in Bournemouth, as all of Hampshire's finest were already in the Docks doing security for Princess Anne naming a cruise ship! Definitely a case of
Pat

 

I believe that anybody can stop the traffic with a red flag, as was done on the Swanage Railway at Norden before the crossing was fully operational. If the crossing fails, it's a similar arrangement with a string of pennants.
The police are needed when the crossing fails with the red lights flashing. Only a policeman in uniform can authorise a road user to pass a road signal at danger. So when you're stopped at a red traffic light with an ambulance or police car on blues and twos up your backside, you're committing an offence by passing the light to let them through unless a policeman in uniform authorises you to do so. Be warned! I know! A policeman told me!

 

thought so

 

In my post, i meant a one off movement, to enable a loco, if all the steam loco's are landlocked at Minehead, just to move to Wiliton in the event of the railway deciding that some revenue was better than none, and operating just at the other end, BL, to WN. Whilst the seaward end remains closed due to the track works.

 

They don't have a railway to run. It is closed.

 

And if the company are not careful, it won't re open, because the company won't have any money, and such will be the back log of work that it will take a further 6 months to get everyone back to standard and signed off So lets assume the railway does nothing between now and December, people will have lost their competences to operate etc, so will need to be re- examined, engines and coaches will need exams, and with the finances on a knife edge as it is, its easy to see a situation where it all runs away from those meant to be controlling it, especially if they are already out of their comfort zone . they may not be setting out to close the line for good, but that's what will happen. if people who can run a railway don't step in.

 

BUT, there is a hell of a lot going on behind the scenes still....

 

BUT....and an important 'but'.....NO policeman has the authority to instruct you to pass flashing red lights at a level-crossing WITHOUT the permission of the controlling signalman (or other railway authority). There was a long discussion about this once elsewhere and we got chapter-and-verse from HMRI on the matter

 

I believe that the DMU is trapped at Minehead, along with the steam locos and much of the carriage fleet. But the Williton web-cam shows Hymeks and 33s there. So in principle, there may be scope for a diesel service on the eastern part of the WSR route, using those diesel locos and the coaches currently at Williton and Bishops Lydeard. Such service might be just a BL-Crowcombe or BL-Norton shuttle, using a single train-set.

There would obviously be less custom for a diesel service than if a steam service was on offer, but costs would be less. Given that social distancing would demand operation at much reduced carriage capacity, there might still be enough customers for a limited train service.

Of course, even a limited diesel service would probably take a few weeks to organize, given the needs to carry out any essential track, signalling and vehicle maintenance, possibly bring back staff from furlough, arrange volunteers and update competences, etc.....

 

Unless the WSR does things differentley from the rest of the country.
My understanding of Railway possession working is:-
Any movement of trains within a possession can only be undertaken by trains / machines directly associated with that possession.

 

Where there's a will, there's a way!

But is there a will?

 

Have a look at the S & D Trust and Washford Eviction thread for something that might prove to be cheering for some WSR supporters.

 

The instructor at a Speeding Awareness Course had a different view. We were specifically told that, in this case, a motorist can (with due care etc) move out of the way of the emergency vehicle at a maximum of 8mph. This is allowed for in the minimum speed setting of any traffic light cameras.

 

Some people on here are suggesting a service at the southern end of the line only. Just who are your 'customers' if you run steam from BL to Williton and back? Hardly steam train to the seaside, is it? A lot of effort for probably negative return.
BL to Watchet might attract some day trippers but with no loop it might have to be the DMU [which is cheaper to run] but again I ask, 'Who are your customers?' [Steam is the big attraction.] And even steam BL to Blue Anchor - its not the ideal destination to attract the family man, to be fair. Long sea wall with caravans and a decent chippy.

 

It would have cost nothing to put out a passenger survey to find out if there was any interest in such a service. In the end the survey that did go out was late and pretty useless. The seaside isn't an essential requirement for dozens of other heritage railways, although it is no doubt the WSR's (almost) USP.