West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Let's have a go at putting this latest round of jumping to conclusions and WIBBLE to bed.
If you look closely at the picture, you will see that there are sidings and a signal post in the background.
Could it be that this is the temporary crossing being used to move railway vehicles away from an adjoining site?
On which basis, There would be a member of staff in attendance!
I most certainly can see why the camera at Seaward way crossing has been switched off.

 

Read what I wrote. If gates are locked so that ONLY the AU uses it....I made no mention of tradesmen or personal visitors use the crossing.
I don't know the crossing so I cant make a professional judgement

 

I am not aware that there is any 'temporary' crossing being used for that purpose - if there is, how would it access the main road given that the only gap between the station and the Washford Inn is already occupied by the existing crossing? Given the location of the photograph, this would appear to be a new sign at the existing crossing.

 

I think what you meant to say Al was "give it a while and they'll be an angry mob demanding answers to why the HRA have not enforced upon the WSR strict compliance with the contents of a guidance note on user-worked level crossings" whipped up on the basis of one photo ...

Tom

 

followed by an irate self-righteous gang apoplectic at the criticism of the HRA, authorities and railways, criticising the critics for being critical and demanding silence...

At least things have moved on from crossing gate gate to crossing gate sign gate. The fun never stops in Somerset.

I did note with some irony that the webcam at Broadway has been repositioned to show work being done, there were even some people visible in shot doing some work...

 

Closure for one may be possible but might take a while.

 

There was one a few pages back. Do pay attention!

 

It was a reasonable question asked politely. I will ask again, what untried alternatives do you suggest? Copy and paste works fine.

 

There was a HRA adjudication on the Ex6's treatment of the members it expelled.

The only real enforcement was that the PLC withdrew the ID cards of the Ex6 after they did not comply with the adjudicators decision.

 

One other point on this subject.
Just been looking at the photos of the resleepering going on replacing worn out concrete sleepers with new timber.
Can any one confirm that the chair screws are marked SC?
If yes then how many of these screws were broken?
They are prone to snapping just below the bottom of the chair due to side loading on curved track.
Straight track is ok but not curved, but if possible they should be relegated to siding use only or got rid of totally.
We had to replace about 1/4 of a miles worth of these on a curve back in the 80's not long after we had relaid it.

 

What was suggested was that the WSRA, although it could be any organisation, puts out an appeal for shares from existing shareholders, in order to build up a shareholding that could balance out those shares that the existing directors can rely on to vote how they want them to vote.
Alternatively, given that there appear to be quite a few people who want to see the WSR survive, but are inhibited from donating because of the reputation that the Plc have, both in its past dealings and with its past expenditure, the setting up of an independent fund to bail out the WSR if and when the crash comes.

 

Thank you. Although, both might be seen as a declaration of war by the PLC and you could have a re-run of WSSRT 10 affair - rival groups, press recriminations etc. I suspect an independent fund would only be possible after any crash. I could imagine the PLC constructing a narrative of 'vultures circling/wanting to see the WSR fail'. I would imagine that any organisers would have their ID cards withdrawn by the PLC.

 

Yes, all of that. However, if the storm clouds gather, as I suspect they will, people will see such bluster for what it is. In any case, it is public knowledge that the company is now heavily indebted and therefore a public appeal could be ostensibly to collect money for the repayment of these debts, something that will have to be done anyway, sooner or later . As to the withdrawal of ID cards, that simply rules out the public participation of those who hold them, unless they are proof against such tactics.

 

Is the chair of the WSRA an active volunteer though, ? so if they were not, or stood down from volunteering, then it would not make any difference, what the PLC did, it would if anything, only harden the resolve to extract justice on the board members of the PLC, it would be an outright declaration of war anyway, The hot heads on the PLC board would want to evict the WSRA from the railway in such a scenario anyway, It certainly would bring matters to a head, which is IMHO what needs to happen, a way has to be found to have a clean sweep not of just the PLC organisation, but of those people who stand in the way of progress and an solution to an age old problem, those people who support the PLC, need only to look across at the S&DJRT site once the site is emptied, and last bit of track lifted, and then consider this, are we backing the wrong horse?

 

A "clean sweep"?. That gives me an idea.

Maybe the railway should have a general election every, say, 4 years, and vote in a whole group of new board members who then appoint their own heads of department etc.

Campaigning on the core issues (eg CCTV, crossing signage, strength of the tea in the mess room) would only be allowed for the 2 weeks prior to the election.

 

By definition, if he is chair of the WSRA then he is an active volunteer.
Can you have inactive volunteers?
If you mean, does he actively volunteer out and about on the railway, then yes, he is a regular on the footplate and has been for many years.
Ian Coleby

 

The point i was trying to make was, lets assume the WSRA does launch an attempt to gather the small shareholders to donate their shares, to them, in an attempt to gain a majority shareholding, over the other groupings, , The PLC/ WSRSHT would see that as an declaration of intent to unseat both organisations from their power, and might will try to remove the ID cards of senior members of the WSRA as an act of revenge, and try to throw the WSRA off the railway, because if the WSRA were to ever gain that majority shareholding, its the end for some peoples power games, and playing one supporters group against the other.

 

But not necessarily a Plc volunteer. It would be unusual certainly, but nothing technically stopping that from happening.