West Somerset Railway General Discussion

A loaded question no doubt!

The issue for me is the logistics of getting people on and off a bus. You are just adding a risk of delay into the itinerary.

Some years ago I was involved in a service in connection with a charter at the Bluebell. As was our normal practice, the charter terminated at Kingscote and the passengers moved to a waiting Bluebell service to continue the journey; reverse process for the outgoing train. I think we allowed twenty minutes to move the passengers, and that was just a platform to platform exchange with everyone within the confines of one station; and no social distancing etc. Getting a fleet of buses down to Dunster station and getting perhaps 400 people on and off is an issue of logistics not to be underestimated, and in the return direction, done against a ticking clock of needing to get back to the Network Rail boundary twenty miles away on time.

Tom

 

Might it be better if the tour instead of going to BL instead went to Bristol, and gave passengers chance to look round Bristol instead and any tours only venture onto the WSR, once the full line is open to passenger traffic.?

 

Did you spot the note right at the beginning of the video? It was taken on 06th May, so just under a month ago. Work in preparation for the new crossing could have taken place during may which means it is now not operational?

 

Social distancing? After June 21st?

That is always going to be an issue, unless the passengers are confined to the train. Yes, it is slow to detrain all the passengers, but, whilst they are detraining, they are also embussing, so that the combined operation is not much longer than the single operation, which must have been allowed for already. Ditto in reverse.

 

Paignton is nice this time of year as is Swanage.

Bath is more tourist attractive than Bristol.

Nice revenue stream for the bus companies of Minehead.

 

It did occur to me that, once it was public knowledge that the crossing that was supposed to be broken was working again, it might have been FUBARed to get it back to its "official" state.

 

Its a squeeze getting a 40 seater coach to turn around at DR for the regular Dunster Castle express.
A fleet of coaches? I doubt it. Plus the narrow lane would mean one in, load, out then repeat.

 

I suspect the bus option being looked at is from Bishop's Lydeard. Is is just over half an hour to Minehead. Based on outline timings the charter arrives at 13:00 and departs 19:05 so sufficient time.

 

Makes more sense than Dunster, for sure.

Tom

 

No guarantee on it being lifted on 21st June.

 

Yes that is the implication of what I was told

 

So - you go all the way to a heritage railway, but then only travel on the first few miles and have 'bustitution' the rest of the way? Where's the appeal ?

 

A lot of people will be going for the destination.

 

I hope it is vintage buses/ coaches.
Many years ago I did a trip to Cranmore behind 5029, with vintage buses taking us to Wells.

 

Well not really, if the object of the exercise is to be steam-hauled over the WSR. Williton would be a better bet, at least it's on the A39 and only 17 mins from Minehead. The train could still go to Minehead for servicing where it won't be getting in the way, as it would at BL, but only if the crossing has not now been dismantled.

 

Agreed. I hope RTC find a new destination and Kingswear would be good