West Somerset Railway General Discussion

If you are looking for a response that offers some concrete, plausible suggestions rather than unthinking dogma I think you will be disappointed.

 

Just about all of them are, including the WSR.

 

This is exactly the problem identified by the Board before Covid struck. Too many trains running half empty.

Their solution, which we will undoubtedly see when we can return to regular operations, will be a very different
timetable and greater use of non-steam traction.

 

What are your suggestions for increasing income and reducing costs?

 

Paul and Alex:
I have amended my earlier post re contrition post, it now reads contribution.
It hard typing with my left hand, being right handed, due to illness.

 

I am not ''rushing'' about anything but I don't think we are too far apart. Various comments about the Dartmouth line only make me hope they are not inspired by envy of its evident success. Whether a ''basic'' railway would be of use to the local population I just don't know and clearly it would need an increased top speed to compete plus an ongoing subsidy from ''somebody''.

 

None, I didn't presume to offer the advice that they should cut costs, but since you ask, I have previously pointed out that their passenger figures have declined by around 50,000/yr in the years before Covid, if their own figures are to be believed. Reversing that trend would put them in a far better position but they need to work out exactly why it has happened. Then, as Tom has suggested, improving the timetable to reduce waste would be the next step. I see these measures as helping to preserve the line, rather than your vision of shortening it, which can hardly be described as preservation.

 

I am sorry to read that and hope you get better.

In the 80s there was often one steam engine and it would only do one Minehead - BL turn a day, the rest of the time it used to run Minehead- Williton(?) and the rest of the services were the Park Royals.

I wonder if there is not mileage in returning to that kind of timetable.

Interestingly, in the mid 80s, on the Ffestiniog, to save costs they did two things, increased use of diesels (Upnor, Conway, then Criccieth Castle), the push-pull, but also the automated loops removing the need for signallers (I am probably using the wrong terminology to talk about them). Dduallt loop was removed to save money and maintenance. Diesels only needed a driver and in terms of paid staff more were qualified This coincided with a clock face timetable meaning long layer overs at Porthmadog but reducing the number of locos in use by removing the need to change locos.

This model was very rigid, it made planning and operation very easy but very inflexible ie what do you do if you have an issue with a late running service between TyB and BF, what about connections on the Conway Valley line etc etc. But it has worked well for the last 35 or so years. (Although I do miss the thrill of trains passing on the spiral).

What is interesting is that covid has made the FR move the other way to move flexible operation, as well as over the years other changes - I believe it no longer uses diesels on passenger trains, RG has been reactivated as a loop and TyG had its loop restored (even if the signalling issue of it and BF is a sore point).

So I think there are lessons that could be drawn about potential savings, but also potential operational issues and volunteer issue ie the Deviants who built the loop at Dduallt were pretty annoyed about it being removed if my memory isn't playing tricks.

If the WSR for example decided to remove a loop to reduce costs etc etc, it may annoy some volunteers so getting buy in is important. I do remember that the Ffestiniog had a number of articles in the society magazine to explain the rationale but even then there was a fair backlash against it.

I am pretty sure NYMR was pretty much one steam engine in steam midweek in the mid eighties as another example. I recall one week where I think all I saw was Helen Turner and George Stephenson and that would have been in August.

 

The answer, I suspect, is that there is no "silver bullet", cost savings will have to be made the difficult way, with many a mickle saving making a muckle, ditto increasing revenue. Of course there are some areas it would be beneficial to look at first, like the timetable and the use of consultants, but that's not going to make the difference it needs to make.

 

Sorry text error. The line has got rid of any heritage, if they had got rid of Kingswear station that would have put the final nail in the coffin of Heritage. The line is run for holiday makers, and has paid staff, so any heritage semaphores at Goodrington, Chruston & Kingwear would put the costs up having to commission 3 mechanical boxes.
This for me is missing and prefer the South Devon Railway at Buckfastleigh which if the Dart Valley Railway had its way would have closed, if it was not for its volunteers.
A line can be cheap to run but loses its heritage or keep its heritage and run on volunteers, you cannot have both.
Same as the WSR get rid of its heritage and the volunteers will walk. Yes you could make stations unmanned, have radio token block and close 4 signal boxes, but what would be the point. The WSR is a heritage railway not a commuter Railway. It can not be both.

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Yepp

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I think that you have not picked up that I was not advocating a Dartmouth solution. Merely it was a hope that their success has not prompted various sniffy remarks about their not being ''heritage''.

Things will be much changed after Covid. Prebooking, encouraged by discounts seems likely to alter journey patterns as one example.

 

Anyone who remembers steam on British Railways is now in their late fifties at least. Any sixty or seventy year old rolling stock is going to be exciting to today's children, it doesn't have to be steam. What percentage of passengers on the WSR are parents looking for something to do to keep their kids amused (apart from their everlasting staring into screens)?

 

Re-working timetables is one thing, lets say for example its decided to reduce BL to 2 trains a day, one to minehead at say 10.00 returning at 18.00 with maybe an DMU at say 1200, Only as far as Watchet, and return , So, a family turns up at BL, wanting to catch the train, find theres no service, will they get back in their car, drive to Minehead, or go elsewhere? the problem as ever is down to the sheer length of line, either you run less frequently, and lose even more custom , but save on operating costs, or you only run when you can gain the maximum amount of passengers, by running only as far as a suitable end destination, such as Watchet, i would say its a lose lose situation,

 

You are largely correct but let me quote something overheard quite recently. Young mother to small son ''Look, that's a real old carriage door.'' She would not have known it was Ashford 1911 but she could appreciate it.

 

Funnily enough I heard *exactly* the same thing today at the GWSR Paul. Mk1s of course.

 

You will not get a higher line speed unless Network Rail take it over.
The light railway order states A maximum speed of 25 mph end to end.


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It will be an antique some day.