West Somerset Railway General Discussion

It's almost as if the PLC, or some people who hold positions on it, actually are trying to make the railway fail, It of course might be down to their total ineptness,

 

Don't tell them how to do it, Pike !

 

Now let's see, a secretive approach to SCC to enquire about the freehold, removing a sitting tenant from non operational land, ejecting anyone who seems capable of joining the dots, personally controlling many of the social media channels, repeated complaints about the channels not under control, appointing a mix of useful idiots, family members or existing business associates, kicking any incompatible proposals into the long grass etc. etc.

I'm sure it's all a coincidence.

 

A little gentle late night maths.

£1M raised at £13,725 a month, takes just over 6 years.

But appeals tend to fall off with time. So assume £13,725 per month at the start of the appeal and zero at the end, the above figues are wrong by a factor of 2.

So 12 years

But to cover the shortfall, by borrowing at 5% adds another 2 years, so 14 years to raise the first year's funds.

Hmm.

 

Interesting, and were I to live in Minehead I'd quite possibly sympathise with that opinion. But other than Minehead, are there any other large centres of population which a Minehead Branch regrafted on to the national network would serve to help make it financially viable? A quick google search suggests of the stations only Watchet and Williton are of any real size

 

The difference is that this year, everyone knows that Seaward Way crossing is hors de combat. Last year, by not running, the pretence could be maintained that it wasn't a problem and thus could be ignored using the well-known principle of a problem ignored is a problem solved.

 

Whilst no-one could predict actual numbers, the general direction of travel of any appeal, as well as an obvious need to raise huge amounts of money year on year through appeals should have been patently obvious to the plc board, even well before the time they shunned the only realistic option of survival; a reorganisation.

To me there is no rational explanation for the boards current strategy if one assumes that their aim is the continued existence of the railway.

To me, insult was added to injury by the board's inability to offer even a semblance of a reason not to proceed towards a new structure. It appears to me that they treated the whole thing with sush disdain that they couldn't even offer the basic courtesy of a reasoned response to @Lineisclear given his (much appreciated) postings here which are noncommittal on the matter. Was it too expensive? No justification given for the ridiculous figure plucked from the air to make the change. Was it voted down? How the vote was made and the count reckoned is still unclear.

The only thing the board appears to excel at is alienating any and all who might be in a position to help.

All taken together, I find it extremely hard to find any way to reconcile the current strategy with the continued existence of the line.

I imagine many behind the scenes must be tearing their hair out, but are feeling unable to say so, whilst watching the train which is the WSR careering towards the bufferstops of bankruptcy at an ever increasing pace.

 

The Quantock Belle is out of action, possibly to be sold?
Why has a new company been created called Quantock Heritage with the Chairman as sole director?
Why was a company called JJP Rail Services formed in November 2020 with the two directors being the Chairman and Mr Castledene?

 

In comparison, back in February, the Bala Lake Railway Trust ran a campaign to raise £50,000 to fund the first phase of their extension. They had a month to do it. Through a well-publicised, well-orchestrated campaign, they managed to raise £71,000. For reference:

https://www.balalakerailwaytrust.org.uk/news.html

Scroll down to the article from 1st March. And yes, I put my hand in my pocket for that appeal.

 

Again, this concentrates entirely on the economics of running trains, and certainly, whatever the circumstances, there is less financial risk in not running trains.
However, by completely failing to run trains in 2020, the PLC has pretty much convinced us all that they are a bunch of bungling fatwits who couldn't run a bath. Then they come to us expecting us to bail them out of the hole they have put themselves in.
Plucky little Corris Railway. 50 years dead, but they managed to run a lot more trains than the WSR last year, and roll out good news of maintenance and progress virtually every week. They haven't got a thermometer, but I bet the %age of donations to target is much higher in Machynlleth than Minehead's 1.4%

 

A drop in a bucket

 

It is interesting to turn back to the very first page of this thread, written in 2007. You find comments such as "The WSR really is going from strength to strength" and "wonder how the WSR manages to generate the cash to fund all these projects". The WSR was at that time coming to the end of 20-25 years of sustained progress, rising from a ramshackle affair in the 1980s to sit in the heritage railway premier league - a position from which it has now been relegated. Like every other heritage railway, the WSR has been hit by rising costs, a national economic downturn and the pandemic. But there is no doubt that problems at the WSR have been worsened by the actions of its leaders.

You emphasize the need for a heritage railway to obtain adequate "discretionary income in the form of grants, donations, bequests etc". In order to maximize that discretionary income, the railway will need to cultivate a good image with potential donors. I think we have to say that the WSR could do better in that respect. Although a charity cannot directly pay the plc's day-to-day operating costs, it can fund projects such as track relays and vehicle overhauls. The WSRA does have some ring-fenced funds for these purposes.

With large sums being needed, fund-raising needs to be tax-efficient, which means channeling donations through an associated charity. Your proposed restructuring of the WSR, creating an over-arching charity, would have created a structure that facilitated that objective, although there was also a need for leaders who could re-create a favourable image for the WSR.

In the meantime, many in the WSR supporter and wider enthusiast communities will be in a quandary, loving the railway but being appalled by some of the things that have happened there. If the railway goes insolvent, it is likely to be much harder than in the case of Llangollen to re-start, whether any rescue is commercial or enthusiast-led. I can envisage the WSRA and DEPG re-starting a service with a diesel and a couple of coaches between Bishops Lydeard and Norton Fitzwarren - but not over the 20-mile route that we have known.

 

I suppose that part of the £1million appeal might perhaps go towards legal costs over the SDR 'Notice to Quit', and then preventing the SDRT selling for scrap the very good shed accommodation at Washford and the track?

And at the behest of the WSR PLC auditors a whole host of measures to correct matters arising from the most extraordinary accountancy slight of hand with short term accounts via an EGM etc.

Otherwise the Auditors have no doubt given certain warnings in advance, as they have done previously.

The WSR is not a going concern. It is not going to Minehead.

It has significant potential liabilities over matters relating to the SDRT of it's own making.

The Chairman's father allegedly delayed the Seaward Way crossing project significantly at a crucial time, and subsequently (though not I see as a causal link) the Chairman's vintage buses allegedly are due to take advantage of the hiatus.

Then we are told to donate or else.

 

With no evidence at all, I would guess that the railway (or bodies on it, particularly the charity(s)) are approaching grant making bodies to contribute to the appeal. If so, not all the £1m appeal total would be expected to come from donations.

Patrick

 

Absolutely. I was involved in one appeal, and about half the amount raised came in grant income, which was confirmed quite late.

However, the imagery here is appalling, giving no impression whatsoever of success.

 

A very quick and simple google search will answer that question

 

I've just scrolled through this thread and 90% of the posts are from the same small group of people, all backing up each others' previous posts. With such a repetitive and critical series of posts, others may find it difficult or pointless to add their own views.

 

Take a look at the comments on this Facebook post the WSR posted sharing the ITV news story. Not just a few people. 59 comments. Just one with a simple "Oh no, I hope you pull through" sentiment. The rest no doubt think this as well, but voice their criticism of the way the railway is being run, with a couple of names attempting to defend the record, I'm afraid not very convincingly.