West Somerset Railway General Discussion

If inviting the chairman of a major shareholding organisation to combine fornication and travel is considered to be an open and accountable response, then I must agree.

 

So far as Seaward Way Crossing is concerned, we had on here from JJP's Dad a somewhat candid and detailed long post that others may wish to read again.

That is in the public domain - at least so far as posting on here.

The links to SCC minutes have been posted on here.

Others more knowledgeable than me in such matters will have to comment, but it would appear that a worked up design was approved a few years ago and SCC committed funds, so that the work could be commenced at the time. We were also not told that the problems with the crossing would prevent the WSR reopening on 21st March last year - but then Covid intervened and the lockdown.

As I see it, and happy to be corrected, Seaward Way Crossing could have been completed 2 years ago.

It might have re-balanced the decision not to run trains last Summer; and makes the decision this Summer to run a truncated service all the more difficult to understand why no trains were run last Summer.

And why the original plan was delayed that has caused no passenger trains to run into Minehead that must have presumably a great effect on this Summer's passenger loadings?

I do hope that this will be seen as an objective view.

 

Apologies, omitted the link to JJP's Dad's post I referred to.

 

Also relevant to the above, as quoted by Chris Pratt, JJP's Dad, in the above post as "Signals" on here.

 

QED perhaps?

 

Officially, you are not, but practically, you are, even if that was never your intention. You also provide that most valuable of resources, an independent view.

 

The idea that company directors have to be within walking distance of a company or charity they work for is, to be frank, utterly ridiculous and using it as a stick to beat anyone with is equally ridiculous. We live in a digital age where most organisations now use file sharing platforms, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and similar to communicate, online banking apps and more so as to not go into branches of banks, we communicate in emails, whatsapp and more, and that's just the backroom staff.

People "at the coalface" of volunteering come from all over the UK to various other parts of the UK. I know one chap who travels over 300 miles to volunteer at his favourite preserved railway. The point being that you could be anywhere in the UK volunteering for any group you wanted, so long as you and the group are happy with your arrangements with them.

Lord knows - if we only allowed people within the M25 to volunteer for or work with Clan Line, we'd be a much poorer society by far!

 

That might be true of most of the country but this remark was made in the context of the people's independent colony of Somerset -where, as we know, things are done differently, ooh arrr!

 

Is it that different?
Its 186 miles from home to dunster and 186 back home again. Never stopped me volunteering, or caused any concern to those in charge.

 

But are you are Director? (as that's what we're talking about).

 

Odd of course didn't the WSR PLC have until Nov 2020 a director who was also a director in Sussex and North Wales, and don't they currently have a director whose address is 150+ miles away?

The WSR PLC's attempts at point scoring in gif form

 

Does the former Steam Trust chairman not live in Kent or am I mistaken ?

 

So do I understand from Frank’s comments that the WSR plc think that the closer you live to the line the better qualified you are for a Directorship?

I must get my tape measure out in the morning…

 

A chalet or camping coach at BA would be even closer...

 

You don't cite the post you are referring to, but if you are referring to this Frank, then I cannot conceive of having given that impression (I am told other Franks are available.)

Frank

 

Everyone except you read the same thing into your post #40018. It looked rather petty from where I was sitting.

 

+1

 

Really? Let's run through that again:

Note your attachment of distance to the need for fellow directors to keep an eye on matters.

@flying scotsman123 said everyone except you read the same thing into your first post and it looked rather petty. +2 to that. I regret your post #40075 looks rather disingenuous too from where I’m sitting.

Patrick

 

This discussion is sad, not amusing, and it's certainly not productive.

Noel