S&D Railway Trust

No-one outside the Plc can possibly know, but in the same statement the Trust say they are taking legal action in order to protect their assets.

 

I do think that the MHR/Watercress Line have been wonderful in all this, and contrasts markedly with the myopic attitude of the current WSR plc board and that of ex WSR plc director Mark Smith who penned the "cuckoo in the nest" press statement February 2020.

Let's hope the MHR/Watercress Line have a successful gala this weekend with better weather than of late, and a wonderful new museum facility showing off some of the SDRT's collection.

 

Good luck...I hope everything goes well..

 

Whatever the outcome is, it seems to me that in serving notice on the S&DRT the PLC may well have sown the seeds of its own destruction

 

I’ve not seen much about this new S&D museum at the Mid Hants yet. Which station is it at? Is it in a building or is it a museum van/coach?

 

First floor of the Alresford goods shed has a nice display from what I've seen on the S&D Facebook page

 

Maybe, but semantics aside I still reckon that the immediate disinterest in the site is a tactic to lower (to zero) the value of any infrastructure assets that might remain on site.

 

How so? Whatever the level of interest from the Plc, the assets still have a secondhand value and the Plc would never to be expected to pay more than that, which would be reduced by the cost to another buyer of removing them from site. In fact, the S&DRT would do better to sell the assets to a third party, as they could then do the removal themselves using volunteer labour and thus increase their assets' value.

 

Do the S&DRT have any actual use for the remaining assets now they are established in existing infrastructure elsewhere ?

 

Long term, possibly yes, at some of the less completed sites, such as Shillingstone, some are genuine S&D relics, such as the three way point, other bits of track also came from Radstock, ideally the trust should hopefully be able to clear the site, at Washford completely, and store what it can at any number of sites, pending re use somewhere, I can't see the trust, wanted to gift anything to the WSR due to the way the PLC has behaved towards them.

 

Except they aren’t established in existing infrastructure elsewhere. Other locations have kindly agreed to host them in their hour of need. However the future direction of travel, and what additional facilities they might need to build at these new (or other) locations is yet to be established.

In any case the buildings/track at Washford have a value to the SDRT, either for for future use elsewhere or a financial value if sold.

 

The buildings which the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust has at Washford would be useful anywhere whether as covered
workspace or as dry protected storage.

There is an obvious possible site for something on the Mid Hants at Alton where the beginning of the formation of the Meon Valley line was cleared to provide room to assemble and launch the new bridge over the new and wider road junction at Butts Junction by the French Horn pub. Though there is only one line across it now, the new bridge is for double track.

 

There's no road access, also it's a bit isolated up there - too tempting for some, maybe.
Pat

 

It strikes me that as the PLC have reneged and broken the 2018 50 year lease, without adequate reason or reasonable notice(given how things panned out in 2020), the Trust would have a reasonable claim against the PLC for the costs arising from this sudden, enforced necessity to remove their property from the Washford site. I believe the Trust are effectively in the position where they can offer the PLC the opportunity to buy the static assets at Washford, or require the PLC to pay for their removal.
Rather the opposite approach that that suggested by some PLC apologists.

 

Apart from the actual S&D materiel that should stay with the Trust for use somewhere else, either course would be reasonable for the other track and buildings from the Trust's point of view, but both would require cash from the PLC that it (apparently) doesn't have.

 

No. I'm suggesting they attempt to pay less.

 

So by "to lower (to zero) the value of any infrastructure assets that might remain on site." you mean lower the value to the Plc. However that doesn't alter their value to a third party, who, unlike the Plc, might actually have the cash to pay for them.

 

Unfortunately, the difference between what they are legally entitled to and what they are likely to get would be many thousands of pounds in legal costs.

 

The question though should be, has the trust got anywhere they can store the materials, for instance, building, can any of the host sites store the shed once its been dismantled, and put on pallets, i don't know how much room is left at the top of the picnic area or even if the MHR, would agree to more S&D stuff being stored, even if it later might be of use, to the railway, things like track materials, again, what space is there elsewhere ? even if it means items being stored in several locations, would at least get it off the site, and would hopefully just leave the bare brown field that was there when the trust moved in, the PLC, and those who stood idly by does not deserve to benefit what so ever from what was done.