West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Not really. It's one of the most successful heritage railways in the UK.

 

How is it? It seems to lurch from one crisis to another? I’d use many words to describe the WSR ‘successful’ isn’t one of them.

 

I'd seriously question that assessment. Setting the politics aside, the combination of declining visitor numbers and profitability, together with the need for drastic restrictions pre-Covid to allow the infrastructure to be brought back up to scratch suggests a railway that was, at best, trading on past glories.

I'd accept, without comparative numbers to hand, the assertion that it's one of the largest heritage railways in the UK, measured by passenger count or seat miles sold, but that's a measure of scale, not of success.

Bringing the politics into the discussion, then my position hardens. No organisation that has been through the infighting of the last decade deserves to be described as "successful". "Weak", "fragmented", "strife torn" - yes. But until it has a demonstrable track record of success following the end of those politics, it cannot claim to be "successful". In comparison to other major heritage railways, it has not had a successful Covid, suffering unusually long closures - not to mention the issues over the Seaward Way crossing (now, fingers crossed, firmly behind it). While I'm sure that the chairman would like to claim that the WSR has been successful under his stewardship, I would be surprised if he would be willing to make so bold a claim for the changes he's introduced when they are, at best, work in progress.

 

Watchet? The main destination? You should go into stand up comedy.

 

Truth of the matter is many heritage railways have not invested in a good maintenance scheme over the years for various things. Even the NYMR GM even said so in an interview with Steam Railway.

- NYMR have had numerous bridge appeals.
- SVR had Falling (down) Sands Viaduct to undertake massive fundraising for.
- SDR carriages (not the only railway but obv had that toilet incident)
- GWSR landslips (ok, this was always an issue)

Money in the past has been spent on shiny things like turntables, visitor centres etc.

The last few years have seen increased focus from external parties etc and this is now evident across the board.

Yes the WSR let their infrastructure go a bit, but as I mention above they are not the only railway that let this happen. The line in GWR/BR days wasn't double red was it? It was blue... which is exactly the standard it is right now. Seaward Way crossing is a SCC issue. That's done now anyway, and probably happened at the best time really with covid. They will not have lost a full season.

The WSR has been successful. It's carried over 250k passengers annually on occasions, and for a number of years has carried well over 200k. Just cause it's long etc doesn't mean people will turn up.
It's the only heritage railway able to turn engines at both ends of the line and has an income through what goes on at Norton with the ballast etc. They have even helped repair the sea defences with trains using the line.

 

Have YOU tried stand up?
Falling Sands on the SVR now has a BR 7 Pacific doing running in turns over there at present, (thanks to successful appeal to the HLF, and shareholders) Please can you remind us where a certain Hall (that according to yourself should have been finished 2 years ago) and Pannier Tank (that’s in Derbyshire)are at the moment? And why they can’t be used in Somerset?
Please explain we’re all ears.

 

If you were going to indulge in a railway journey for pleasure then the choice is yours. And people make their choices. Now would I pay £30-00 to travel some 45.5 miles in around 3 1/2 hours or would I spend £85-00 with West Coast Rail for a trip on the Dalesman? WSR or a line with a more attractive route and some unique motive power and rolling stock (Welsh narrow gauge I am looking at you here amongst others)? There are much better offerings than the WSR, including my local model engineers' circuit.

 

Issue with the Dalesman is it's nowhere near Somerset lol

Comparing mainline specials and narrow gauge railways is not a fair comparison.

P.S.. Premier Dining on Saphos' Fellsman is where it's at over the S&C.

 

How is a hertiage railway limited to 25mph, and taking a detour route, meant to race your wife's car that can do up to 60mph on a more direct route? Did she drop you off as the previous train left or something? Sounds like you didn't read the timetable to me.

 

The problem for the WSR ( as it is for most steam lines ) is that a lot of stuff was bought at scrap prices years ago,
This now requires either very expensive repair or replacement with new.
The fair box is not going to cover the cost, So we have endless appeals for funds.

I would question weather many of the current lines have a future - as they currently run.

 

Indeed - but I'd ask how their respective appeals are going, and how they've coped over the last couple of years. It's not a comparison in which the WSR does very well, despite the strengths you mention. And on details, you omit some important points, such as:

• The reversion to blue followed failure to mention the infrastructure that the WSR had upgraded to double red
• Seaward Way delays are substantially associated with WSR plc issues, going back before Covid, and was a primary factor in the 2020 closure and 2021 short running

The WSR has strengths, but claiming success feels like a stretch too far - I'll agree though that it could have been worse.

 

She dropped me at BA as the train we caught left Minehead; we had read the timetable, but she had not registered quite how much quicker the A358 would be despite some local knowledge. But the point was not to compare the mean journey times (a comparison where the WSR, even without a 25mph restriction, would struggle due to its route), but to comment on another poster's views of going to the far end of the line, and primary destination, then travel on it.

The comparisons are entirely valid; they are ways that people spend time and money, and lessons about how each attract custom are definitely applicable outside their immediate area - even if some of the details will differ. I have holidayed in north Wales, and in West Somerset. On that basis, the WSR and (say) Ffestiniog are absolutely equivalent attractions; both require a non-trivial commitment of time and money from the prospective visitor if they are to sustain themselves.

 

So you're point about your wife driving was totally irrelevant then.

Do you think majority of tourists chose to holiday in Somerset because they wanted to go bashing 53808 over the WSR?

Most families wouldn't go on a mainline tour starting at 7am and ending at 10pm if you paid for them.

 

I literally said they upgraded to double red.
The WSR was shut in 2020 due to covid, not Seaward Way crossing. If that was the case then they wouldn't have operated in 2021.

 

All heritage railways are a success. They have to be or they wouldn't exist. Let alone operating for over for 4 decades.

 

I've mentioned before and as @Matt37401 and several other have mentioned, its lurched from crisis to crisis.

The last two years alone have seen it come very close to having a car boot sale to have money coming in because it was hemorrhaging cash. And it has one of the worst online presences for its supposed "successful" position. Theres no way you can look at it right now and call it anything but a disaster being held together with. 20 miles of undulating politics, egos and infrastructure falling apart. 15 years ago you could call it a success maybe but its too large for its capabilities now. I happened to flick through a magazine from last year and the WSR was openly whinging it had been left out of a cultural fund.

 

I tend to think success involves rather more than remaining solvent.


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Looking at the blue/red timetable, not sure why people moaning about lack of MD-WT-MD option.

1220 MD-WT 1255
1526 WT-MD 1600

2.5 hrs is not excessive, especially if wanting to eat. Ideally it would be a little bit less but it's not too long.

 

No they wouldn’t. But then, mainline steam isn’t kept going by enthusiasts doing that either - it relies on a mixed economy of enthusiasts and people enjoying a day out. Which is where learning from how others market themselves is all important.


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B.S.