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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by gwr4090, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Cleeve Abbey and Old Cleeve are two different places, in opposite directions from the station.
     
    JBTEvans likes this.
  2. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    Appeal total update on Facebook: £170,343 (last update was 14th December at £167,424)
     
  3. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    Quite, if the station isn't staffed, what does it matter if there is nothing much to go to in the vicinity? The Plc have to maintain the station whether it's open or not, unless they want to go for the "Beeching Look" and the additional running costs of having it as a stop are pretty close to zero.
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2022
  4. ross

    ross Well-Known Member

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    Lost half my post. Can't be bothered to type it again.
    Apologies
     
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  5. The Dainton Banker

    The Dainton Banker Well-Known Member

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    WOW !!!
     
  6. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    No need to fret. Mr. Jones-Pratt has announced ''a record-breaking month of Santa Specials and new Winterlights trains brought in around £271,000 and £204,000 was clear profit''. <BJ>
     
  7. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    On that sort of profit margin I cannot see why any Heritage Line would ever need to make any appeals for cash.
     
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  8. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Indeed, there's obviously no need to give to any appeal ever with that kind of performance! Of course, what that message doesn't say and can't say is that it's measured on direct costs of operation, and makes no provision for the indirect cost of providing a railway for them to operate on.
     
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  9. granmaree

    granmaree Member

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    Or cost of legal fees defending various decisions that have been made in the last few years
     
  10. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Law Firms (even those in Clitheroe) are not cheap ;)
     
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  11. Keith Sims

    Keith Sims Member

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    If my O level arithmetic and memory serve me right £204,000 won't go very far in paying the £500,000 needed to keep going for the next year unless similar spectacular profits can be made from part full midweek trains throughout the summer season,
     
  12. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    That is what profits are for - or should be!
     
  13. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    To be fair, the NYMR's YMJ appeal is edging up by similarly unspectacular amounts these days - but it does at least stand at ca. 9,700,000 in total (admittedly a lot of that being grants, but I'm sure that it doesn't include any savings from switching energy suppliers!
     
  14. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Time of post noted. Can't say I blame you! :)
     
  15. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    I think there are quite a few grants in the WSR's total, too.
     
  16. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    What with special measures dictated everywhere by the covid situation, unpicking precisely what's come from where and why ought to keep our statistically inclined membership busy for a while.
     
  17. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    As regards the financial situation of the WSR, going forward, time will tell, A lot of things can change , just one mistake, can wipe out any gains made, just as a good season, and careful management can ensure survivability, There is still a lot that could go wrong, this is going to be a tough time for all railways, People will be very careful with what leisure money they have, and for some families, that means not spending, unless its an special occation, We are not out of the woods by any means, Covid is still an issue, and its going to be compounded by rising living costs, people will be watching their out goings very carefully, and places that can offer better value for money might do better than places like the WSR,
    If a day out at the L&B, or ESR Offers more to do, at a more affordable cost, potential customers might opt to go there instead.
     
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  18. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Well no, it’s ought to be quite simple. Loans by the Government are not part of an appeal total (because they have to be paid back). Furlough support of staff wages by the Government is not part of an appeal total (that’s just like a change to Government taxation arrangements, in essence). Cost savings from utility and other suppliers is not part of an appeal total (that’s just the normal ebb and flow of your budget process: if the railway wants to count that as a donation to the appeal, perhaps they’ll add the massive hike in coal prices on the way as a debit …) DCMS and HLF grants, and smaller ones from other bodies could be counted, though beware double counting: if hypothetically one of the support bodies raised £10k and gave it as a grant to the plc, then that is £10k of new money donated to the railway, not £20k …

    It shouldn’t be rocket science: nowhere else I know would include a budget saving made by renegotiating a supply contract as a donation to an appeal.

    The question of the railway’s long-term financial viability is opaque. The £200k or so listed as profit from the winter services is what you’d expect in gross terms; for most railways that is the kind of boost to cash flow you get which then tides you over the January-March period where normally outgoings are high (due to high levels of maintenance work underway) but income low (due to sparse or no service). If the WSR isn’t keeping up with its maintenance backlog then it is doomed, though not necessarily imminently.

    Tom
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2022
    Fish Plate, MellishR, echap and 4 others like this.
  19. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    All true Tom, if only visible to those with direct access to 'the books' i.e. few among our number.
     
  20. bishdunster

    bishdunster New Member

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    Talking of finances, has there been any physical work carried out on Williton goods shed yet? The scaffolding has now been up for over a year, i hope its not on hire ! Also i note from a picture on Steve Edge's excellent website wsr.org ,more expenditure needed on the down end door on Dunster goods shed :oops: !
     

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