West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Saturday's timings for the Vintage Trains 'Whistling Ghost' to Minehead.

Realtime Trains | 1Z10 0608 Birmingham Snow Hill to Bishops Lydeard | 24/06/2023
Depart Bishops Lydeard at 13:10 and arrive at Minehead at 14:26
Realtime Trains | 1Z20 1748 Bishops Lydeard to Birmingham Snow Hill | 24/06/2023
Depart Minehead at 16:05 and arrive at Bishops Lydeard at 17:14

 

The PLC has vacancies in the following existing Director portfolios:

Director of Human Resources
Director of Development and External Relations
Operations Director
Director of Safety and Compliance
Director of Corporate Fundraising


see the advert posted to their website today.

 

Nice to see the WSR maintaining its usual standard of paying attention to the details... The closing date for applications and CVs is “to be inserted”.

What on earth has been going on to reach the point that there are five vacancies on the board…(?!)

 

I haven’t followed the board roles in any detail over time, but my hunch is that it is possibly a couple of vacancies but maybe two or three newly created roles.

In other words, if you haven’t got Safety and Ops, it is probably because incumbents left. But the other three are potentially vacant because they are new, rather than because a post holder has left. I certainly don’t remember a director of “Developmemt and External Relations” though I do recall suggesting a need for that sort of portfolio several years ago!

Edit: see here: West Somerset Railway - Removal of the PLC Chairman and related matters

This was in 2018:

Tom

 

Trawling through Companies House, I count 3 director resignations this year. That supports the thesis of @Jamessquared, but also flags concerns about the level of churn at board level - it doesn’t suggest long term stability.


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It could be board level churn as you put it. Alternatively it could just be coincidence that 3 board members have had changing situations (which could be anything from moving across the country to deteriorating health) that happened to have coincided. Many of course will speculate that it is the former but it could still be the latter. Admittedly neither situation is desirable in the sh0rt term

 

Churn could be either or both - as you say, the concern is less the reasons (though they matter) and more the fact of that level of change. It's not as though this follows a long period of stability, and it's also noticeable that the resignation dates are spread - if it was planned change, I'd have expected them to align.

 

If I was the ORR I would be asking "how are you actively and effectively maintaining safety and compliance given that the post of Director of Safety and Compliance is currently vacant?".

 

I'd be more concerned at the suggestion that, because a "Director of Safety and Compliance" is in office, all is therefore ok. These are things that need to be driven through the organisation, and be evident in all that people do - I'm tempted to suggest that making it a specific responsibility may actually dilute that.

 

There is no suggestion that having a Director of Safety and Compliance "in office" means "all is therefore ok" however having such an individual in post means that there is someone whose primary focus is on a safe and compliant operation and is indeed the person leading "driving it through the organisation and making it evident in all that people do". Presumably having read and carefully considered in detail RM3, the Board of WSR PLC consciously decided to appoint a Director of Safety and Compliance. Thus in the absence of such a Director it is not unreasonable of the ORR to say - your safety and compliance (safety management system) taking into account RM3 is structured around having a DoSAC. You do not currently have a DoSaC. What are you doing to ensure that your safety management system continues to deliver a safe and compliant operation?

 

I'm unfamiliar with RM3, so am looking from outside; my views are based on that.

I agree, it's an entirely reasonable question for ORR to ask about how an organisation works.

 

I agree. Safety is a line management responsibility for which everybody has a part to play. It cannot simply be hived off into a "safety department". When I was working for a large, reputable international company we had safety ADVISORS but never dedicated safety managers.

 

In similar vein, we used to have "quality managers". Their contributions were to bureaucracy, staff creativity in finding ways around that bureaucracy so they could actually deliver their projects, and my first encountering the term "oxygen thief". In all cases, it was because they became the embodiment of what we did for quality, and detached it from those who actually needed to deliver.

At the same time, a focus on quality and compliance was and is necessary.

 

There has to be someone's head on the block ... Just in case...

 

If you do it properly and regularly audit the process then you can readily change/adapt processes that don't work properly for the benefit of the organisation and that then generally keeps the regulator happy.

 

Totally non-political post on this thread, but I would just like to belatedly thank the West Somerset volunteers who made us Erlestoke Manor Fund members so welcome last weekend on the supporters train. Thoroughly enjoyable 2 return trips, the evening run especially in gorgeous light. Really informative tour of Minehead shed too.
It really is a superb railway and will always remain a firm favourite of mine. Maybe the Quantocks are not that dissimilar from the Cambrians? But that Manor certainly seemed & sounded at home!

 

An update for those who do not use Facebook. Hope as many of you can join us as possible!

2024 Dates for your diary!

We are pleased to confirm dates for our Steam & Diesel Galas in 2024.

Spring Steam Spectacular
Friday 3rd May 2024 - Monday 6th May 2024.

Summer Diesel Festival
Thursday 6th June 2024 - Saturday 8th June 2024.

Further information will follow later in the year!

 

Pardon me for being a grumpy old sod but excessive use of exclamation points really annoys me like?

 

Chickens coming home to roost .... ?

 

I hope you mean "to", not "and".