West Somerset Railway General Discussion

An odd comment which doesn't seem relevant to the discussion. It has nothing to do with leisure or visiting lines.
To pick up your quote : there are plenty of "teams" and we are under no obligation to support any one in particular. Those that present well will get the support.

 

But where there are major works - relays, for example - it is far from rare for railways to share what's going on. It is not that the WSR has been quiet about what's happened, but that the quietness has been in parallel with making high profile claims about needs.

Possibly. But that discussion seems like it belongs on another thread, where even if the implication of your comments is justified, the question of "would I want to support an organisation like that" comes up.

 

True we are under no obligation to visit anywhere, but I tend to go to railways to see things I want to see, not because of who is running the organisation and likewise the money I spend is an investment in my interest and my enjoyment.

 

How can anyone with a moral compass or any ethics follow your advice?
By visiting a railway that discriminates against group X, wastes money on Y or fails to communicate about Z, then the visitor is merely supporting that regime.

Whilst I expect that most of the general public will be unaware of these issues or for them to stop visiting, the enthusiast community will be aware and can choose where their money goes.

 

I don't agree with some of the political views, or donations, of the LSL Chairman. Doesn't mean I have never used a LSL service or go out to view their trains. Sometimes it best to just look at things from face value and not delve. Some would call it ignorance, I am sure.

 

Indeed. But when I have a range of places to choose between to pursue my hobby, my feelings about different organisations will influence which I focus on - whether as a customer, or as a donor.

In my case, I travel down to Devon annually for business - following the M42 & M5. Based on my typical timings, the two obvious non-local heritage railways are the GWSR and WSR. My feelings about the organisations will weigh in favour of the GWSR over the WSR, in amongst the other factors helping me decide which to visit.

 

When some of the crew are rowing in opposite directions and won’t change do you have any other options, especially when they try to sabotage the ship?

 

Likewise, the WSR is a local railway to me. My wife's best friend lives in Taunton so it was always a good excuse to join her and pop along to the railway at least half a dozen times a year. I choose to stay at home now and do something else with my money.

 

Hmmm, I'm not sure that I'd agree with "sabotage" as a description. At the same time, and as I've written in another thread that is a better place for that discussion, I'm not at all convinced that matters could have ended up with all agreeing to play nicely.

 

Aren't you all a miserable bunch?!

 

Life is too short to do anything else!

 

Well, if it was a ship, the usual term for trying to take it over and depose the officers is mutiny.

 

Could also be relieving them of command- so long as there is strong enough evidence that they are acting inappropriately or in a way that is detrimental to the safety of the ship or crew…

 

A bit cryptic. Explain, please !

 

But you are not addressing the issue. We are talking about donations, not payment for services.
If somebody is asking me to donate money I am entitled to know what they want it for and, later, that it has been used for the purpose intended. I make donations to all sorts of good causes in many places, not all rail by any means, and most of them respond sooner or later on the progress and success of their appeal : a sleeper laid here, a tube replaced there, a piece of medical equipment for an ambulance purchased, and so on.
In the case of the WSR, because of their policy of keeping information to themselves and of treating enquiries as hostile, potential donors cannot be sure that their money will be used for the purposes intended so are hesitant to offer support.

 

And what offence did the S & D group commit to be treated in the way that they were ?

 

Sabotage ? That's a bit OTT isn't it ?

 

The was the WSR is structured makes it hard to hold the board to account.

Were they to adopt the proposals put forward by @Lineisclear which are basically those adopted by most other lines then there would be a mechanism to do so.

To date however these remain no more than a proposal