Democracy

The Talyllyn Railway became the first preserved railway in 1951. As far as I can tell the members of the TRPS have a democratic say in how the railway is run, by electing members on to a council, which in turn runs the railway on their behalf - if you like the railway is run BY the members FOR the members. As a result it could be argued that those running the railway are accountable to the society membership and can be removed next time they come up for re-election if they act in a way which is contrary to the majority of the membership's wishes.

I was wondering though - which other heritage railways operate on the same model?

Cheers

Martin

 

Well, Middleton fits that bill, for one, the more so because all posts are in a voluntary capacity and persons can be removed if an AGM so desires. Many railways are run on similar lines but also have paid staff who run the railway on a day-to-day basis, including the TR. Removing paid staff isn't as easy.
Intrigued as to why the question is being asked!

 

The other model of course is that shareholders get a vote in a % to how much they own. So maybe the borough council owns 40% and the county council 20% and the other members 40%, and that's a Plutocracy.