Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

NO....there are ways of progressing IMHO, they just do not necessarily involve starting from either WB or KL.

 

The point is that the one major point of unity is that there are ways of progressing. The issues are about where, in what order, and how that should be handled. And that comes back to the politicking, which is in reaction to the poor behaviour of the chair and his allies on the board, and their refusal to engage seriously with the membership.

 

I'm with @RailWest and @35B , @61624 . I see plenty of scope for the railway to extend, but at this point, given the known limitations that @Miff mentions above, the plan will look something like this post above.

Instinctively, I'm uneasy about two railways, but the circumstances of use-it-or-lose-it in OSHI - Wistlandpound section, and the expiry of the agreement for Devon Highways to take over a reconstructed Bridge 65 means that we're probably best served as Woody Bay - Killington Lane as now, with a walk to Parracombe, and Blackmoor Gate - Wistlandpound as a railcar operation until such time as it can be extended to Bratton Fleming.

If - and I stress if - Blackmoor Gate to Bratton Fleming becomes possible before the five years or so it will take to get a TWAO with CP powers for the land in Parracombe, then we should do it and move the steam operation to Blackmoor Gate and put the railcar operation at Woody Bay. With a fair wind, this should allow us to connect Killington Lane to Blackmoor Gate (and the line south to Bratton and beyond) in time for the 100th anniversary of closure in 2035.

And a shout out to YVT/EA success in getting their changes agreed so that they can be an even more effective part of the rebuild - well done to all concerned.

 

In bed, doing nothing but watching my idea of pornography, (nothing to worry about btw mods it’s all clean and railway related)
But this came up, I find it really interesting that someone from nowhere near Devon has taken the time out to research and make a video of this.

I know this has been mentioned before but it really does add to the legend of the L&B.
It really would be great if there really was something in South America, that ‘perchance, it’s not dead, merely sleepeth’

 

Hi Matt I agree it would be nice if she is was still out there. However I do know of at least one other operation to find her that happened back in the 1960's.

Basically they were looking for something else and the conditions of the metal work on some of the buildings was so poor, that it was felt that unless LEW had been put under cover she too would have rusted out due to the high humidity levels and the sunshine and rain.

The late David Lloyd (the 00n3 modeller) once said he had a photo of 'LEW' from a text book he had while he was at school. Apparently it was in a standard geography book from the Manchester Education department of the 1950's.

Sadly I never got around to seeing the photo but if anyone lives in the Manchester area and could gain access to such a book, it might give us another clue as to where she may have ended up.

The practical side to me thinks that she was scrapped and besides what could you do with her even if you did find her today? it would be another basket case for the NRM to have next door to our Coach No 1 i e stuffed and mounted.

I did ask the question why the 762 club didn't think about building LEW rather that EXE as that would have made rebuilding the last train that more convincing. The answer was that they still plan to build all four in time, but I have my doubts weather or not there will be enough money or enthusiasm for that to happen.

Of course it is not to late for the LEW to replace EXE at this stage since they are all supposed to be identical with the exception of the cab profile.

A question which has been raised and that is why build two steam locos when you only have a railway which is 3/4 of a mile in length. Yes I do realise that it takes time to build a loco, 'LYN' took 7 years from start to finish but at the time we needed an L&BR looking steam loco. yes we had the potential for an extension to the railway, but following the unravelling over the past few months this has now look unlikely the extension is going to be built where these locos will be required.

Sure you can build them up to a rolling chassis level but again were do you store them? As I understand it Woody Bay if almost full with the current working fleet and it could now be ten years before any extension is possible.

I am not sure if any plans have been put in place to store all the parts currently being made, but my understanding is there is now some serious amount of steel work at Boston Lodge for the first loco.

In one of the recent narrow gauge railway magazines, there was a call for people to re-evaluate the need to build new steam locos. Personally I have three old designs I would love to see rebuilt, but none of them are L&BR types.

But now we need to wait and see what happens by and at the next AGM.

 

And, as those of us who followed the WSRA x6 debacle know, although the CC could do something about it they appear to be completely lacking in any motivation to do anything about it - unless, it appears, the sums of money involved are up in the million plus range. I guess that gets them much better publicity than what they appear to consider minor local falling outs.

 

Research? try this: https://www.lynton-rail.org.uk/page/mystery-lew

 

OK so it's a case of getting three supporters to stand for election (I guess the three minority are recent appointees and not up for re election yet), then gather every bit of support you can, using whatever means available to raise the issues with the greater numbers shareholders and hope at least two get elected. That would be at least a 5-4 majority on the board giving a much better chance of things happening the 'right' way.
New board members would not normally be held accountable for what has gone before if it can be seen that they are acting, to the best of their ability (i.e. the minority report) to put things right. And they all should have (Minority 3 please note) 'Directors and officers liability insurance' (that the company should pay for) which saves them from being financially responsible for breach of trust, breach of duty etc. (unless of course it was a blatant act and the insurance would rightfully contest their covering it)

 

Is it not the case that Chris D will have to stand down by rota at the 2024 AGM?

 

Are L&BR Trust still doing AGMs?

 

Well, there was one in May and the next is in the diary for May 2024.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Didn't the May 2023 one end in chaos with uncertainty reigning?

 

Having been there, I would say it depends on your perspective. One perspective would be that the meeting wasn't a valid AGM, and that any business conducted was illegitimate. The other would be that there was a disruptive minority trying to prevent the meeting happening, who were defeated on the night allowing the formal business to proceed.

In reality, there were aspects of both. However, and most significantly, it caused a fair rerun of the trustee election, including all eligible candidates*, and gave us the trustee board that we currently have.

* - meaning in strict accordance with the Trust's Memorandum and Articles of Association.

 

It is my understanding that he is.

 

The Charity Commission records his appointment as 11/11/2021, so yes, he will be standing down at the 2024 AGM.

Having said that, Peter Snashall is still shown as a Trustee, and the new Trustees haven't been recorded as yet.

https://register-of-charities.chari...ity-search/-/charity-details/3974544/trustees

 

They are correct on the Companies Office website, though !

 

Oh yes, so it does, that's odd. It also shows Chris' appointment date as 12/11/2021, but I guess that is close enough.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04040633/officers

 

What could you do with it if it was found? Display it somewhere on the L&B with lots of display panels telling its history. The soon to be recreated goods shed at Bratton Fleming would seem an obvious choice at the minute.

As a separate company, the 762 Club could, once they are complete, move the locos to another railway to operate until such times as they are required on the L&B.

You wonder if there is enough money to build all 4 MW locos, but in the same breath talk about 3 other designs for new builds (and I think in the past you have suggested even more!).

 

More likely than not, however I have been to South America (not Brazil, but Argentina) and there is not the drive to scrap every last piece of redundant kit and cash in the residual value that we have in Europe. So you never know. I've been to villages up in the Andes which still had rolling stock standing in the yard even though the last train ran many years previously, and if it's not in the way and can't be adapted for some other use they generally just leave it there. So while the chances of finding 'Lew' are vanishingly small, you never know...

Personally, I hope they never find it nor find proof of scrapping, as the enduring mystery is one of those things which will continue to pique interest in, and draw people into, the L&B story.

 

I guess the scrap value declines the further you have to transport it to a market. So if you have 20 tons of scrap steel but you are 200 miles from the nearest scrap merchant over tough unmade roads, it may well not be worth transporting it for scrap.

Tom