West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Ah the "Joan of arc " syndrome. Committed volunteers operate heritage railways primarily because they like "playing trains". There are no altruistic reasons, it is purely self interest. And before anyone kicks off, I've been there, got the T shirt etc. got up at 05.00, 04.00 etc, spent all night repairing things so the service can run the next day, shovelled ballast in the pouring rain, spent hours burning out boiler tubes, fitting patch screws , bent over a lathe, sold raffle tickets, run the buffet, served meals etc etc... but I did it because I liked it, not because I wanted to please others.

 

That's just your take on it - thankfully others aren't so selfish. <BJ>

 

Appears to be a problem with the WSR Crowcombe webcam, i have looked at it several times this morning and each time it is playing from 11.54 yesterday, i know in the past that Crowcombe used to have very slow internet , but?????????????

 

Looks okay to me at present on the Railcam website but not on the WSR webpage.

Dave B

 

Thanks for that, should have checked railcam .

 

Although I am a big fan of Steve’s website, this is why I subscribe to Railcam for my webcam images.

 

Just because you think your motivations for volunteering at heritage railways were only selfish, doesn't mean this is the case for everybody involved at every heritage railway across the country.

Yes, there are selfish motivations behind how I volunteer at the railways I'm involved at. But I also do it because I love being able to give people the opportunity to experience a steam loco in its 'live' state. I will never tire of the look of awe and delight on the face of a child when I invite them onto the footplate to see what makes it go, on the faces of people who have purchased a footplate ride when the regulator is in the roof, or when we've invited them to give a toot on the whistle. And I know many of the other volunteers I work with feel similarly.

 

Which only goes to show that it isn't only railfans who love steam engines; it is by far the paying public that do.

 

I am, as ever, totally reliant on Railcam and the WSR organisations for the webcam streams. Nowadays, Railcam prefer me to use, with their permission, their YouTube channel for my WSR webcam page. If there are problems, I respectfully ask you contact Railcam as there's very little, if anything, I can do. I have no plans to remove the webcam page, in the short term, but perhaps time will come when it has had its day. BTW I too am a subscriber to Railcam who are building a fab suite of railway webcams and subscribing is very much recommended by me.

Steve
wsr.org.uk

 

Thanks for your reply, Steve.
I entirely agree with your comments about Railcam; they have built up a very impressive network of cameras.
I particularly enjoy the overseas links - I spend far too much time watching the freight trains in the U.S.

 

I've just received my Branch Line News mailing, and one of the items listed is an appear for £50k for landslip repairs at Combe Florey. Checking the WSRA website, it started in early Feb. Have I missed something, or is the WSR publicity machine not firing that effectively?

 

Still wondering why there should be an appeal out for repairs that were not caused by the railway itself. This should be for the County Council as the owner of the trackbed and as the landlord to sort out , the railway or contractors doing the work as needs be and being paid for by the parties who caused it, i have seen on Steve Edge's excelent website the work that was done in the fields, but passing the site last week as far as i can see nothing has been done at the foot of the embankment to stabilise/ prevent any further movement, very disconcerting .

 

So would you prefer that the railway remained (unnecessarily) closed whilst months of legal wrangling with uncertain outcome take place as to whose liability this is?
Or was it better to deal with the immediate situation, engage professional help and not put the 2023 running season in jeopardy?
Not sure why you should be disconcerted when the site has been inspected by the necessary professionals and declared safe to run over until later in the year when full reinstatement is scheduled.

 

I have to say I was aware of this appeal months ago. It's been widely on social media. I really don't know why @35B was unaware of it. I am not sure that £50,000 will be the whole bill, it's what the WSRA are committed to match fundraising. The real problem is that the cost of living crisis has dented most folks disposable income so fundraising is much more difficult now than in the past. The rhetoric of uncertainty promoted in some quarters does not help. It's well worth a look at the recent video by the SVR boss to understand the challenges faced by the whole movement. This is a site for enthusiasts so I urge all of you to dig deep (You know I think I said that before, see post 43482.) to support your favourite railway.
Thankfully the WSR is running over the whole 22 miles, and just like the SVR it has cut its cloth to suit the times we find ourselves in.
To @bishdunster point. It may well be that eventually there is a legal settlement of claim. These things inevitably take a very long time and there is no guarantee that the whole cost of the repair will be met from any such claim. The railway family has taken the sensible view, rolled up its sleeves and got on with it. Surely the right thing to do? You only had to look at the mess in the gardens below the line to know that it would not have been right to wait.

 

I don't know why I'm unaware - perhaps because it just didn't cross my eyes. What intrigues me, given the attention to matters WSR on NatPres, is that it didn't get reference on NatPres.

 

It did, if only in passing I've edited what I wrote to include the post that I referenced it in. Just goes to show how fragmented the stories emerging from the heritage world can be. It was all over FB and other parts of social media. See my see post 43482

 

Clue missed - and as a non-FB user, passed me by there and elsewhere.

 

Sorry @aldfort, I don't know what social media you are using, but I can't find any mention of the appeal for the last month on either the WSR's official Facebook site; nor on the "Friends of the WSR" Facebook site; nor here on Nat Pres either before or after a fleeting reference in your own post nearly a fortnight ago; nor on the West Somerset Railway's own website. "The Platform" newsletter seems to have died a death. Maybe the WSRA has some niche TikTok channel I'm unaware of?

I remember quite a decent video by JJP immediately after one of the flooding incidents explaining the immediate problem (filmed on site), but nothing I can recall since.

It almost feels like you don't want anyone to know about the appeal - not for the first time, I detect a "white knight syndrome" at the WSR, whereby people are always waiting for someone else to ride to the rescue, in this particular case SCC.

If you've got an appeal, you've got to get out there and promote it! I think - on this site at least - half the reason the content is overwhelmingly negative is that there is no-one curating this place and feeding in any positive stories. People will talk about what's topical - so make the appeal topical, not something that it seems everyone connected is too embarrassed to mention.

Tom

 

Landslip Appeal update - West Somerset Railway Association (wsra.org.uk)
@Jamessquared popped up all over my feeds at the time.
I really have not heard that SCC have been asked to help in any way. They did have to clear the road of mud twice in the past. I don't hold any position other than humble fireman any longer but do share if you have some knowledge that supports you assertion? Maybe consider joining the WSRA and putting yourself forward as a trustee?

 

You only have to go two posts above yours on this vey page to see someone suggesting SCC should pay! You even responded yourself. I’m not saying that the hierarchy on the WSR think that, but clearly the view is held by some supporters.

As for the wider appeal - it’s all well and good saying it popped up at the time, but where is the ongoing promotion to keep it fresh in people’s minds?

Tom