West Somerset Railway General Discussion

There is, but there is also a need to consider the context in which the railway operates, and what return may be available on the investment. Some railways exist in what is effectively a bubble; once at the railway, it becomes the destination and additional attractions done well and budgeted carefully, will draw extra spend. I suspect the IOW is in that camp, I also consider the GCR to be.

Others - and here I include both WSR and NYMR - are in a different position. Visitors have no need to use the railway's facilities, as there are other attractions within sight and a short walk of the platform at at least some of the stations. That is not to say that it is not worth trying to draw out the attractions, but that the scope for additional revenue is more constrained. At the WSR, Watchet, Blue Anchor and Minehead offer non-railway attractions as I leave the station without my having to plan seriously; for the NYMR, that is true of every station except Levisham. The appeal of some of the smaller stations, with all due respect to the beauty of the line, is a tad more limited - and there are only so many scones that one can eat!

 

Ooh what a thought, I think I need a lie down!

 

Market research carried on a railway of my acquaintance suggests that your view of Mr & Mrs Average is not completely correct. They have chosen to ride on the railway. They are probably quite interested in what is happening "behind the scenes", and in fact this might something they find the most interesting part of their visit. I would have thought that as Williton has a tea servery, actually there is a good chance that a reasonable number of Mr & Mrs Average would go on a short trip if they knew what was on offer there.

 

Just a couple of comments on the Watchet Explorer.

from Bishops Lydeard
1 The web page needs to be corrected! Train timings are incorrect.
2 The Watchet Explorer offers 1h38m in Watchet, based on the 14:15 BL departure.
In my opinion, that's barely enough time for a leisurely walk down Swain Street & back along the Prom.
Maybe time for a quick drink, but hardly time, & a bit late, for lunch &/or a Museum visit or any combination.
I'd suggest the Explorer should be also available on the 12:15 ex-BL, giving 3h38m to truly 'Explore' Watchet. On the Yellow tt, a 2h38m option is possible.

from Minehead
A slightly different scenario & I assume it's not really limited to Butlins customers only.
Obviously intended to fill the usually lightly-loaded first train ex-MD.
It offers 2h22m minimum in WT - much more reasonable, with 4h22m or 6h22m possible.

Not to complicate things too much, but I do think 'Cheap Day Returns' from MD to DR, BA & WT would be worth promoting.
The same thing from BL probably wouldn't work as effectively because the prices to BA & DR would be close to that of a Rover.

Just my thoughts.

 

This site regularly induces a feeling of 'deja vu' , even 'encore une fois'.

When the Southern Gateway grand idea was in full surreal swing there were some who said "why don't we make Williton a Heritage/education destination rather than spending money" (which unfortunately did not exist) " on grand over bridges with elevators etc. It cannot be right to make a terminus a destination, think what the SVR have done with the Engine House".

As has been stated here in the distant past, and not so distant, Williton has; an original Bristol and Exeter signal box, platform spacing as for the Broad Gauge, a vintage (Brunel ?) shed, a larger shed moved from Swindon (the Swindon shed) and whilst you could be admiring all of this it is the location where, whatever Timetable, trains cross. Then there is the presence of the DEPG, the outstanding collection of diesel hydraulics, steam locos 4561 & 6695 currently under repair etc. Something for every type of enthusiast and the interested general public. A working museum. All it needs is a group of people with time, energy, staying power ( very important) and a sense of realism (also key), to plan a development, raise funds and implement. I would be surprised if the Plc did not welcome you with open arms

The yet to be resurrected Heritage Committee regarded Williton as a potential jewel.

Michael Rowe

 

Isn’t the sensible thing for both organisations to move the Bakelite museum close to the station?

I don’t know the local area and wether suitability accomidation can be found or if planing permission could be obtained but surly something worth looking at ?

 

The Bakelite Museum. Williton


Not an easy move I believe.

 

The Bakelite Museum is still open, but there have been rumours that it is looking for a new home. We took my wife's aunt and cousins there in Nov 16, and after I phoned to see if it was open that day, the caretaker opened it specially, the owner being away that day. I'd certainly recommend it to anybody old enough to have had Bakelite objects, though I doubt many had a coffin or whatever you call the apparatus that a dentist has with all his drills etc attached. Unfortunately, it almost 30 minutes walk from the station so not really practical to combine with a trip on the railway.

Sorry, this post crossed with the prev two - moving it closer to the station is as likely as a Minehead-Taunton steam service!

 

I think there is great potential to move both Williton and BL forward in terms of exciting visitor attractions. What it needs is a visit or 2 to other railways. Take Grosmont as an example. You have to leave the station, cross the road and walk past a couple of seating areas where visitors can sit and watch the trains roll by a la Stogumber. Traverse a longish tunnel and then you have the shed where you can enter and find your way on to a mezzanine the overlooks the running shed. Then lo and behold is the shop selling railwayana, model railways and all sorts of gifts for youngsters. This would be a relatively cheap exercise in the Swindon Shed. I remember well helping to write the previous 5 year plan where I referred to passengers arriving at BL that was a cultural desert. It ain't changed one bit. A reasonable restaurant could be cheaply built using the timber log cabins as the MD volunteer accommodation. Can you remember what Toddington's Cafe looked like and you had to queue for a meal. BL offers a 5s wall, The Mill and a couple of pubs. Southern Gateway grabbed the nettle but lost its way and became a multi-million project, unattainable for the time being. But a really good log cabin for £60K and some great volunteers cooking could recoup its costs in 18 months. Why not a great Sunday lunch followed by a trip to the Swindon Shed viewing gallery. Some good speakers to explain what is going on. Many years ago as the SM at BL I asked for a Station van to be added to a train so we could send goods up and down the line. We could charge an extra pound to ride in the last coach where suitably attired 'experts' would explain what was happening. We have a complete set of waybills for Stogumber from the 1890s and know that Foxes at Wellington sent bales of khaki cloth to Stogumber for onward transport to the outlying areas. This cloth was probably used by out workers to make putties for the British Army (Foxes main product). Watchet has made a great job of recreating an office that shows some of the history including the docks.
I am a firm believer that we actually have a 21 mile long museum that falls woefully short of offering explanations and guidance on the heritage aspects of West Somerset. Here is your test, How many Water Mills were there in the vicinity of Stogumber in the 18th and 19th centuries, what and how much was sent weekly from Stogumber to London and what and how much was sent weekly, in its season, from Minehead to London? I will by a pint to the first person to answer all 3 correctly. I think Robin should be excluded from entering!
Good Luck

 

Yes indeed. The "Average" thing can be overdone though. Because they are not railway enthusiasts as such does not mean they are persons of no consequence. That "lady who lunches" may well be clued up on clocks as opposed to railways. Cue a discussion on regulator movements and "Graham's deadbeat escapement" with reference to a timepiece with such an escapement. There was one visitor to Havenstreet who turned out to be associate editor of an august international website on all aspects of the Victorian era, biographer, contributor to the Times Literary Supplement and so on. This visit led directly to the railway gaining quite a large entry in The Victorian Web'

Shows what can happen. Any collection of items just itching for display at Williton?

PH

 

Read Post 10429

PH

 

I think the idea of the Watchet Explorer was to fill a few more seats on the lighter-loaded afternoon down trains and later up trains. Both the 1015 and 1215 BL are usually pretty full.

I also think the Butlins tickets from MD are only available in Butlins, not at the MD booking office, although I might be wrong - I expect someone more familiar with ticketing at MD will be able to confirm.

 

Probably Grade II Listed anyway. It was formerly a watermill and still retains its water wheel, though out of commission

 

I would heartily recommend it too! I agree it is unlikely to be easily moved.

For some reason I particularly recall the room of early household electrical appliances - pretty but extremely unsafe electric fires shaped like pointy-winged butterflies; violet wands; that sort of thing. I understand the coffin is extremely rare and possibly the last one remaining.

 

Certainly the ranks of BR Mark I's lack charm. But what would be the cost of getting say 4 or 5 new-build replica GWR coaches constructed. Would the unit cost be cheaper than restoring individually the decaying carriages in Williton yard? Nice idea. Probably not realistic but it is the sort of initiative that needs to happen. The WSR plc would need to launch a major new drive for shares. Other railways are able to raise millions: GWSR and SVR for example. Is it because they are nearer larger population centres? One of the attractions of other tourist railways is their pre-war 'heritage' rolling stock: SVR, Bluebell, Isle of Wight, Kent & East Sussex, etc.

 

Some useful and interesting comments in some recent posts. However, given that Bean Counter brought the church into the thread I will just add that it is really "preaching to the choir".
In a recent post I made a complimentary comment about the new WSR web site, which I think is a step in the right direction to encourage visitors to the line. However in a reply to my comment was a critical statement of another (very successful) line. The WSR could never match the DSR, even if it wanted to. The railway part - (DSR) is now only one part of a much larger organization which benefits from good local custom as well as tourists, It is also a major employer in the area thus contributing much to the local economies'.
It has been mentioned here that as far as passenger numbers are concerned on the WSR there is some disquiet. Good advertising - directed to the general public rather than enthusiasts - should be the way forward. Maybe it is under way, I hope so. More custom should equal more cash in the till.
Heritage railways are expensive to maintain and it solely due to the free labour and donations that many survive. I noted the comment that the QB rolling stock is expensive to maintain, without doubt it is, so it does need to pay its way and not be a drain on limited financial resources. Those concerned with the QB are, it seems, making great efforts to achieve that. Hopefully recent teething troubles will be a thing of the past.

 

Agreed. Thankfully for most of its existence the WSR's main advertising has been aimed at the general public. Even the train service and most special events are aimed at that sector. And so it should be. Always room for even more of it.

Thinking about cash from passengers/visitors - perhaps enthusiast events are the real drain on resources and generate comparatively lower returns (in the till). Despite the great efforts of our Gala Planning Team. Perhaps the WSR's Peppa Pig events bring in more cash in the till? What to do, eh?

Steve

 

Good information, Ian.
My sense is that the 12:15 would have room for a handful of Watcheteers.
As for MD - I don't see why the WT offer needs to be limited to Butlineers!
I assume the cost is somewhere in the £9 area, so why not a slightly different price for a public Cheap Day Return?

(I have to confess that I'm sure the ticketing folks have considered these ideas already - I certainly hope so.....)

Just curious - does the last train of the day from MD ever fill up to the point of leaving folks behind? or can it be strengthened at short notice?

 

The last train from Minehead is nearly always pretty empty, the only exception being that during the height of the summer and it's a very hot day (yes - we do occasionally have them!), then some people may be reluctant to leave the beach. In my thirteen years working on Minehead station I can't recall a crowded last up train. Anyway, we wouldn't leave anybody behind - they would just have to stand.

 

I've never known the last up train to be that full. I worked on the trains from 2003 to 2016 firstly as a TTI then a guard. What has changed over that period is that people tend to leave MD earlier now. We always used to expect the last up train to be comfortably full, especially when the weather was good, but gradually over the years the equivalents of this coming year's 1515 and 1415 have become more busy, leaving the last train less busy. There are usually two or three spare coaches at MD, except perhaps at the height of the season, but getting the authority to use them at short notice, then the actual process of getting one out of the siding and attaching to the train would almost certainly result in a late departure.