West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Oh no, not back on the subject of the X6 are we?

Silly me, of course not. They never did "...stop by request..."

 

I wonder what the guest named loco shall be. I would reccomend King Edward II

 

With the enormous (£4M) cost of restoring FS to working order, tickets for a ride behind her are bound to cost rather more than the standard fare. As one of the trips is on our wedding anniversary, I can justify the expense to my better half - and she likes FS, too!

John

 

Would be nice!

John

 

Thanks for your feedback re the WSR asking for volunteers on the web-site, as promised I passed it on to Dave Horton the WSR's new Head of Mechanical Engineering (a role that covers all rolling stock) and he agreed that the wording could have been better. He has re-drafted it and the new version which will replace the old one as soon as he can get the web-site updated is below.

Basically as others have said on here, the message to all is simple, please come and join us, there is always plenty to do and you will be most welcome.

Amended as follows:

22nd March 2017

Call for volunteers - WSR Mechanical Engineering Department

Calling anybody who would like to volunteer within the Mechanical Engineering Department of the West Somerset Railway (WSR).

You don’t have to have any previous experience in helping us to keep the wonderful WSR running, all you need is as much or as little spare time as you want to give and a bit of enthusiasm to come, help out and meet some new friends.

The Mechanical Engineering Department has a whole host of volunteer roles available from cleaning locomotives and painting, through to highly skilled engineering jobs such as making new components for a wide range of locomotives large and small (we can’t just pop to the local dealer to buy a piston for a 130 ton, 1920s, GWR express engine - we have to make them ourselves!!)

As a volunteer you can decide how much time you can put in. You can also decide how much you want to learn; some volunteers are happy just to come along and stick to the basics and some want to learn new skills and progress their knowledge. You will sometimes be working alongside our paid staff so they can help train you to any level you wish over time. Many also go down the footplate route and learn to fire and drive steam engines, as well as diesels, on regular service trains throughout the year.

Below is a list of regular roles we have just to give you an idea but please feel free to get in touch by phone or email: Dave Horton, Head of Mechanical Engineering (07739 023316, home@wsrail.net) for a chat and/or to arrange a visit to see what it’s all about.

· Painting
· Cleaning
· Dismantling, overhauling and rebuilding components
· Working with hand tools
· Working with power tools
· Woodwork
· Welding
· Machining
· Plumbing
· Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
· Team leadership
· Project planning, budgeting and administration

Please note: there are no upper age barriers but you must be at least 16 years of age and of course fit and able to do the task you want to do.

 

Thanks Andy, I think that reads a lot better.

 

Nice one Andy !

I don't see any references to making the tea which is a mission critical task. Can "cleaning" be replaced by "Loco Preparation". It's the same thing but you know what I mean.

 

Surely the tea making comes under the 'project management skills' heading?

Robin

 

The title is Mechanical Engineering.
Where does loco preparation come into that?

You need to clean up all the bits that loco crews get dirty.

 

that's your opinion and you are entitled to it,
I don't think it's wholly unreasonable at all,
To expect the Railway to make their intentions clear,
A quick press release clarifying the situation would save all of this,
Instead of doing it on the sly like it has been so far,

 

The two are interconnected and of course on the same site so loco preparation meaning the ‘Cleaning Gang’ is very much a part of the overall engineering team as indeed are the footplate crews themselves. Some of us work both in the workshops and on the footplate as time allows and some only one or the other so the choices for people are endless and means there is no ‘them and us’.

The Cleaning Gang meets every other Saturday. This of course is the way onto the footplate grades as Cleaner, Passed Cleaner, Fireman, etc. and entails both cleaning locos and Mutual Improvement Classes very much in the traditional way with all learning at their own pace.

An example of all working together is when we recently fitted the axle boxes to 9351, those present were all Firemen and Drivers watched over by a Traction Inspector and a highly experienced Engineer who were teaching/instructing us.

This prompts the question: How many Firemen and Drivers does it take to fit an axle box? Answers on a postcard please.

As for cleaning up after crews, never the crews always leave the footplates spotless and never leave a mess !!

 

Hard to see how not announcing something when the WSR plc don't yet know what will be happening is "sly". That suggests some kind of underhand behaviour by them which is both absurd and offensive.

 

Whilst I agree with what you've said, I can also understand the frustration of those lineside pass holders whose passes have either expired or will do so before the SSG. They currently don't know whether they will be able to renew their pass in time for the event and, for a lot of them, they don't know whether they will be there or not and therefore don't know if they need to book accommodation.

 

It is fair criticism that the position has not been made clear publicly. It is hard work to keep public websites up to date with news on such things. Communication can always be improved.

It is unfair criticism to use words like 'sly'.

Robin

 

I can fully understand that but it seems to me that the PLC are in an impossible position. Accusing them of being "sly" about the situation really is not acceptable. Does anyone really think the PLC are happy with their predicament? Of course not. Sadly these kinds of remarks typify the "culture of blame" that we gladly left behind when the EX6+1 left. Given the huge cooperative effort that goes into running the WSR the important thing is to make the visit of FS a success rather than making snide remarks.

 

Sly, underhand , However, you see it, You got to have your critics,
I don't see it as that important that those who pay to take photos on the railway, chosen to support the railway with £50 lose out to the Scottish loco,
The railway has been aware of this for a while and still no statement has been made,
that's the point that communication is lacking and its not wholly unreasonable for people, who need to book time off , accommodation etc, for them to be upset.
cause most at this current time have 2 very expensive laminated cards and a Hi vis to show for it,
When I'm sure all they ask is for some communication and some better information then there's been the past few galas, That's all I would ask for £50 if I was them,

 

How exactly do you expect useful communication when, as it would seem, nobody is in a position to give a definitive answer? Even if the PLC made a statement saying we don't yet know how would it help you? Fair criticism is fine but calling them sly is not.

 

The number is dependent on how many are required to make the tea.

 

For we non-loco types, could someone do a quick 'compare and contrast' between 5199 and 4160? TIA

Robin

 

£35 sounds like a good price to me. The Bluebell Railway was charging £35 for a return trip behind FS, but then it's shorter line. And we do get a return trip behind another visitor.