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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by gwr4090, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    Yes, I saw D5343 with my own eyes on the South Devon Rly in November 2015! A real beauty, and a reminder of my exploration of the Highland lines in the 60s.
     
  2. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

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    Fantastic first visitor for diesel gala
     
  3. DragonHandler

    DragonHandler Well-Known Member

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    I don't understand why not being able to get a lineside permit is a reason not to visit the railway anymore either.
    I've never had an LSP, and never wanted one, there's quite a few places along the line that are 'outside the fence' but are nearly as good as being lineside.
     
  4. WSR97

    WSR97 New Member

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    The clock on Minehead Station does not need winding, it is pulse powered by a GPO Clock No 36 in a room in the station building.
     
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  5. 33026 Seafire

    33026 Seafire New Member Account Suspended

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    I'l tell you why a lineside pass is good, so you don't have to stand in a line with the freeloaders, Getting the same old shot as them,
    I think most LSP holders are more upset about the underhand method this was done in and the unsatisfactory replies they have got from the GM for the reasons why etc,
    Judging by that I wouldn't be surprised if the management leaked it as a rumor.
     
  6. FrankC

    FrankC Member

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    This exchange shows some signs of heading off into the wildly speculative... The event will be neither curbed or cancelled. We are in close touch with other heritage railways who have run or who are shortly to run an FS event, and of course with the NRM and Riley's the operators of the loco, and we are learning from all of them. We are also working with the emergency services and the local authorities, so far as that is necessary. So far as lineside passes go, if you read the announcement carefully, you will see that they will still be valid during the Scotsman event. There will be some limited additional restrictions at that time and these will be made clear in the next couple of months.

    Frank Courtney
    FS Event Project Manager
     
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  7. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    1st rule of Nat Pres, never let the facts get in the way of a good old moan.
     
  8. Yorkshireman

    Yorkshireman Part of the furniture

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    No moaners please!
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    Once again you make baseless allegations. How exactly how was there anything underhand? What benefit would accrue by the Compnay starting a rumour? You are being unreasonable or naive.
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2017
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  9. Captain Fantastic

    Captain Fantastic Member

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    My apologies then sir, my mistake. But I'm totally with you with looking forward to its visit, I've moaned quite a bit due to the widespread view that the line seams to view of the diesel gala almost in contempt at times but this is a very good sign and I'm more than happy to say I'm wrong if I'm so proved to be

    But on another issue can we all please stop all this lsp gibber, the railway for whatever reason has decided they're not doing them and I really don't expect posts on here and online petition's will alter that anytime soon
     
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  10. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    No need to apologise; you did not cause me any offence. I'm just delighted to have the chance to ride the Minehead branch behind D5343.

    I agree about the lsp argument - let management manage!

    John
     
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  11. frazoulaswak

    frazoulaswak Member

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    I used to hold a WSR LSP, but didn't bother renewing it when my PTS expired, so now whenever I visit the WSR for a day's steam photography I always do so outside the fence. I also buy a day rover ticket, whether I intend to use the trains or not. Consequently, just because I'm outside the fence with my camera, I find your blanket assertion that I would be a free-loader to be highly offensive.

    The other aspect of lineside permits, which you seem to ignore completely, is that one can be in good time to find a good spot for a shot outside the fence only to have one or more selfish tits in bright orange clothing appear just before a train is due, and stand in the most inconvenient position just because they are able to.

    For what it's worth, I still hold photographic permits at the SVR and GCR, and if I come across anyone waiting inside (in high-viz) or outside the fence who might be irked by my presence in their shot, then I will make sure that I do not get in their way.

    One can only hope that the WSR, having taken the decision to ban all lineside photography permits from the beginning of next year, will put even more effort into keeping lineside vegetation under control to improve the views of and from their trains.
     
  12. Jeff Price

    Jeff Price Member

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    The LSP issue provides insight into the minded set of SOME LSP holders
    Underlying threads are
    The Management can't manage because LSP are going to be stopped.
    You have to have a LSP pass to take good photos
    If a LSP is not available, the former LSP holder will take their custom elsewhere
    (WSR will be financially ruined as a result etc etc)
    Anybody taking photos who is not a LSP is a freeloader
    It must be a conspiracy, sneaky or in some way underhand because the eventual answer after weeks of uncertainty was the wrong answer for some.

    Time for a reality check I feel, get a grip, try and understand the issue from the WSR point of view then spend some time thinking above ways of getting the master shots without a LSP.

    Create a solution rather than bang on about it.

    Jeff
     
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  13. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    Well said. I detect a 'spoiled brat' mentality in some of the LSP posts. There is more to life (and even railways) than the endless quest for yet another 3/4 front master shot!

    John
     
  14. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    All my Railway photos are taken with my mobile phone camera, and (perhaps because I am about the Railway a fair bit - easy when you live alongside - ) it is more about being in the right place at the right time.

    Try this recent pair.

    The signalman assures me that he was not talking about fishing.:)

    The second is the underside of Stogumber station Bridge.....which I thought looked interesting.

    I have WSR and NR PTS but my shots are rarely taken from non-public areas. And pretty much never 3/4 loco....

    Robin

    IMG_4960.JPG IMG_4963.JPG
     
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  15. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

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    This is all rather dispiriting I feel. We all (those who support, those who volunteer or those who have a passing interest) I assume share a common cause, i.e. Upholding the Heritage Railway movement and the WSR in particular.

    We all have our own particular interests (even, and I admit to having one, obsessions) but that surely is not a reason to squabble, least of all on publicly available websites.

    I am reminded of Middle East Politics i.e. Palestine was a relatively peaceful part of the World when before the Balfour Declaration; Jew, Christian (whether one of several Orthodoxes or Catholic) and Muslim (whether Sunni, Shia or Druze) coexisted, united in a common antipathy towards the occupying Ottomans. Post the collapse of the Ottomam Empire the various parties have assumed hostile positions towards each other.

    Perhaps we should unite in overcoming our common concerns i.e. Increasing costs above inflation, particularly in repair of permanent way and rolling stock, a decrease in numbers and increase in age of our volunteer force plus a never ending over arching (possibly spiralling out of control) legislative bureaucracy.

    Under such circumstances high profile attractions such as 1472, 4472, 502, 103, 60103, become very important, not just for the anticipated benefit to the P&L account, but hopefully introducing a new audience to what we all love.

    As Frank has explained preparations for the Flying Scotsman visit are very much ongoing. " The dogs bark but the caravan proceeds on its way. " I think James Elroy Flecker might have had Palestine in mind (whilst reflecting on crossing deserts on a camel caravan) when he wrote this but it seems relevant to-day. Another writer (perhaps Doughty, but the memory is rusty) recounted how a major cause of delay, to the caravan you were travelling on, was the need to loan one of your better male camels, for stud purposes, when meeting a caravan coming in the opposite direction !

    Michael Rowe
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2017
  16. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    That looks closer to 1/3 of a loco to me ...

    Tom
     
  17. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Enough to form the backdrop for the interesting part of the shot - the staff interaction.

    Robin
     
  18. granmaree

    granmaree Member

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    Ah, pardon me Robin, that loco shot is taken from a 'privileged ' position. Joe Blogs is not going to be able to stand in the box for that :( (Not even with an LSP! )
     
  19. daveb

    daveb Member

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    Reminds me of a SVR Gala a few years back. I visited the yard at Bewdley to see how work on 4150 was progressing, and stopped by the fence, with a row of other people, to photograph the Kidderminster service leaving. A guy in an orange Hi-Viz with a camera bag big enough to spend the night in wandered along the other side of the fence, and decided to stop directly in front of me. When I politely pointed out that he was in my way, he replied that he had a lineside pass and was entitled to stand where-ever he damn well wanted to, and that was tough as far as I was concerned.

    I'm afraid that this has somewhat coloured my opinion of LSP holders ever since.
     
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  20. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Well, that might be right.:)

    But you will usually find that WSR Signalmen, if asked nicely at an appropriate time, will allow short visits to see our wonderful operational heritage.

    BA was the first box I qualified to work, now almost 35 years ago (gulp!). And there have been, ahem!, a few more since.....

    It remains the signal box with (IMHO) the third best view in the U.K. And a splendid place to spend a day.

    Robin
     
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