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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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


    I was Station Master at Bishops Lydeard for a time in the early 1980s at a time when the Company were finally allowed to use the old goods yard (by then a disused coal yard) for car parking and so on. Trouble was passengers had to walk back along the access track, potholes, puddles and mud, to get to the old booking office on the Down side. So we removed some of the iron fence panels next to the signal box so folks could walk along the Up platform. Simple remedy. Just one of the "improvements" we made at Lydeard. All vastly improved of course by later developments by my more able successors, thankfully.

    As for portacabins - of course no-one want to see these. But "needs must" and I guess most visitors don't actually notice this particular one. Maybe one day someone might find a more 'heritage style' building to replace it. Now. Who is good at this kind of thing, I wonder ;)

    Steve
     
  1. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    I would be delighted to help, but it requires the will to do something better by those further up the tree, and given 'sign gate', the plastic palace, and the moribund heritage committee, evidence of that is thin on the ground in Somerset at the moment.

    Two years ago I proposed a volunteer led approach to clearing our debris-strewn lineside and was told that I was 'out of touch'.

    Still, we have a new regime at Board level and I look forward to positive change becoming apparent.

    Robin
     
  2. Yorkshireman

    Yorkshireman Part of the furniture

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    It really comes down to cost. The portakabin in GWR colours looks neat and tidy compared to the scruffy Taunton Deane toilet block. This creates a very bad first impression of the site. A period styled replacement next to signalbox would look nicer always assuming the roof pitch was better than the Crowcombe goods shed fiasco.
     
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  3. [​IMG]

    Latest headlines

    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    News of the next West Somerset Railway Stakeholder Meeting
    Posted: 17 October 2017

    The Quantock Belle welcomes a very special railway celebrity

    Posted: 15 October 2017

    Minehead Station Christmas Market on Saturday 9 December 2017

    Posted: 15 October 2017


    News from www.wsr.org.uk - an unofficial website featuring the West Somerset Railway.
    The content is unofficial and for general information purposes only.





    News of the next West Somerset Railway Stakeholder Meeting


    [​IMG]

    The West Somerset Railway's Stakeholder Meeting will take place on Saturday 28 October 2017 at 2pm in Bishops Lydeard Village Hall.

    The meeting will give all stakeholders with an interest in the railway, the opportunity, to learn how the West Somerset Railway has progressed throughout the year, and how we intend to move forward into 2018. The meeting will be chaired by Alan Nicholson, Chairman of the Board. All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you. The agenda will include

    Posted: 17 October 2017


    The Quantock Belle welcomes a very special railway celebrity


    [​IMG]

    Today - Sunday 15 October 2017 - Mary Kelly nee Skelton (also known as Molly) and her family joined the Quantock Belle dining train on the WSR to celebrate her 94th birthday which is tomorrow. Mary was signalman at Littlethorpe Signal Box near Ripon from 1939 to 1945. She is pictured in Bishops Lydeard Signal Box on the West Somerset Railway. Mary chatted with duty WSR signalman Peter Smith and remembers her training at York aged 17 after she had chosen that over factory work or being a railway porter. There was another, older girl called Mary on the course, so she had to choose another name and has sometimes been known as Molly ever since. She said that the male signalman accepted her and one, who was a cobbler, made her a pair of shoes - useful in wartime Britain. She was sad to give up signalling in 1945 and has fond memories of her time on the railway. She now lives in Somerset and her family celebrate her birthday on the Quantock Belle each year.

    Posted: 15 October 2017


    Minehead Station Christmas Market on Saturday 9 December 2017


    [​IMG]

    For the first time since the event's creation the West Somerset Railway will be holding their annual Christmas market on a Saturday.

    Over 30 stalls will fill the platform on Saturday 9 December 2017. The official webpage has more details.

    Traders interested in booking a stall please contact the West Somerset Railway on 01643 704996 or by email on info@wsrail.net

    Posted: 15 October 2017


    News from www.wsr.org.uk - an unofficial website featuring the West Somerset Railway.
    The content of this email is unofficial and for general information purposes only.
     
  4. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    There is plenty of space for such facilities in the loco compound, to include office, mess and other facilities in a GWR style building.

    All that is needed is a plan, and some finance each year. Steady progress against a plan over a few years and the portacabins would be gone. 40 years in the heritage world shows that such projects draw in resources (both financial and other) that would not be available elsewhere.

    The presently missing elements are vision, corporate will and planning, not bricks and mortar or money.

    Robin
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2017
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  5. Snifter

    Snifter Well-Known Member

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    There are a few like minded souls who think that this is long overdue. I hope to see something being put together this winter as the current situation does not represent the excellent work done elsewhere.

    Apparently, there was an instruction that members of the clearing up gang could not travel short distances on the wagons (travelling at snails pace) as it was a H&S hazard. This was obeyed and a member of the gang slipped and hurt themselves while climbing down to allow the train to move. That was that. Hopefully, common sense will prevail and we can get the job done in a sensible way.
     
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  6. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    A further part of the (thoroughly disrespectful) answer I received was that volunteer input was unnecessary as all the tidying up that needed to be done would be achieved with the employed staff and the RRV.

    The proof of that pudding is that virtually no tidying up has been achieved over the past several years.

    If that attitude is changing, then very good. But I look forward to seeing practical expression of that.

    Robin
     
  7. Yorkshireman

    Yorkshireman Part of the furniture

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    I heard a rumour that the Pink Porcines Aerobatic Team are thinking of reforming.:D:D:D
     
  8. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    This is beginning to sound like another W.S.R. internecine squabble. I only hope I'm wrong.

    PH
     
  9. Snifter

    Snifter Well-Known Member

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    That will very much depend on the number of people volunteering to help. That's the pair of us included I presume.

    :Arewealone:
     
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  10. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

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    Internecine squabble. I think not ! Like all Heritage Railways there is much to be proud of and much to be done.

    There are always some stirring the pot, a healthy stir adds to the flavour, too much stirring and the pot overfloweth, and then there are bruised egos !

    The Heritage Committee was the subject of a question and response at the Plc AGM, inappropriate/appropriate signage is very much a current discussion point.

    Post the visit of (1472/4472/502/103/60103) there is amongst many a visible increasing team spirit.

    Michael Rowe
     
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  11. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Some egos need to be bruised.

    Robin
     
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  12. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    This combination of replies is not very encouraging. The outside world got more than enough schadenfreude from the last bout.

    PH
     
  13. Beckford

    Beckford Guest

    That's a bit of a stretch, surely?
     
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  14. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    I agree.

    We still have some serious issues to solve here in Somerset.

    Platitudes (like the above comment about Flying Scotsman - which was a very mixed blessing for the WSR) will not get them tackled.

    The WSRA has faced up to the difficulties left for the present Trustees by the removed group.

    At the moment, I do not see the same positive progress by the WSR plc but, as always, I always travel hopefully.

    Robin
     
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  15. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    Hardly, there are a number of not particularly friendly comments being quoted.

    PH
     
  16. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    With luck the spectre of those previous territori pi.. sorry ..... spats elsewhere will concentrate a few minds before heads need banging together! The prolonged situation down west was unedifying, to put it mildly.
     
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  17. Beckford

    Beckford Guest

    There's no problem with differences of opinion expressed trenchantly. That's healthy. But to raise the spectre of the WSRA "troubles" and infer a repetition is, in my view, a stretch.
     
  18. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    Well I hope you are right and not tending towards naievity.

    PH
     
  19. Dennis John Brooks

    Dennis John Brooks Member

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    There is too much negativity being discussed in the public domain when it should be directed at those who control it, privately!!

    DJB.
     

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