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Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by 50044 Exeter, Dec 25, 2009.

  1. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    Meatman, one question- are you a working volunteer on the L&B?
     
  2. Meatman

    Meatman Member

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    Yes I am an active volunteer
    on parts of it yes
     
  3. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    OK, its currently only one mile in length, so when you say "in parts", is that on or off the railway, per se?
     
  4. Meatman

    Meatman Member

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    shall we say 'not at woody bay or rowley
     
  5. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    Ok, that narrows it down a bit. Its just, as a Trust member with a geographical disadvantage, I'm trying to get an angle on this axe- grinding. I must admit, that at times I have wondered weather you were not actually an associate of the Grob family. so your information is aquired second hand, is it not?
     
  6. Meatman

    Meatman Member

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    haha,i am definitely not a member or associate of the grob family,none of my information is second hand,the majority of things i have mentioned in the above posts has been available in the public domain for a few weeks now ,one minute there are major problems with lyns wheels and the turnouts,the next all is fine,all im doing is questioning that information
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2018
  7. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    I know the information has been in the public domain, it is however, the spin, as above, that you are putting on this on a public forum which bothers me. This should be discussed at AGMs and the like, rather than here for all, including the likes of the Grobs, to see.
     
  8. Meatman

    Meatman Member

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    so basically its best i dont express my own personal opinions or criticisms in public
     
  9. jma1009

    jma1009 Well-Known Member

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    Which, of course, is precisely what you have already done on here!

    There was considerable discussion on here about the Porta wheel profile, with some, me included, being very dubious about the initial 'hasty' decision that it would cause the "marks" on the new points or any other points for that matter, and suggesting that the turning of the wheels was not the correct way of solving the problem and that the fault may instead result from the new points/turnouts.

    Anonymity is not a good thing in these debates.

    Cheers,

    Julian Atkins
     
    Mark Thompson and Old Kent Biker like this.
  10. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Give the guy a break. Meatman is a new boy on the block - he has only made fifteen posts. He seems to be a supporter of the L&B and possibly a volunteer. A welcome might have been better rather than frosty responses.
    It is worth considering that those who are highly committed to preservation societies and associations often find attending meetings/AGM's etc. part of their commitment: however, many supporters/members are often find that they are not able - for a variety of reasons - to attend them.
     
  11. MartinBall

    MartinBall Guest

    Meatman has actually stated he does not volunteer at Woody Bay. There is of course history here. Years ago, when the current management (who have been incredibly successful, by the way - as the Planning Permission alone testifies) took office, not everyone was happy. Some folk decided to support the railway in a different way and set up Exmoor Associates to concentrate on obtaining track bed. Of course for a time there was some tension between the two groups, but recently a welcome rapprochement appears to have taken place. My guess is that Meatman is an EA volunteer.
    It would seem, however, that some are still peddling anti-Woody Bay messages and have decided to "support" the railway by posting negative comments and spreading unverified rumours.
    I guess, whatever floats your boat - but I know I'd rather not be publishing negative gossip when there's still a TWAO to obtain, and the well-known anti-extension people are still out there eager, no doubt, to garner anything they can to use against the L&B.
     
  12. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    I was unaware, as I am sure many others are, of past disagreements on the L&B. However, that, sadly, seems to be an integral part affecting many preservation lines. However, whilst I have never seen any deliberate 'gossip' I am pleased that it is now something in the past. The line has, hopefully, a great future.
     
  13. Meatman

    Meatman Member

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    I actually do volunteer on the l&b occasionally, just not at woody Bay , as I have only been a volunteer since 2013 I have not gotten myself involved with old issues shall we say and had been trying to keep an open mind on things but one issue a few years ago did highlight the way some at woody Bay operate, more recently however things have come to light which I am not overly impressed with and are actually starting to confirm the very rumours that I have been trying to ignore, my trust in the trust is slowly dissappearing, as someone once said
     
  14. Miff

    Miff Part of the furniture Friend

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    What’s wrong with Lyn’s wheels?
     
  15. MartinBall

    MartinBall Guest

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  16. Kempenfelt 82e

    Kempenfelt 82e New Member

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    There's a few things that appear to have been blown out of proportion here! My take on the official postings are as follows.

    Lyn is "not yet in service use", however it is in a safe working order and is seeing limited use, thus making perfect sense to make the most of her limited use at special events such as gala. Lyn is by no means unsafe, otherwise it would not be used.

    Lyn is causing "some marking to the railhead around the nose area", this I'm sure will be mitigated by things such as speed restriction in the affected areas. I would fully expect the financial benefits of running Lyn at the gala (and other special events) and not going to the expense of hiring in a guest engine to far outweigh the repair work required to the points. The press release offers the option of modifying the points to suit Lyn as one of the potential solutions, so it can be presumed that the points are repairable or would need replacement parts anyway. Personally, I feel that this would ultimately cause issues with any visits to other railways such as the WHR, so my preference would be to modify the tyre to revert to a traditional profile.

    Yes there is the potential that Isaac won't be back in service by the time Axe's boiler ticket expires. This will be a recognised risk and i'm sure there will be several option to mitigate this should this risk materialise. 1) To line up a potential hire engine to cover the period in question, such as Isibutu from Statfold. 2) To run Lyn if the period required is short enough not to do enough damage to the track work that the cost of repair exceeds a loan period of a guest engine. 3) Substitute some trains with diesel power provided by Pilton, certainly for off peak periods such as weekdays. 4) Swap deal as per talyllyn1's suggestion above. 5) Accelerate the remedial work to Lyn 6) Seek an extension to Axe's boiler ticket if available. There are likely to be other options available and these are only a few I thought of whilst composing this message. Ultimately a risk, but surely not the major cock up suggested?

    Personally, one thing I would very much encourage and like to see is more up to date information in the press. A lack of information and progress can actually be more damaging as a result of the scaremongering created! I have no idea why some people would consider this inappropriate to expose to the public (The Grob family or others included). A transparent organisation holds far more respect than one which withholds information. Include updates on the weekly news bulletin and it will inspire confidence that the situation is being handled and suppress any fears, a lack of information will adversely appear that the issue is being avoided (hence some of the scaremongering above!).

    I certainly don't see any minor challenges such as those discussed over the past few days to outweigh the successes achieved over the past few days. Certainly bad form to suggest the rolling of management heads!

    Rant over and looking forward to more positive discussion about the L&B's achievements!


    Kind Regards

    Paul Hutfield
     
  17. 7143

    7143 New Member

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    Very recently, a much reported incident took place when Tornado suffered a catastrophic failure in the ECML. In the ensuing days, there was total openness by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust as to what had occurred, photographs of the damaged components, an indication of the cause, and the action that was being taken to effect repairs - even compensation for many of those affected. Far from damaging an already well respected organisation, that honesty simply resulted in overwhelming support for them from professionals within the railway industry as well as voluntary organisations and enthusiasts. I have't read, anywhere, criticism of them.

    The L&B has been achieved so much and the construction of Lyn was a real achievement. Why on earth allow those achievements to be sullied by the semi-secretive and contradictory statements.

    What's the issue?
    What's the cause?
    What's being done?
    When will it be fixed?

    How about someone in the know and with the authority to do so makes the statement and kills the negative press being generated. I have never really understood the determination for self destruction that appears to exist in some parts of the heritage railway movement.
     
  18. Steve B

    Steve B Well-Known Member

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    As you say, the way in which the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust put out information was indeed commendable. But earlier on this evening I was reading the "Tornado" thread, and the question was being asked why there wasn't more recent news! Whilst they were clear about what happened, and the consequences of it, from what I've read it is still not clear (or at least not public - and please correct me if I've got this wrong) what the underlying cause was.

    With regard to Lyn, I can only go by what has been officially published here - http://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/railway/news - which seems clear to me, and then here - http://www.762club.com/762home.php - which gives more detail.

    Two things stand out for me - one is that Lyn isn't owned by the railway, and so the railway is directing questions to the 762 Club for more details. This split of ownership between railway and loco may complicate the "who does what next" question, or maybe not - I don't know. Secondly, if I've read the club page correctly, they have been open about what the problem is, but that what is going to be done has not yet been decided. Possibly, as the railway website indicates, the running of Lyn at the Gala may give more information and help answer some questions.

    Now I know that some of you are far more physically and/or emotionally involved than I ever will be, and must find this all very frustrating, but I, for one, am happy to wait and see what is decided. But don't let me stop the rest of you speculating, accusing, etc, etc...

    Steve B
     
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  19. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    From my inexpert viewpoint, it seems to me that Lyn is much bigger than anything that has run on the L&B to date. Given that the points as as far as I am aware ex MoD and designed for much lighter diesels the fact that she has damaged them doesn't exactly surprise me..................
     
  20. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    That is as was, John. The points at Killington have now been replaced as a matter of necessity. The current discussion is about the effect of Lyn on these new points. It is something which is very difficult to picture from purely verbal description.
    I must admit, a photograph or 2 of the affected point blades from relevant sources would save a mountain of speculation on the subject, some of it rather destructive.
     

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