West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Add in a regular boat service to/from Cardiff Bay to Minehead, some decent sea food restaurants, integrated open top bus service connecting with WSR services...…….I could go on.

 

All this has to be publicised though...

 

They are still raising money it seems, for the new pool. There is little info since early 2018 and just one F/Book mention in August.
I doubt it will be this summer in that case.

 

Will need a pier for any ferry service. Last one was removed in 1940. https://piers.org.uk/pier/minehead-pier/

 

Wow. You learn something every day, I never knew there was such a organisation as the National Piers Society.

But a hovercraft wouldn't need a pier.

 

https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1961/1961 - 1416.PDF

The first part of Hovercraft in the Air

http://www.glamorgan-gem.co.uk/arti...y Brian Keitch&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2018

P&A Campbell Master Captain Jack Wide took his Hovercraft Licence, he was also the last Master in the Merchant Navy to have qualified under sail.

I believe that they did go to Minehead but the experiment wasnt a success.

 

A few years ago, ten possibly?, an enterprise bought one of the yellow fast cats that had been retired from the Portsmouth to Ryde service. The intention was to operate it between Swansea and Ilfracombe. A lot of money was spent on refurbishment before the project seemed to die and disapear. I don't know what happened to the fast cat. Locally in the Solent they were known as the "vomit comets" due to their rough ride. I shudder to think what a crossing of the Bristol Channel in medium seas would be like !! The same would apply to a hovercraft, they don't exactly glide smoothly over the briney.

 

I was always under the belief that "Vomit Comets" were Nimrod's.
NASA has a zero gravity training version.
How many other means of transport are called the same?

 

NASA owns a Nimrod?? I think their zero gravity aircraft used to be a KC135, but is now I think a 727. Must be hard getting parts for a KC135 or a Nimrod for that matter.

 

One has to wonder how much bad decisions by local government 'planners' have contributed to the present situation.

The business park at BL has constrained any development and locked the station into a 1980's scheme of things.

Williton likewise by the business park.

Minehead has restricted and expensive parking, with the cafe limited in size.

Watchet - the marina is a disaster needing constant maintenance dredging. Also the mill needed the port, the port needed the mill. Howards Way thinking doesnt work and the mill was lost.

What would be a real draw would to have a 'Milltown' Beamish style heritage site where the mill was.

 

Not much call for Nimrod spares these days - but I imagine KC135 spares aren't so hard to come by - they (and various derivatives) are still in service...

 

Crossed thoughts there.
I meant that NASA uses a Zero Gravity training plane nicknamed "Vomit Comet" and does not have a Nimrod.
KC 135 was an airborne refueller wasn't it?
I know I flew to the states and back in some back in the 90's and they were KC135's which were developed from the old 707.

Anyway that's 3 uses so far of the nickname, any more?

 

0

Used by expats in Hong Kong as a nickname for some of the ferries, notably the rather sawn-off looking Lamma ferries.

 

At sea generally, like the ex solent catamarans, any of the twin hull high sepeed ferries.

The Condor Liberation had terrible comfort problems.

 

At last! Something about the WSR.

The WSRA have issued a brief synopsis of the Trustee Board meeting held on 11 February 2019.

Steve

 

I remember staying in Watchet in the mid 1990s, then not visiting again for over 10 years. In those student summers, the mill lived but the port and town were dying. The post marina town has obvious challenges, but has a life I don’t recall from 20 odd years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

An interesting and upbeat synopsis. Each new meeting synopsis also brings an upgrade of the previous meeting report from synopsis to full/redacted minutes. There is always something of interest in those full minutes, something I suspect many folk overlook.

Items 5 and 6 of the latest synopsis should surely involve WSR Project Development Group (PDG). I'm hoping minutes of the most recent PDG meeting will appear somewhere soon. PDG creation was a good and welcome development. Let's hope that group doesn't lose momentum at this critial period of time for our railway.

Barrie

 

Looking at Watchet I see they have a webcam over the harbour. Best in Chrome.

 

Agreed, @Barrie the Beer - and nowadays isn't it good to view the WSRA papers on the Documents page of the Association website.

Steve