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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Mike

    I realised that I had got at cross purposes and have deleted my post.

    Robin
     
  2. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    The good old WSR insularity viewpoint again.
    Not all well wishers, financial donors or potential passengers on the line live locally to West Somerset. Many are outside that magic 200 miles spoken of some while ago.
     
  3. This item from the latest WSSRT board minutes is intriguing:

    The paper from the West Somerset Railway Association regarding future support organisation configuration was noted and the response prepared and sent by the Chairman was ratified.

    It would be easy to read more into that than is probably the case, especially in light of the petition subject. Perhaps a small step though. Interestingly I don't recall any similar reference within WSRA minutes. Is it important enough to be one of the several redacted items therein?
     
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  4. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    Well, I'm from Cornwall and a shareholder since 1984, and I don't get even e-mails from the plc despite e-mailing the Chairman's PA to point this out. I've got the message!
     
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  5. Andy Norman

    Andy Norman Member

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    I agree Barrie, lets hope that some people don't continue to try and derail the re-structure of the WSR to what it needs to be to allow large scale grant funders to engage and good governance to re-start. As many know the issues and solutions are well known and well discussed. Yet it seems from feedback I'm getting the people in control still can't seem to let go, even after the PLC Statement a few days back said the money runs out in Sept/Oct. If there is no change what next ? Surely continuing to do the same thing will only continue to get the same result (covid or not) ?

    The actions to re-structure were agreed by all after the Coombes Review, but actioned by nobody. These solutions have been repeated by other organisations since then, including very recently, yet here we all are with the WSR structure still the same, not working, more isolated, more inward looking and a lot less Community friendly than ever.

    Its good to see the petition has now reached 182 in a little over 24 hrs, http://chng.it/Rtkc8y6z7q

    This has been achieved by spreading the word by 'word of mouth' only by the people concerned, since the main contact details of all the Volunteers/Shareholders/Members are only available to 'the management' and clearly they are not going to share them.

    Please continue to spread the word, its of course up to people if they sign or not but lets at least see if the people of the WSR Community and anybody who cares about what happens to the WSR (inside and outside the 200 mile limit !) have concerns, wish to be heard and think a change and new focus is the way forward.
     
  6. Piggy

    Piggy Member

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    OVER 200 now, Andy ....
     
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  7. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    If anyone was wavering on whether or not to donate to the WSR, it is that kind of attitude that tells them to put their money elsewhere. It's certainly convinced me that the SVR, GWSR, Bluebell, the Aln Valley Railway and many others are far more deserving of financial help from outsiders. Well done!
     
  8. Devonbelle

    Devonbelle New Member

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    Very well written open letter - congratulations; which I have just signed. I’m no Lord Rothschild but I also threw some money in the hat for publicising this Change initiative. I very much hope the railway survives, having travelled it every year since 1976 when I was 9; (can’t remember if it was Victor or Vulcan). People however at the top will have to change their ways.

    If I see a change for the better by the WSR, and the action with the S&D group is withdrawn and things amicably settled, then I will very happily donate.

    To date S&D Washford, Avon Valley, Cholsey & Wallingford I’ve been happy to donate to try and help.

    I’ll watch with interest. Paul
     
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  9. Hemerdon

    Hemerdon Member Friend

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    I'm not sure of your reason to say this from the comment you quoted. Is the 'kind of attitude' coming from an officer of the railway or from someone with just an interest in the WSR? If the latter then why would that affect why you would donate, it's just someone's opinion?
     
  10. Forestpines

    Forestpines Well-Known Member

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    Just to clarify my original point a little: I certainly don't think living in Essex means you can't support the WSR. All the railways I've been involved with personally have had support from much much further away, and indeed welcome it.

    My point was more really a reflection on what the WSR Chair has said in the Facebook posts quoted on here recently. He has said, and I'm sure it's true, that his support for the WSR comes direct from his heart. He also seems to think that everyone on this site hates him.

    My worry was that if he receives a petition signed by a thousand people he's never heard of, and he knows it was publicised here, it will be yet more evidence that the world is against him and the one true cause of supporting the WSR by evicting all sources of Doubt.

    If, however, you go down the road taken previously as described by @Maunsell907 and collect a petition from a substantial chunk of the hard-core support that the Chairman already knows and works with - surely it would be much more effective?
     
  11. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    No reason why there can't be both, if any volunteer who was minded to sign the petition was to identify themselves by PM to @Maverick as such. Ditto shareholders and WSRA members.
     
  12. Maverick

    Maverick New Member

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    Personal opinion here, but as I said yesterday, we consider the West Somerset Railway to be a community asset, that community goes beyond those who actively volunteer, buy shares and are stakeholders in the railway today. In order to survive covid, the WSR needs to look beyond its traditional support and appeal to the wider audience, as we state in the letter, just as the NYMR etc have done, effective Positive and single message fundraising. To restrict a petition to just those who are active on the railway would be to ignore those who come to Somerset, purchase tickets, buy items from the shops and cafes and take the memories away with them! The response so far has been absolutely amazing, far more than we expected and is a complete cross section of people who are active on the WSR and those from far away. For me that shows how much passion there is in the world for the West Somerset Railway, for any organisation, be that a private company or a charity who’s aims are to promote the railway, to not acknowledge the support would be yet another huge mistake! We want the WSR to survive and flourish. To do this we need to look beyond what has been done before, beyond the boundaries of the railway and look for the wider community to help pull it through!
     
  13. 6960 Raveningham Hall

    6960 Raveningham Hall Member Friend

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    Your choice of words is far better than those I used.

    I did not intend to criticise or offend anybody with my Essex remark. Indeed, I used to live well outside the ‘200 mile zone’ and would have been upset if it was suggested that I was not a true supporter of the WSR. Maybe in future I should consider using the odd smiley.

    That said, I think that the above quote from @Forestpines and the observations of @Maunsell907 are significant and should not be dismissed.
     
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  14. RichardBrum

    RichardBrum Member

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    However, Minehead-Blue Anchor wouldn't need many volunteers for public interfacing roles, as you would only need to staff those two stations.

    Don't forget that this is thinking about how to "restart", not how to run for ever more.

    It also has an advantage in that PWay etc could then be given possession of the line past BA, & work their way eastwards.
    Then if the Blue Anchor restart has been successful, you extend to say Watchet.
     
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  15. RichardBrum

    RichardBrum Member

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    Somerset pop. 560k
    Essex pop. 1.5m


    Have you asked the WSRA & WSSRT for a geographical breakdown of their memberships?
     
  16. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Two points here:-

    1. Although operationally you might not need to man DR, I would suggest that having friendly, welcoming volunteer staff there would help to show that the railway was 'back in business'.

    2. Assuming that you might need access at least a short length of the BA-WN section to enable engines to run-round terminating Up trains, then the PW possession would have to start a bit further east and some temporary signalling alterations might be needed.
     
  17. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    As funds increase for various WSR appeals, it's good to note that offers of assistance for other railways are also successful. <BJ>

    ''Donations and share purchases for the SVR’s Fight Back Fund have brought the total to more than £745,000''.
     
  18. Anne C-B

    Anne C-B Member

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  19. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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  20. Anne C-B

    Anne C-B Member

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    As good as new.
     

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