If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2008
    Messages:
    7,498
    Likes Received:
    5,455
    The SVR was just one example, many other railways have also done well in this area.

    However, as you point out the SVR may of lagged behind, but recognised and embraced changes and moved with the times.

    Forget enthusiasts, in reality they are a small part of the market. A railway needs to understand it is a tourist attraction and market to that market accordingly. This is something the SVR & others have excelled at recently.
     
    Matt37401 and 35B like this.
  2. JBTEvans

    JBTEvans Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2008
    Messages:
    2,344
    Likes Received:
    673
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Casnewydd, De Cymru
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
  3. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    21,068
    Likes Received:
    20,778
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    And neither is the WSR website!

    I've already talked about the locomotive list that is a joke. Here's another example. On the home page is a Trip Advisor award - something that the railway should be proud of. The only problem is that this is a Certificate of Excellence........from 2016. Hardly current.

    So who would have guessed that in 2020 the WSR was awarded a Traveller's Choice badge. As Trip Advisor says:

    "Trip Advisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Trip Advisor."

    So even when, in the middle of a pandemic the railway somehow manages to deliver something that is recognised nationally they haven't the gumption to plaster it all over their web page.

    Someone now tell me that I am wrong to say that this set-up is so far off the pace on communication and PR that it's almost in the next county.
     
  4. Andy Moody

    Andy Moody Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2007
    Messages:
    496
    Likes Received:
    337
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    71B ex 71A
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    It Looks as if the WSR needs someone to keep their website up to date. I wonder if there is any WSR member on here that would be willing
    to take the task on?
     
    jnc likes this.
  5. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2008
    Messages:
    7,498
    Likes Received:
    5,455
    If you mean the absence of Jesse on loan, it’s still more up to date than the WSR ;)
     
  6. gwilialan

    gwilialan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2012
    Messages:
    1,658
    Likes Received:
    3,891
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Out there somewhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Not forgetting that a well supported YouTube channel can also generate some income. According to the Social Blade website (that reports on estimated user advertisement remuneration from Websites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter etc) SVR could currently be earning between £138 and £22k a month, MHR between £12 and £197 and Ffestiniog £2 to £27 . The revenue is variable depending on which advertisers chose your channel and how much they will pay.

    WSR TV, (being still in its infancy) comes in somewhere between 40p and £6 monthly
     
    flying scotsman123 likes this.
  7. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2014
    Messages:
    17,609
    Likes Received:
    11,223
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    St Leonards
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    So, A recap, As regards change, there will be no change, Carry on like before chaps, So everyone except the board of the PLC accepted change is needed, but some how, because shareholders did not respond in enough numbers, there is no change, whats the definition of insanity? Is the acquisition of gaining power and retaining it of a greater value to some, than the railway its self? between them the WSRA, and WSHRT did hold enough votes to have pushed for change, So, what method was the shareholders approached by, Post, On line, Email ?
    I would say the lessons have not been learnt, and given the very precarious state of the railways finances, as they were turned down for further funding, they really need to put their house in order, the Llangollen might not be the only casualty to happen to the heritage railway world, and After their self inflicted problems, Explosions', and bad feeling its created, there will be no movement to rescue it, Indeed by kicking the S&DRT off the railway, the WSR may have done them a favour, as they will in some form now survive and hopefully flourish in their new homes, If the WSR goes under, its finished, and its internal wars , mean there will be no phoenix to arise from the ashes.
     
    green five and Geoff May like this.
  8. richards

    richards Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2008
    Messages:
    4,634
    Likes Received:
    1,921
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    London
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    The last few posts about railways' websites/social media highlight some of the futility of trying to keep enthusiasts informed. There's always someone who will point out some apparent inaccuracy without ever actually thanking them for trying to keep them informed - or indeed offering to update the information for the railway.

    Also, there is the regularly-quoted question of the "value" of informing enthusiasts, when compared to other income streams.

    When you consider the other issues faced by heritage railways (not just during COVID), producing an updated list or roster of operational locos or a video about last month's work in the loco shed may not be their highest priority for staff/volunteer time. There is also the matter of having the relevant skills to do it.

    Be grateful for the information which is provided and maybe reduce (or stop) the instant criticism when the railway tries to be helpful.

    One forum member's views do not represent the opinion of them all.
     
    Islander, SteveA, keith6233 and 2 others like this.
  9. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2015
    Messages:
    1,826
    Likes Received:
    3,871
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    If every supporter of the WSR was as thin-skinned and lacking in determination as you, the WSR would never have been rebuilt and Minehead station would be a supermarket. Luckily 99.99% of the population don't consider that one person criticising a website on Nat Pres is sufficient reason give it up altogether. Also luckily there are very few people like you who consider themselves perfect and not in the need of any criticism, constructive or otherwise. Sadly too many of this select tribe appear to be running the WSR.
    For a organisation like the WSR, giving out information is not "trying to be helpful". It is a vital part of its business. It should be done properly. As a part owner of the business, why should I not point out to those who are appointed to run that business on my behalf where they could do better, or do you consider I should just hand over my money and leave them to play trains however they want, in peace?
    In any case, a wise management should never ignore or discourage criticism. It really isn't difficult, even in West Somerset, to sort the valuable criticism from the worthless and with no feedback, or only praise, no-one can really tell what's going on. That's not a good thing, just ask Nicolae Ceaușescu.
     
  10. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

    Joined:
    Apr 16, 2009
    Messages:
    8,069
    Likes Received:
    5,165
    If everyone is too busy to provide accuate information on the website, couldn't someone at least delete the inaccurate information?
     
  11. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2013
    Messages:
    10,440
    Likes Received:
    17,941
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Cheltenham
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    And then expect the money to come rolling in when the next appeal is made? Hmm...
     
    35B, jnc, Monkey Magic and 2 others like this.
  12. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2012
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    2,706
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Western Atlantic
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    That would be a truly terrible shame; as I've said several times, the WSR should be an absolute jewel in the heritage crown, a complete branch line through some beautiful country. A complete disappearance would be an irreparable and incomparable loss. We'll see.

    Noel
     
  13. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2014
    Messages:
    15,330
    Likes Received:
    11,667
    Occupation:
    Nosy aren’t you?
    Location:
    Nowhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    What is there to be grateful for for out of date and non useful information? It’s like buying a newspaper today for the football results last weekend.
     
    D1002 and Monkey Magic like this.
  14. Lenny

    Lenny New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2014
    Messages:
    57
    Likes Received:
    72
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Finance Manager
    Location:
    Croydon
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    In fairness the MHR site was giving very little information about their current gala. What is the timetable? What about disabled passengers in wheelchairs? Nothing! We will still go down but won't ride the trains. A family picnic at Alresford will have to do.
    And volunteering to help with the website won't do any good as the WSR turned down a very good offer many years ago. Plus a volunteer webmaster could only put up information they are given.
    The WSR need to sort this out, but I doubt it will happen. Far better go to Steve Edge's site.
     
  15. 21B

    21B Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2009
    Messages:
    2,944
    Likes Received:
    6,303
    The reasons for the relative silence from the Watercress Line website have been explained extensively on that thread.

    The timetable is available on that thread too. Arrangements for disabled passengers are as normal on the railway and facilities exist on most trains with the exception of the shuttles.

    Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk
     
    Gilesy68, Paul42, Matt37401 and 4 others like this.
  16. gwilialan

    gwilialan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2012
    Messages:
    1,658
    Likes Received:
    3,891
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Out there somewhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    So the WSR management haven't got the time/skills/inclination to run a reasonably regularly updated website.
    Or the time/skills/inclination to allow a volunteer to do it (If @Lenny above is correct)
    And even if they did some folks are not sure how accurate/reliable/timely their content might be.
    So they are just leaving it up to independent @Steve Edge to show them how the news content could/should be done.
    If I was in their shoes I'd be seriously embarrassed about such a poor performance.
     
    Kje7812, The Dainton Banker and jnc like this.
  17. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2014
    Messages:
    15,330
    Likes Received:
    11,667
    Occupation:
    Nosy aren’t you?
    Location:
    Nowhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    We’re not on about the Mid Hants though in this instance are we@Lenny ? Regarding the event that’s going on there and why has all been explained on another thread with @21B who’s been prepared to stick their head above the parapet and communicate with the public on the event that’s going on there.

    This is something that those in Somerset need to realise, it’s not just enthusiasts that they need to engage with. It’s the general public.

    Regarding the Mid Hants it’s rather nice that there’s been open and transparent communication from a railway that’s actually running trains.
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2021
    Monkey Magic and martin1656 like this.
  18. richards

    richards Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2008
    Messages:
    4,634
    Likes Received:
    1,921
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    London
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Ah, silly me! I forgot that suggesting an alternative view on this thread would lead to the usual personal attack, despite me having no link with any of the WSR tribes.

    Maybe, one day, some of the more outspoken members of this forum will allow others to have a different opinion. They don't need to agreed with what's being said, but neither do they need to respond in such an aggressive way.
     
  19. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    May 29, 2006
    Messages:
    3,967
    Likes Received:
    5,064
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    N.Ireland
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    You've quoted your own post, so its hard to know what you're referring to. Assuming it's @Bayard's reply to your previous message, it's noteworthy that you didn't actually answer any of his points. I don't think calling someone thin skinned is particularly aggressive, especially when you chose to join the debate and as a long standing forum member will be well aware of how WSR topics normally go.
    Bearing in mind that there have been very few volunteer opportunities for the last year or so, surely its not beyond the wit of even the WSR management to get some supporters to go through the website and make a list of enhancements/corrections/broken links etc. and pass them onto the webmaster? These are the easy management tasks, who knows what would happen if something tricky like a level crossing replacement came up. How long would that take? Oh hold on....
     
    johnofwessex, jnc, 35B and 2 others like this.
  20. The Dainton Banker

    The Dainton Banker Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2014
    Messages:
    1,720
    Likes Received:
    3,186
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Over the hills and far away
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I think it a bit of an over-reaction to claim that you are being personally attacked by anybody. You are, of course, entitled to your opinion but I have to say it is confusing to try to follow your thinking.
    In your post #34026 of 25 Oct '20 you said, in reply to a posting by Frank C : "My comment wasn't a joke, but a sarcastic suggestion. You're original post referred to NatPres as "not really a sensible vehicle for PR". If you want to rely on your own newsletter for communications, then perhaps you're missing various tricks when it comes to PR. You have a HUGE following on this thread, and it might be nice to read some positive fund-raising news from time to time, rather than snide comments about the quality of the discussion on here (which you have contributed to)." but now you seem to be taking issue with people who are making the same points as you made in your earlier post. If you have changed your views, fair enough, but it would be helpful to understand your reasoning.
     
    Monkey Magic, ghost and jnc like this.

Share This Page