West Somerset Railway General Discussion

People are better at not using the toilet while the train is in the station now.........................

 

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5199 is a lovely loco, seen here leaving Minehead 16:30, taken by me from behind fence foot crossing

 

Difficult to follow your point Robin. The WSR opened throughout to passengers on 16th July 1874. The press statement says The West Somerset Railway itself is a historic resource, dating from 1874 Perhaps the reading lamps at Stogumber Towers need to be re-filled?
Frank

 

Simple, really.

The West Somerset Railway opened from Taunton to Watchet in 1862. The Minehead Railway opened in 1874 from Watchet to Minehead.

Robin

 

For pedants only... So perhaps the press statement should have read "The West Somerset Railway, as we know it today, opened throughout in 1874"???

 

Robin,

The original West Somerset Railway never reached Taunton, its Act of incorporation allowed for a railway from Norton Fitzwarren to Watchet only. The West Somerset Railway never ran any trains, it was worked from the beginning by the Bristol and Exeter and it was the B&E that ran trains up the two miles of it's own mainline from Norton Fitzwarren to Taunton. The GWR took over the working of trains later following the demise of the B&E.

Andy.

 

No.

It should have said 1862 where it has 1874.

Or did WW2 start in 1951, approximately?

Robin

 

Agreed.

 

No, that's when it ended.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/truman-declares-war-with-germany-officially-over

 

and, of course, all the elms have gone.

 

Perhaps a teacher on this thread could assemble the last several pedantically-historical messages into a script that a carriage full of kids would relate to.

Such as:

"We're on a train going to the seaside".
"Anybody want an ice cream?".

 

Very good Mike.

I absolutely embrace the 'pedant' label in this context. But if a date is to be given, it must be the right date.

Robin

 

Never trust an American president telling you a war is over! The final treaty ending the Second World War wasn't signed until 1990.

 

They also have a strange idea that it started in 1941.....

Robin

 

Anyway! Apart from all the pedantic views & nit picking about when the war ended & this & that, I think its an inspired piece of thinking by the commercial ? dept. to invite schoolkids on the first FS run. they will absolutely love it ! And you could be sowing the seeds of future volunteers!

 

We live and learn.

John

 

Hit the nail on the head, The communication is less than satisfactory, Know a few LSP holders feel a little alienated by this.
This isn't the Scotsman affect either, it's steadily got worse in the past 6-7 years.
The whole going after the cash cow and seemingly neglecting the LSP holders,
After the debacle with the Loco allocations and facings last gala and now this will have to seriously rethink my visits to Somerset.
I mean for £50 a year, a little bit better communication.
Anything is better then the none we've had so far.
Not just for galas, I mean what's the harm in an email being sent, (they have our emails) On what's running what way it's facing when it's turned etc.
Understand late changes etc, they can't be helped.
Would make the £50 better value because it's an expensive Hi Vis atm.
I have emailed my thoughts to the railway in the past and they have fallen on deaf ears so far.

 

I think that Berwick-on-Tweed is still at war with Germany, or is it Russia?

 

Russia. But that was a myth started by a lawyerly-pedantic interpretation of the treaty ending the Crimean War.

(One in the eye for those who think we lawyers love pedantry.)

Robin