West Somerset Railway General Discussion

The satement on the Staff website that was confidential was published without permission, not by me, on this forum.

 

As I said, my reading was that it was simply released prematurely, I'd expect volunteers to be given a day or two to digest the information before everyone else finds out. The statement was addressed to supporters, not just volunteers after all.

 

Ah, I think I've explained this before, Peter. I hope I can clear this up. The statement put on NP (I believe only once) was not taken from the confidential staff website (where it first appeared) but from an emailed copy sent (a few hours later) to, I believe, all staff with email and with no embargo or confidentiality clause whatsoever. So it cannot be claimed to have been leaked. It was certainly put there with the best intentions. For what it is worth, when I received the emailed version, I immediately asked the Plc if I could publish that on wsr.org.uk and a little later I received that permission and it was uploaded. The appearance of that statement on Nat Pres was no leak. I do hope the OP agrees with my explanation and I hope that clears up any misunderstanding and we can move on. Please.

Steve

 

Changing the subject completely, I noticed last night and tonight that it looks like a light has been left on at Crowcombe Heathfield. On the webcam it is usually pitch black at night, would that be inside the parcel office or outside the loo? Or something on the back road? I've only got a small screen to view it on.

 

The chairman has two choices, either spends time sorting our information for you and seeing the ORR closing down the railway before the first Santa train runs and get more bad publicity for the railway because he has failed to get the information to them by the due date, or get the information to the ORR first and keep the railway open until the 2nd Jan by supplying information to the ORR by the due date and then sort out a press release in a few weeks time as he is working to a very very tight schedule now.

So which do you want.

 

There is a light outside the toilets which automatically comes on at night. It is more apparent at present, because it is usually partially obscured by the running-in board which has been taken down pending replacement.

 

Ah right, thanks Ian

 

I'm all for a controlled and limited supply of information, reports or whatever. Too many of these and you end up skim reading them and often miss the important points.

What I can't understand about this is why the Board cannot simply say something like "People will be aware that the ORR paid the railway a visit on..... and, as a result of that visit we have been asked to change/ review/update/amend (or whatever) X, Y and Z which the Board will be doing between now and next March..."

I can't see a need for any specific detail, simply a recognition that certain things have to be done and an acknowledgement that they are working on it with a planned delivery date. It might not be enough for some people on here who seen to want to know the nitty gritty of every single action the Board takes but it might reassure many that the Board does understand that supporters of the railway may be concerned about what is happening and why it is happening.

It would also negate the speculation that arises from a continued lack of any information other that the facts already released that complete departments are to be reorganised and railway wide processes are to be changed. These changes seem to be significant enough to indicate that whatever the reason is for them to have to do these things it is not some 'small' matter.

 

Maybe in the plethora of posts here, I missed the information quoted above.
I was not aware that the operation of the line, before the January closure, was dependant upon information being given to the ORR - presumably it is progress reports. It is known and quoted in this thread that the ORR will visit in the Spring to appraise what the railway has achieved, so maybe this new information (if that is what it is) was part of the recent briefing.

 

Noted. Thanks for the clarification.

 

That is nonsense. As I said the Chairman can easily delegate the job to a responsible person. Time taken a few minutes.

 

As an outsider but fervent supporter of the WSR, it amazes me that for all of this willy waving that is going on at a higher level, the folks on the ground just carry on and run a great railway.

Is this a case of 'The board fiddled, whilst the railway steamed ahead'?

 

I think that rather than the board fiddling it was the absence of a functioning board, with nobody to give consistent direction that has been the problem. How many railway chairman have there been over the last couple of years? I'm not sure whether it has been four or five, and together with the rapid turn over of other directors is it surprising that problems have arisen and not been addressed.

 

Very true.

 

But the medium-term outlook is not good, I gather; there are money/budget issues, and also infrastructure (principally track, is the impression I have). [I'm too lazy/busy to read back through a zillion pages on two threads to find the references, sorry.] I don't know if the ORR visit touched on these, since no detail of what the ORR letter covered has appeared (that I recall).

But anyway, while the folks on the ground are no doubt doing their best on the day-to-day (for which I salute them), that won't help with either of those, which are both very serious problems, and which have been steeping for years - the board, with help from the whole railway family (which includes the WSRA, to the extent it is the fund-raising arm of the family), are the ones who will have to solve them.

Noel

 

Exactly! That is why management need to keep all supporters, not just volunteers, on side.

 

Got mine this morning, a nice gesture from the PLC.

 

I don't know why people are complaining about not being informed, i get all the news i need direct from Dave

 

Ditto

 

Any update on 7828 please