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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. aldfort

    aldfort Well-Known Member

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    Sadly true on some occasions. We never look if we are not ready. But we do try to be ready, I hate having to have a pause for a blow up at a station but it does sometimes happen. We are operating old machinery and sometimes it does get the better of us. Loco's can throw their water out for no good reason at all, might have been fine all day long then suddenly it primes or foams and your boiler is almost empty. The lightest shower on a summer day can play havoc with railhead conditions and all of a sudden you're fighting a problem on the run up to Washford. Injectors, particularly on some tank engines, have a habit of not working as well as the water in the tank warms up.
    However we never forget the guard is in charge of the train. Prompt despatch is entirely in their hands. We just provide the motive power.
     
  2. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Oh yes it does. I can think of 3 or 4 occasions when I have been acting as Controller that the lightly loaded last BL to MD train has been held back at a previous crossing point to give the heavily loaded MD to BL train priority.

    This doesn’t always work given the length of block sections.

    Robin
    (Now WSR ‘Responsible Officer’ on occasion).
     
  3. mdewell

    mdewell Well-Known Member Friend

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    marshall5 likes this.
  4. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

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    An all Manor gala would be brilliant
     
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  5. Ploughman

    Ploughman Part of the furniture

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    In your opinion
     
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  6. Forestpines

    Forestpines Well-Known Member

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    I was going to say "it's not long since the SVR held the 'Manor 50' weekend," but realised it was 3 1/2 years ago already! Time flies, etc
     
  7. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    Would you regard a gala with just three locomotives (as things stand) as brilliant ?
     
  8. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    Memories of Shrewsbury on a summer Saturday in 1965, when there were plenty of 'extras' to the Cambrian Coast. lovely locos.
     
  9. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    Are we on the forums to constructively debate preservation issues or to score "gotcha" points
     
  10. DragonHandler

    DragonHandler Well-Known Member

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    The East Somerset Railway had a brilliant gala with only two locomotives. :)
     
  11. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Yes, bigger is not always best it seems.
     
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  12. 45076

    45076 Member

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    Not a good day.
    DMU failed and being dragged about by D6566.
    1100 BL-MD arrived MD 57 late.
    1525 MD-BL 23 late Williton and in for a long wait at CH as:
    1620 BL-MD 45 late start.
    1630 MD-BL at Williton for a long wait for 1620 from BL.
     
  13. dhpaul

    dhpaul Member

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    The DMU had problems Tuesday also, and there were other issues earlier in the day causing late running.
     
  14. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    Amidst all the other WSR goings on, it seems to me that the DMU could do with a comprehensive overhaul, and possibly a spare power car
     
  15. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    It would be nice if people would think before they post. Previous evidence has shown that large multiples of a single class (Standard 4 tanks, Black 5s) are not that big a draw and I would imagine just three of a kind by themselves even less so. On the other hand, it would definitely be an inexpensive event to stage!
     
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  16. Anne C-B

    Anne C-B Member

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    I had the day of the 2017 PLC AGM in mind when I made this comment. The return service to Bishops Lydeard was much delayed, for good reason, at Washford. However we still had to wait for a light engine movement further along before we reached our destination.
     
  17. 6026 King John

    6026 King John Well-Known Member

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    Just checked my photos of WSR galas - the Autumn Gala in 2013 was a bit of a "Manor Fest" with 7812, 7822, 7827 and 7828 all in action. The supporting cast appeared to include 4160, 6960 and 5029 so it wasn't entirely a Manor event.
     
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  18. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    Well, as it would not cost any money why not advertise a 'To The Manor Born' event?

    After all the Swanage did a S&D event last Autumn using what it had

    Its a bit of a pity that the WSR didnt do the same with the two 7F's & 44422
     
  19. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Some folk seem to have short memories - the SVR did the definitive Manor gala a few years ago, and likewise a few years ago the WSR did the definitive gala commemorating the S&D, with the 2 7Fs, the 4F, a 4MT, 9F and Spamcans rebuilt and unrebuilt, doesn't get much better than that!
     
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  20. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    It is hard, at a distance and without the paperwork, to comment with full authority, (and I wasn’t on the Railway that day) but, as I recall, the train on that day was delayed at Washford while an ambulance crew attended to a person who fell ill on the train.

    If I recall correctly, it wasn’t known how long the attendance was going to take and so other movements carried on as far as they could awaiting the release of the train by the ambulance crew. I suspect your train then reached Williton at an unpredictable time and had to await another movement before proceeding.

    WSR control staff are good but don’t have a crystal ball.

    Robin
     

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