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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

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    Perhaps. R.C.Bond ( who was CME at the time) wrote in his autobiography " A lifetime with
    Locomotives " p.244 " However, we were able to limit our recommendations to two basic
    designs of engine and mechanical parts for locomotives with electric transmission, for
    all Regions except Western, which until the later stages of dieselisation when inter-
    regional running with the L.M.Region became important, were allowed to confine themselves
    to two basic designs of diesel hydraulic locomotives. "

    This refers to recommendations made by Mr Bond and the CEE Mr Stanley Warder.

    ps disclaimer : I know very little about diesel locomotives.

    Michael Rowe
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2020
  2. Gunz412

    Gunz412 New Member Loco Owner

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    And if a GWR themed railway means the end of non GWR visiting locomotives such as those I invest in, then the WSR will be lost to me. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot...the Plc has no feet left.
     
  3. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    ''PDG will meet quarterly unless a more urgent discussion is required and the next meeting will be in September 2020''.

    I should imagine that as far as the S&DRT is concerned a more urgent discussion is required well before September. <BJ>
     
  4. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Clough cites extensively from primary sources in the archives; discussion on another long and long running thread highlights the challenges of getting behind personalities and authorised versions of history.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  5. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    It seems to me that given both the report & the situation with Coronavirus that it may be to late.

    More importantly however it seems to me that as the parent organisations of New Co & New Trust the PLC & the WSRA should not be making decisions that are likley to affect the future form of the railway, beyond those that are strictly necessary, in this case the Washford Eviction amongst other things will mean the loss of 53808, a possible tricky Court Case and reputational damage, all likley to cause repercussions long after the current PLC, ot the PLC in its current form ceases to exist.
     
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  6. Maverick

    Maverick New Member

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    Time for Nat Pres followers to show further support to the WSRA:

    Only 5 likes so far and sitting at 110th in the £5000 competition, i'm sure if everyone in this group liked it (you have to go to the website and select like, you dont have to donate) that we could change that. 30 seconds of your time could get the WSRA money from this community fund. https://communityfund.calor.co.uk/restoration-of-taunton-saloon-carriage
     
  7. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    I find yet another WSR appeal, this time for rolling stock, another prime example, sadly, of the dysfunctional qualities of the WSR. The line, to stay open, apparently needs money - even if a glowing financial picture has been given by the PLC. So many appeals seem madness, especially if the line fails then none of these secondary appeals will have much purpose.
    Maybe this is why the PLC has its present attitude - all and sundry pulling in different directions?
     
  8. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    I suspect all parties are considering where the power of each potentially sits in the new structure . Remember this is all about control of the railway and its assets both current and in one case past . Go right back to the original dispute , it is the same basic argument . Most of those involved, the play makers are also still there along with the new wildcard that is the chairman

    The Bailey report whilst offering a solution , which may/may not be amenable to all or any can probably still be shaped by either side . Could even be a game of high stakes poker. I wonder if the PLC publication was a step to try and sieze and initiative , an opening gambit , WSRA signalling agreement calling the PLC bluff , yesterdays reopening announcement a blindside to deflect attention whilst the next move is considered .

    Do charity trustee's need to be vetted for example . Would one for example who was part of an organisation that considered non payment of monies due to a charity to be an accounting technicality despite triggering a declaration of a major charitable incident , would such a history count against them ?

    seriously think of a soap opera , this has got some episodes to run yet
     
  9. Mike S

    Mike S New Member

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    Done.....
     
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  10. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    Don't give the plc ideas!
     
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  11. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    No money from me, then. And if the WSRA are collaborating in kicking the S&DRT out, then they can forget about me renewing.

    I don't suppose anyone cares - I'm not a big player - but others may feel the same way.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2020
  12. granmaree

    granmaree Member

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    Lovely video on there, I think, didn't get far into it when I realised it was 45 minutes long. OK, but where is the picture (or even pictures) of the said subject they want the funds for? Interior and exterior would give some indication, before you show the line?
     
  13. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    It may be that if a tenant continues in occupation after expiry of a lease, paying the rent and observing the terms of the lease, then he is deemed to be continuing on the same terms; with a business tenancy it is perhaps the responsibility of the landlord to serve Notice to Quit before expiry? I leave that to the specialist property lawyers.
     
  14. Glad to see Mel Hillman back in the PDG Secretary seat.
     
  15. Snifter

    Snifter Well-Known Member

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    It most certainly should, especially if it was shown that they are a serial offender. A flawless record of running a business in a regulated industry would count in their favour.
     
  16. Mel Hillman

    Mel Hillman New Member

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    Barry - thanks. Obviously my open offer on this thread back in March this year was picked up by someone.....

    The minutes from last Friday are with groups for double-checking and will be circulated as previously.

    Mel
     
  17. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    The Bailey report says (amongst much else) "At its heart the WSR is a tourist business. I would hazard a guess that the percentage of paying enthusiasts it attracts might only just reach double figures. Yes, it needs to retain the goodwill and enthusiasm of volunteers, but the nature of its business model is commercial."

    Retaining the goodwill and enthusiasm of volunteers depends on running the railway in a way that they approve of or, at worst, can tolerate. Therefore satisfying them and satisfying the commercial aspects are both equally essential; neither should be considered secondary to the other.

    Bailey's decision to address wider issues than just the SDRT eviction issue is welcome, but, given that he was brought in specifically to address the eviction, I hope the parts of his report that we have not yet been allowed to see do suggest a way forward that will at least not upset any of the parties too seriously. It is hard to conceive of any solution other than either cancelling the eviction and finding some other solution to the PLC's desire for the space; or redeveloping Washford according to the PLC's ideas and providing the means for the SDRT to set themselves up elsewhere. And the latter, as has been pointed out repeatedly, would be very expensive, so it is surely a non-starter when the WSR as a whole is desperate for money in order to survive at all.
     
  18. Snifter

    Snifter Well-Known Member

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    I see that the list of railways preparing to resume business is growing with all lines desperate to salvage as much revenue as possible from 2020. I guess the planned museum weekends at Minehead is a start. Given the parlous state of the finances, I hope common sense prevails and a home fleet loco or "88" is in steam as this would keep the incremental cost to an absolute minimum. If a non-resident loco which incurs daily steaming fees is used, then the lunatics will have well and truly taken over the asylum.
     
  19. RichardBrum

    RichardBrum Member

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    errrr
    He himself has said, on this very forum, that those that had the report (except those named on it) are not responsible people & would not be suitable as Directors/Trustees/etc, & said the same about whomever gave them the report.

    If he wants to make that accusation, then he should be willing to show how he is a responsible person.

    Does he know whether the plc sent it to others, or WSSRT sent it to others?
    If they did, then do his views apply to them as well?



    Also, the way most reports are done, the report writer speaks to multiple parties, & then sends those parties a draft copy of the report, so that any daft errors can be corrected. They will then send the completed report to all parties.

    If anyone honestly thinks that the Bailey Report was only seen by the 4 named people (before publication) then they really are stupid.



    As for
    "no Board member or Trustee is answerable to the Court of National Preservation. As has been explained many times, they are answerable to shareholders and trust members respectively."

    Why is it that so many people who have been/are involved with Boards around the WSR are so snide, & so lacking in reality.

    If your sat on a Board of an organisation asking the public for donations, then you need to engage with the public.
    If your a Trustee of a Charity, you are also answerable to the CC, & again, if your asking the public for money, then you need to engage with the public.
    You constantly have to clearly show that you are doing things properly. You have to show why you need the money, & show what you've achieved with it.

    If you wan't to hide away & play trains & empire building, then you have to disengage from the public world.
    No asking the public for donations. No Gift Aid. No charity status & associated benefits.
     
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  20. RichardBrum

    RichardBrum Member

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    http://www.wssrt.co.uk/2020/06/30/relaunch-of-partnership-development-group/

    What they've omitted from the members list is that Steve Williams (WSSRT) is also a plc Director.

    By the time of the PDG meeting, the Bailey Report had been available for nearly a month.
     
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