West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Grinding them up is pretty effective too....

 

I always say that I am a glass-half-full person. Given that in a 5-minute video MB didn't deal with potential Santa trains, Minehead level crossing, the delayed Bond Film and the likely effect of Brexit on the wider heritage railway sector and the world economy generally, are they also lost opportunities? Or is that a glass-quarter-full approach, Richard?

Or might it be thought a good (if small) thing to note the WSR plc and WSRA working together to bring news about the Railway (including the WSSRT) to a wider audience. I cant think it deserves the 'mushroom' comment.

Or perhaps we shouldnt have bothered? To bring you this took, by my count, about 10 hours of work by a number of volunteers. *Sighs with exasperation.*

Robin

 

I did not realise the delayed Bond film featured the WSR........

Seriously, it is good to see more news coming out of the railway. I guess it is difficult to know the best way to get information out but this seems to be a positive development and I look forward to more similar videos.

 

Hand weeding is much the most effective way of controlling vegetation in ballasted areas, but it stopped being done on the national network because it was both labour-intensive and unsafe. With a supply of volunteers and no trains running, both those objections fade away, so the work done now will both improve the condition of the track and the drainage, help the environment, and save the WSR money on weedkilling treatments in future. A thoroughly sensible and worthwhile exercise, in my view (but I would expect nothing less from Mr Brown!)

Stuart J

 

Some places are.

 

Presumably there are not many birds in West Somerset and few strong breezes or winds. The ballast on my garden railway needs weeding often - albeit mainly seedlings - but breezes and birds drop seeds on the tracks. Due to the warmth of ballast seed germination is quickly achieved. I will be interested in how long you are able to maintain a weed free line (without chemical usage); it can be rather like the famed painting of the Forth Bridge, i.e. continuous.

 

I do not know lines should handle weeds but I understand latest research shows that bees (of course in serious decline) take chemical weedkiller back to the hives. One in a hive apparently it leads to the death of all in the hive. Long term of course no bees equals shortage of food, although I guess we will all be dead by that time arriving.

 

It is unfortunate that because of the many and varied justified criticisms of the WSR and the current Plc board in particular, we get so used to it that anything emanating from the WSR ends up being looked at through a particular lens. Sometimes that too is justified, it was reasonable to view the bus running out of fuel in context with other things, whereas on another heritage railway we probably wouldn't. However things like this video, and trying to manufacture something out of companies house not being instantly updated, really seem to be taking things too far in my mind. Calm down folks, not everything the WSR needs criticising to within an inch of its life. All this sort of thing does is diminish justified criticism on the things that really are problematic.

 

Surely pulling them from the ground up is what the volunteers are doing already ?

 

Is the new title going to be "Weed another Day" or "You only weed once" perhaps?

Incidentally, my walk to the pub for lunch today (the long way around - about 7 miles over the hills ) took me along the path beside the AVR. Sitting on the platform at Avon Riverside for a while for a rest (and get a stone out of my boot!), it occurred to me that there had been not a weed in sight along their trackbed......

 

The video editing isn't great. At one point the transition from one subject and location to a different one is very abrupt. At another point a woman weeding the track seems to be waiting for the camera operator to give her the OK to resume work: that bit could have been edited out so that we would just have seen her hard at it.

But that is a minor whinge. It is good that one of the PLC staff has shown his face and told us a bit about what's going on and why.

Edit: I was mistaken about the abrupt transition. See my post #29587.

 

Now, how do tomatoes get into the ballast?

 

During Covid, I'm not sure

 

Volunteers on the GWSR have been advised that a part time permanent way manager has been appointed, presumably a rare paid appointment. His name is Andrew Young "who comes with a wealth of experience". I guess this is the same man who was Head of Infrastructure at the WSR until earlier this year.

Sent from my SM-T590 using Tapatalk

 

Really! That is worth note. The last time I walked along that stretch, admittedly some time ago, weeds were very definitely in evidence. Well done AVR. And WSR, obviously

 

Well, to be fair, there were quite a few along the edge of the raised cycle-path on the south side of the run-round loop at AR (only visible from the platform!), but the actual track was fine.

 

With the talk of buying and using"over the counter" herbicides, can I remind everyone of my previous posts regarding the need for training and certification for the use of pesticides (which includes herbicides (weedkillers))! Please keep safe!