West Somerset Railway General Discussion

I think that Albert Hirschman's 'Exit, Voice, Loyalty' provides a useful framework for thinking about the WSR. A concise explanation here

I think the options for exit are maybe more limited than they were 40 years ago. There are fewer nascent schemes - alienated WSR supporters can't decamp to a new Ilfracombe, Highbridge, Clevedon or Wells restoration scheme. If you are into the GWR then it is to Cheltenham, Shepton Mallet, Totnes or Forest of Dean.

For right or wrong, there are a lot of people who are very very loyal to the WSR (more so than say PR) - that is a strength and also a weakness. A strength because it means that there are lots of people who will stick with the railway through thin times and who will go the extra mile and who will put up with more nonsense and bs than anyone deserves. TBH if I had been treated how some volunteers have been treated I would have said 'f you guys' a long time ago, but that people are prepared to go through that and still want to fight for the line, tells you something about the commitment people have. Sadly that loyalty to the WSR is also often misplaced, misused or abused.

As for the future, I suspect that the WSR, like PR will continue a North Korean like existence, everyone knows they can't carry on as they are, but somehow they stagger on.

 

My uncle used to say that one of the problems that British Leyland faced in the 60s and 70s was customer loyalty.

 

I think we’re going to go round in circles in again, I’m really past caring.

 

I find it difficult to think of anything new to say.

 

Need to get back on track on here then ?...............with a few older pics to see & remember ........

 

Sanders must have been working overtime.

 

Why?

 

Why ? It's Somerset.

 

Would sanders have been any good on that railhead? As i see it, damp snow would have probally blocked the delivery pipes, if the railhead underneath was not covered in ice, i wouldnt think the driver would have used sand,

 

Are you sure? Looks half asleep to me. Sorry.

 

Not sure we have anyone of that name in either the Loco or P.Way Departments?

 

Grand dads wandered off again

 

At least she would have probably had decent sanders, not like those awful GWR gravity things.

 

Snowing heavily in Minehead, Dunster & Blue Anchor at the moment, take a look at the WSR webcams

 

Icy rails?

 

More important though, does he hold a current PTS card to be there in the first place.

 

I don't know. You said that the sanders would be working overtime and I asked why because I don't understand why you made the comment. They don't appear to be being used and I doubt that they would have been needed but I wasn't there.

 

Interested to learn of your experience leading to that conclusion.

 

The sanders on some but possibly not all (I can’t remember) of the GWR locos that I have fired or driven were gravity fed, via a tube within a tube, both with a hole in the bottom that let sand pass when they lined up. The operating handle was situated low enough down in the cab to require the Driver to bend down and thus not be able to keep a good lookout. The Driver had a choice, yank the handle to open and close the supply so that you didn’t use too much sand or open it and run out of sand very quickly. All that yanking of a handle while trying to control a loco in slippery conditions and keep a lookout was not an easy task. The vast majority of the non GWR locos that I have fired or driven had steam or air assisted sanders that sprayed a fine ‘mist’ of sand, were very economical and were operated by a small handle in easy reach of the Driver.