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Teifi Valley Railway

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by Anthony Coulls, Jun 22, 2014.

  1. SpudUk

    SpudUk Well-Known Member

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    This hits the nail on the head. I'm not particularly interested in any tit-for-tat on who did what, when, but as someone with an interest in steam railways, time to volunteer, a particular passion for the narrow gauge AND within commutable distance, I am interested in the professionalism of the organisation I might give my time to. Time and time again big questions are being asked of the TVR and some fluffy post on Facebook about someone passing out as a guarding doesn't assuage the underlying feeling that something is very, very wrong there
     
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  2. Meiriongwril

    Meiriongwril Member

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    IMHO, sell the steam locos and use the money to (1) hire a competent chartered accountant and (2) hire contractors to finish as much of the repairs/relaying of track as it will cover. Then, take 'steam' out of all publicity and run services with diesel locos (or battery if you want to be green...).
     
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  3. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

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    I've only ever visited the line once, back in 1988, and when I just looked at my photos I was surprised to see that they had 2 locos in steam on the day we visited - and the weather was awful!

    As an occasional viewer of this thread, the place certainly needs to get its act in order on the financial/accounts side otherwise, as others have pointed out, it draws into question the operation as a whole....

    r88-120.JPG
    r88-121.JPG
     
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  4. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Had you not visited Wales before?

    Very nice piccies ..... thanks for posting. :)
     
  5. Elizabeth Perry

    Elizabeth Perry Member

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    There is no reason for a volunteer to know about the limited Company, the LRO, the obligations of the directors etc etc in order to work at the railway. But it is essential for anyone who takes over the management to know ALL about the paperwork and respect its importance. It's great fun running a tourist attraction and rebuilding something broken, but all the work is for nothing if you neglect this.
     
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  6. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Just about to say the obvious but...

    The public in general doesn't visit Nat Pres so anything on here is bound to be specific, possibly at times biased and even irrelevant to the grand scheme of things.

    The Railway's web site should ideally be the mouthpiece for the Railway but the 'News' tab looks very historical to me.

    A way to keep the information 'live' is to make good use of Facebook and not allow the same information to sit there for all that long before it is replaced by something recent - like the latest news on work on the line. If you scroll down FB then it seems as though information is posted every week and more frequently of late. So someone is trying to keep the set-up in peoples' minds.

    My point is to observe that in the grand scheme of things extended arguments on here don't add as much as feet on the ground and commentary plus images on Facebook with a few more up-to-date entries on the main web site.

    Try a lovely big image on the Home page of the line in action and full of visitors. And in the 'News' on the home page perhaps it's not a good idea to have the only item showing as something that links back to 6th November!!

    Simple stuff matters.
     
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  7. 53808

    53808 New Member

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    The July issue (245) of Today's Railways reports that loco Alan George departed the TVR on 19th February 2022 for restoration at an unknown location. Due for completion and return to the TVR in 2024.
     
  8. Elizabeth Perry

    Elizabeth Perry Member

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    No news on the website on tracklaying, steam loco rebuilds or any developments. Companies House documentation overdue again, for both the cafe and the Company.
     
  9. tor-cyan

    tor-cyan Well-Known Member

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    and its deja vu all over again.

    Colin
     
  10. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Next week is the last week of operation, so maybe they will have time to complete the documentation.
     
  11. gwilialan

    gwilialan Well-Known Member

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    Has anyone ever been able to fathom out just what the 'Busy Bee Café Ltd' has to do with the railway - apart from the fact that the two people involved in that company are a director (or accountant or both or whatever) and the general manager of the railway?
    As I understand it the railway's café has always been staffed by volunteers with profits being fed directly back to the railway. Is this still the case? The BBCafe Ltd company appeared with no warning one day without any mention on the railway. Is it now receiving the profits from the café while the railway still provides the staff, facilities, equipment, stock, etc etc? There have been no mentions of payments to the railway for any transfer of assets or rent or lease.
    And, of course, with only the minimum accounts published in one case and (it looks like) not at all in the other no one knows exactly where the money is going. It is worth pointing out that the BBCafe Ltd is able to pay dividends out of any profits earned to the two shareholders - who just happen to be the two railway employees (?) who set the company up...
     
  12. mdewell

    mdewell Well-Known Member Friend

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    I don't have any info to add this discussion, but I was recently sent some photos of locos at Teifi, taken 31/5/2022, which might be of interest. They can be found by going to http://www.heritage-railways.com/locosdb/locos.php and searching for Location 'teifi'
     
  13. Elizabeth Perry

    Elizabeth Perry Member

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    Interesting to see these locos and equally interesting to note that they still won't say where Alan George is. "A private location" could be anywhere. Has the Alan George Society expressed an opinion? On the paperwork front, the annual report was late and the Company was threatened with closure again, but managed to send it a day later. The annual Accounts are 2 months late so no doubt another warning will come soon. Meanwhile, the cafe remains a mystery.
     
  14. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    Well unless you're a member of that society, why would you think you have any right to know its location???
    If you are a member of the AGS, then surely you should be taking up the issue with the chairman or secretary of the society rather than bringing it up on NP, which has absolutely nothing to do with the loco or the society.
     
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  15. Elizabeth Perry

    Elizabeth Perry Member

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    I was one of the original four people who contributed when Dr Penn bought Alan George and helped to set up the AG Society to sell shares in the loco to finance routine maintenance and eventual refund of our loans. The usual mutual benefit agreement with the railway Company was set up and 1,000 shares were issued. The usual disputes between members over what colour livery etc. followed. To secure certainty that the loco would remain at Henllan rather than go elsewhere at the whim of some members, it was decided that the Railway Society should secure a majority shareholding, and this was achieved in 2014. So it is the present railway management who are dealing with this in their usual way.
     
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  16. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    I'm sure it wouldn't take too much to work out where Alan George is .
     
  17. Penrhynfan

    Penrhynfan New Member

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    It depends on how much work is necessary.
    For minor adjustments to building a clone from metal = Statfold Barn or The Flour Mill (and others which don't come to mind immediately).
    There are a number of boiler shops who could sort out the boiler if that is the problem.
     
  18. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Talking of clones, you can a couple of boiler shops who could readily build one. T'ain't all that big!
     
  19. Elizabeth Perry

    Elizabeth Perry Member

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    Quite right. I was just struck at the time (February) that when the pix of AG being loaded appeared, several people asked where the loco was going, One of them was the local boilermaker who had dealt with all the boiler work ever since 1985. There was no reply.
     
  20. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    Several as in one asking where it was going, which could have had a reply via private message & one who asked if it was what they saw on the A487. This out of a total of 5 comments, people are hardly up in arms!!!
     

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