Peak Rail General Discussion

What is happening at Peak Rail. According to Companies House records Jackie Statham resigned her directorship at Peak Rail on the 5th of January.
On the 20th of January the lady is reported as once more being appointed as a director.
There was a Peak Rail board meeting held last Friday and some reports claim that another one will be held this coming Friday.
It is also noted that the alleged brains ( Paul Tombleson) behind the Peak Rail extension is no longer a director having resigned some months ago.
Can anyone confirm exactly what is going on at Peak Rail management wise?

 

PRA meeting last week
PR PLC meeting this week.

A forum is not the best place for reponse to the question raised by Jamie.

Just got my fingers crossed PR will become a more freindly positive environment to volunteer within. Like most railways it has its challenges.

Thumbs up for PR

 

I live in Portsmouth and have been a member and supporter of Peak Rail since 1989. I am also a member of several other preserved railways and have volunteered on a couple near to me.

People need to know what is going on in order to decide whether to support an organisation.

Sadly for its supporters, Peak Rail has all the communication skills and transparency of North Korea.

 

Just to set the record straight, there were two Paul Tomlinson's on the Peak Railway Association board (really!) the remaining one is also a Peak Rail PLC director. Today's meeting is a PLC one.
Cheers
Dave

 

Ok Folks, I cocked things up in my last post over what has occurred (and is occurring) at Peak Rail. Sorry!

Paul and Lynn Tomlinson ran the"Break Van" at the DDNGR and it was a well known fact that a certain manager lady had been driving them off bit by bit.
Thus they resigned at the AGM in November.

Paul R Tomlinson - aka The Windbag and the Extension to Rowsley South Manager continues to be listed as a Director at Companies House and I note styles himself as Chairman. Many Peakies recall him bragging at the last the AGM that he'd been associated with PR for 40 years. An interesting boast as it was well known to all that he has only been associated closely with PR for about five years or so after being parachuted in as a co-optee by the aforementioned management lady. If his claim of forty years of association with PR were to be true? That would equal one mile per decade: not something most people would want to brag about.

 

Paul Tomlinson(pr director) was,I believe,an official for several years at Buxton site,so has been involved for many years albeit not continuously.
Anyone who wishes can access info about any company from Companies House website
I have to agree with an earlier post,that this forum is not the place for political discussion about individual railways
I daresay they all have problems

 

It is a loss for Peak Rail and others that Paul and Lyn Tomlinson have resigned from Peak Rail Association. Years or hard work given freely , friendly faces great with the public. Their bacon buts were good too.
There are not many volunteers left now to leave it is very sad. Hopefully one day soon they will return along with some others who have left for similar reasons.
2016 has to be the year of change to encourage the new begining.

Jamie sounds passionate about PR but name calling is not going to help. There are people trying to help with their boots on the ground to make change for the future.

PR has some first class great qualities like the high standard of public visitor experience they receive. Where in my opinion it falls down badly is its poor record of forming agreements and that have a reasonable probability of working. Perhaps more importantly excersize a willingness, ability to address challenging situations disputes disagreements when they arise. unfortunately situations have resulted in obstructive behavior causing discomfort for volunteers hence they leave the railway.

This considered who would take on a senior role at PR PLC or any other railway, as a volunteer themselves giving many hours each week, not paid , have the ability to fund own exsistance, deal with all types of personalities.Finance, Health and Safety etc.
Not many would or could undertake this role. It is not likely anyone is going to get every thing right. One thing they need is to be aware of is the changing world, have ears that do listen, embrace and work with the volunteers otherwise the future is grim.

Support the railway for a brighter future. There are some very good satelite groups down there. Heritages shunter trust, the class 50 group, ashover light railway , narrow gauge and plenty of other with high quality engineering skills like the Briddons based at Darley dale.

Apologies if the above appears to be a little political but the facts are just that.

Keep shunting.

 

An update firstly from the renown and repulse folks,keep up the good work
http://www.renownrepulse.com/news-r...h-november-2015-and.html#sthash.djBs70kA.dpbs

I've been at riverside this weekend,will be so again tomorrow at the crack of dawn getting the interior of the box painted before signaller training, also a shout out to Gerry and john today as we replaced some worn coach screws on a crank on 3 points, a little bit of lifting and packing is also possible tomorrow time permitting.

 

Did a DMU leave this week?

 

They certainly do, Peak Rail is not the only preserved Railway with a "closed shop2=" and poor self centered management.

Best regards
Chris.

 

Dragging this thread back into positive territory ; are there any steam / diesel specials due at PR this year and is there any news about extending northwards?

 

RTC is advertising The Peak Forester on Sunday 22 May with 70000, another tight squeeze on the turntable then. All depends on the WCRC situation of course.

Dave

 

Peak Rail have been leaking good volunteers and Locomotives for years now and if they ever really hope to extend beyond what they have in both infrastructure and quality of experience then they need to take a long hard look at the way the railway is being managed and if it means its time for a clear out or even getting paid staff to progress it then get on and do it.

 

Oh dear we already have one revolution underway in Somerset. let's not wish another one on anyone else. Although I am well aware of the situation.
(ex-PR member but lapsed 25 years ago with the demise of Buxton..)

 

One thing that has puzzled me at Peak Rail is the need to "top and tail" when using Matlock platform 2. In the winter season when only one loco is in use, trains terminate and run round at Matlock Riverside. However in the main season when Platform 2 is used, from my experience, the paying passenger has to put up with steam in only one direction, and diesel on the return.

Even if it was steam at both ends, it would still not be heritage. The heritage way of doing things is to have a steam loco pulling the carriage set, except perhaps on those rare occasions when a rear end banker was needed to get a heavy train up a hill.

I asked this question a few years ago and was told that the reason was that the signalling at Riverside box had not been completed. I assume that Dom and his team have now completed this task but it appears that "top and tailing" is continuing.

Could Dom, or anyone else, advise why this is so?

 

At present top and tailing is in operation until such time as.a.suitable number of trained up folks have been completed at riverside,the start of the year usually sees the signalling department man riverside to allow normal working with just one loco, but until enough folks have been trained that is how we operate.

At the moment I can only really train up folks on dates I'm available and when services allow and are making some.progress but not as quick as.we.would like.

You may be aware the overall design is to have engine released once the train arrives at Matlock station,whereby the rear loco (previously incoming) detaches and the new departure end loco drops on,hence needing riverside cabin open to do this.

The issue of having a second loco to work the drop one off and pick one up method has been highlighted as requiring a second steam.locomotive though we currently run with one steam and one diesel on each service so theoretically we could work trains as every other one steam.or deisel which could then be timetabled,there's also the fact it would reduce.costs and wear and tear but that's a decision for the operating department.

 

On other news the cycleway work continues space with the path through rowsley site making progress,fencing and resurfacing the car park will happen soon and the old toilet block (portacabin one) have been removed but the work has exposed the foundations of the old rowsley North signal box and I also spotted an old coupling dug up too

 

Thanks, Dom, for the update. I had heard that this was the intended method of operation, probably from you.

However I wonder if this is the most efficient way of doing things, at least in terms of resources needed. After arrival at Matlock platform 2, could not the carriage set be propelled back to Riverside, the loco run around, and then the set propelled back to the platform? This would save the need for a second loco and also mean that the passengers would experience steam for the whole return trip when a second steam loco was not available. The visitor experience could be further enhanced if procedures were put into place that allowed passengers to remain on board whilst the train was being propelled. Propelling, with passengers aboard, occurs at such places on the EVR between Wirksworth and Ravenstor and on the demonstration lines at Didcot, so it can be done.

The downside would be the extra time required for the additional shunting. I would estimate that an extra 15 minutes would probably be required, making the total needed at Matlock about 25 minutes. This in turn would push the current 1.25 hour timetable frequency out to 1.5 hours and reduce the number of trains per day from five to four.

On the upside, the current second loco could be used for a second train set for those periods where the traffic demand requires it, without the need for additional loco resources. Crossing trains at Darley Dale would further enhance the visitor experience.

 

An interesting idea, would need walkie talkie communication with the guard I expect, also I think the limit would be five coaches in the loop?

Dave