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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    I would find it hard to support a future for the WSR that didnt:

    (1) keep Stogumber station open (obviously),
    (2) allow me to use the train to get to Morrisons at Minehead for shopping,
    (3) maintain the main line connection.

    Oh, hang on.....:rolleyes:;):)

    Robin
     
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  2. malcolm imps

    malcolm imps New Member

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    :) IMG_8474[1].JPG Not always it seems ????.....
     
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  3. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Speaking personally, I remain amazed that a single heritage line attracts this much 'traffic' in discussion, argument and controversy. All heritage lines generate a measure of 'chatter' on Nat Pres. You only have to look at the content of other threads in the 'Heritage Railways and Centres in the UK' section to see that to be true. However the WSR seems to have a recurring problem with virtually everything about it except its ability to provide a half decent train service in the season.

    You would think that if communication with members and supporters of the railway through formal meetings, newsletters and other contact was effective and informative then, whilst there would doubtless still be detractors, they would pale into insignificance when set against the quality and implied reassurance of the routine links.

    Viewed dispassionately, one does have to ask why on earth there is so much grief in Somerset. Do the media headlines tell their own story? Maybe this thread is just the raw evidence that "something is rotten in the state of Denmark". What is sad is that a group of people seems under the mistaken impression that what they say on here will make a difference especially if they say it enough times. But, equally, this thread is also read by some people who are probably responsible for the disquiet or know what is going on yet seem not able (or inclined) to find a way through and take everyone with them through what they share.

    Dysfunction is the word, as is 'sad'.
     
  4. malcolm imps

    malcolm imps New Member

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    or you could go round in triangles & do a bit of spotting !! P1010095.JPG P1010091.JPG P1010095.JPG
     
  5. mikechant

    mikechant Member

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    What an entirely ludicrous assertion. Are you *seriously* trying to tell us you believe that Andy's posts on NP will 'close the railway'? If so, you are living in a fantasy world. Also if the railway could that easily be closed by someone who is no longer part of it, that would mean it was doomed anyhow.

    Anyhow, I think the posts of someone who has clearly joined up purely to attack Andy Norman should be largely discarded. Deny it as you may, you come across clearly as someone who has been 'put up to it', but you should know that your posts are almost certainly producing the opposite effect to what you desire - to shut Andy and others who agree with him up. You will see from my posting record that I have very little to say on WSR matters, despite the fact that I folow the situation closely and read every single post on this issue. So the fact that someone like me has been moved to post should give you some thought.

    TLDR: Your ridiculously over the top posts are more likely to gain sympathy for Andy than the reverse.

    Now I will retire to the background again.
     
  6. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    If you find the large fundraising achievements by Andy as a joke, then that does tell us a lot about how some supporters view the current situation on the WSR. I guess the 'fire sale', if it arises, will also be hilarious.
     
  7. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    What does the PLC actually own as regards loco's and rolling stock ? lets say for arguments sake JJP'S plan is to buy a controlling interest, then go down the Dartmouth Railway Route of very few volunteers and mostly paid staff, would it work? do they have enough loco's and staff to do this?
     
  8. Lplus

    Lplus Well-Known Member

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    More importantly, would there be the passengers? The DR is handily placed for far more holiday resorts than the WSR
     
  9. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    As a distant watcher of this and previous drawn out "episodes", I can't help but think that recent interjections bear an uncanny resemblance to the style of those that appeared during a previous saga which involved the transfer of shares in a locomotive. There was also web-site that appeared around the same time, for the life of me I can't remember its name, but I do remember many comments about the site's output coming from "a bedroom in Minehead".
     
  10. simon

    simon Resident of Nat Pres

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    I must admit it has crossed my mind that this might be in some peoples minds. Whether in new ownership or not.

    A cut down version of the line with limited heritage aspects might possibly be viable. Whereas the current railway appears to have been running on empty for many years, despite what may have been recorded in the accounts.
     
  11. The Dainton Banker

    The Dainton Banker Well-Known Member

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    They'd have to get it past the shareholders first. Look what happened when there was a thought of selling off some of the land a few years ago !:eek::rolleyes:
     
  12. simon

    simon Resident of Nat Pres

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    Wasn't that the WSRA trying to buy the land from the council and then sell it on.

    I need to refer to volume 5 of the saga of the WSR to remind myself :)

    Actually they wouldn't necessarily have to get it past the shareholders, unless the shareholders revolted and look how much the shareholders appear to have swallowed already.
     
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  13. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Just to clarify Simon ..... volume 5 from which particular year ? :Bookworm:
     
  14. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Dave will know!
     
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  15. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    A few posters on here repeatedly accuse others of hating the WSR or hoping it will fail. I don't think I have seen anyone expressing such views. If someone has, could one of the accusers (such as Michale.Petersons?) please point out the relevant posts.

    What a lot of us believe, on the basis of the evidence available to us, is that the present PLC management is doing some very unwise things (such as withdrawing its HR procedures and unilaterally reneging on contracts) and thereby endangering the WSR's future (worse than would be so anyway with the maintenance backlog and the corona virus lockdown), even while shouting from the rooftops that they are saving it.
     
  16. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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  17. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    You would not engage lawyers if using the legal options did not include going to court, because at the end of the day, its always there as an option if the other party are not agreeable to come to terms with you.
     
  18. rodders154

    rodders154 Member

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    Andy Norman if you had a person in your organisation like yourself would you keep them? No i thought not. I cannot see for the life of me why you keep on wittering on about going over the same things writing great long postings that the majority of readers I suspect dont get past the 1st 3 lines. The PLC board could if they were inclined give you back your ID card but after all you have written there is more chance of Satan skating to work than that happening. The PLC board was told in your presentation that the HPC bid would benefit the railway in a large way but we soon found out that the grant was all smoke and mirrors. Yes we had some apprentices and that is the good bit but the PLC had to train them which involved staff time that was not costed into the equation. The railway basically get diddly squat. The community liaison officer job which you went for which and was no surprise to anyone basically pays for itself and from conversations around the railway has run out of ideas and the last I heard was going to do mother and toddler groups. I and others think that you should give it a rest you are helping no one by just carping on.

    Rodders
     
  19. Snifter

    Snifter Well-Known Member

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    What, apprentices need training ? Who'd have thought it. The term apprentice is a bit of a clue, except to the clueless.
     
  20. Andy Norman

    Andy Norman Member

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    Oh Rodney, I am trying to stop posting as even I’m getting bored now but if people will keep coming up with incorrect facts I’m going to have to keep putting some corrections on here.

    1. You are referring to the BESTT Trainee scheme which the PLC wanted to secure not the HPC Project, I helped set it up and then I had to step back in half way through when the PLC messed it up by again taking the money but not supporting the Trainees.
    2. And yes the PLC were paid for their time to help these Trainees to the tune of £14,400 for the 3 trainees mentoring over 12 months, straight to the bottom line of the PLC.
    3. The PLC also had funded external BESTT support through a mentor who came to site every 2 weeks as well and the actual classroom training was completed by BESTT off site funded by BESTT. All the PLC had to do was treat the Trainees the same way as any volunteer joining the shed team who needed shadowing and developing, nothing more, not even the paperwork evidence (which I did for free).
    4. When it failed and BESTT issued a termination notice to the PLC I stepped in and transferred it to the WSRA at Williton and strangely enough suddenly it continued and finished a success. It seems that Ryan at Williton could easily make it work and was very positive about it.
    5. Re the HPC CEM she should not be dealing with mother & toddler groups in Bridgwater she should be working for benefit of the WSR completing the activities on the WSR that HPC paid for, in both her salary and the train tickets, not moved off the railway because the PLC wanted the money but refuse to be a part of the project they signed up to. And that’s the point I keep making.

    However you know all of this because you were a PLC Director when this was all happening, and you were briefed in detail. Your Board supported the BESTT scheme not me, I only recruited the Trainees and did all the paperwork because I was asked too.

    Sorry you are only showing people in the wider world that this is the way the PLC does business and treats its people, there is a constant theme here much the same as the S&DRT Eviction, The people of the WSR need to decide if this is the way they do business or not, this can’t go on because the money, people and external relationships are running out.

    Now please allow me to stop posting and spend your time trying to save the WSR, bullying me further as our new friends did last night lead by Michale Petersons (better known as SB a well-known member of the WSR loco team who lives in Somerset not Newcastle) have done will only ever mean I have to keep defending myself and taking up valuable thread space.
     

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