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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. WD_Banker

    WD_Banker New Member Account Suspended

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    Yes, I can imagine that it must be deeply concerning when somebody doesn't agree with your viewpoint. Especially for somebody as opinionated as yourself who clearly likes the sound of their own voice and artificial self importance.
    I still cannot fathem why you are so intent on trashing this railway? You said yourself months ago that you've never much cared for the line and wouldn't be bothered about visiting, even with the management decisions aside. So, what exactly is your motivation for the latest ramblings? Too much good news perhaps and you felt the need to redress the balance ?
    You're like the ex-boyfriend who says he really doesn't care anymore but persists in making harassing phone calls. It's all a bit strange from my perspective and doesn't achieve anything.
    Can you not see that you are becoming part of the problem and making a considerable contribution to the culture that you claim to be fighting? It's a foregone conclusion that it the WSR Plc make a decision it is automatically a bad one and you exist just to stoke that fire once in a while.

    In truth, who are you to judge the decisions bring made on a railway you don't care about? You don't know the individuals on either side and you don't know the internal affairs other than what is reported anonymously on an Internet forum. But yet, you appoint yourself as Judge and Jury and if the staff and volunteers don't agree with 'Mr Anonymous Sidmouth' then they are to be judged as complicit in these fictitious crimes.
     
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  2. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Hello, welcome to the forum! :) Minor correction, @Sidmouth isn't anonymous, he says who he is in his signature.

    I'm afraid I don't quite understand your last paragraph, but in any case you may consider what it's showing about the WSR and its volunteers - it looks like you're just as unable to avoid getting involved in talking about squabbles here as anyone else.

    Speaking of 'likes' it's notable that the stuff gaining most likes at the moment is things like @Aberdare 's post and others about railway goings on at the WSR, what a novelty! In the absence of further scandal at the WSR, and I'm sure another will be along soon, it looks a bit poor on both sides to keep trying to reignite the same old arguments that we've already done to death - some might wonder whether certain posters actively enjoy it.
     
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  3. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    EDIT **** it seems @WD_Banker maybe a troll account as they can be linked to another WSR supporting poster . **** Come on , we are better than this , mature adults who despite differences of opinion we can have a proper conversation . Who knows we may find more in common than we think .

    Welcome to the forum and a quite brutal first post . no dance around niceties and straight for the jugular then

    Firstly I'm not so self obsessed to care whether people do agree with me or not, and clearly my post has hit a nerve with yourself . I'm also not anonymous , unlike yourself . care to share who you are and stand behind what you have just said ?

    please elaborate on the good news ? it seems I may have missed something beyond the trains running , if there is it would be brilliant to hear

    interesting you relate to me to an ex boyfriend . That implies I once had a relationship with the railway which I never have

    thank you also for confirming what I largely thought , people really don't care any more . Why do I care ? because someone has to , because in all this people, and people I know are being treated in a way that I hope you never have to experience trying to support something that has been a massive part of their life . I care because just maybe had those at llangollen shouted louder they wouldn't have been in the turmoil they have recently experienced . I care because sometimes a stand has to be taken .
     
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  4. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    That's an interesting point but I personally don't see why that is necessary. But can I try to help?

    This thread is supposed to be the thread to discuss, primarily, day to day matters to do with the railway including, of course, its operation. That's the way it works on all the other heritage railway threads and this includes the occasional diversion into decision making and management matters that generally inform the understanding of everyone as to why the railway does what it does. If you take for example the GWSR there was a separate thread whilst the extension was being built but that has not been needed of late and ongoing 'matters of debate' have been dealt with, as they occur, without the thread losing its way. Even the recent management related issues of the MHR and its website, now resolved, did not prevent the thread covering very well all the other operational stuff.

    Another important feature of the other threads is that there always seems to be one or two people who can speak 'for' the railway without feeling that they are either passing on confidential information or in any way working against the management. We don't know whether these are people who the management has said can contribute or simply people in the know and with accurate information who are prepared to share what they know for the greater good, and importantly, without any comeback from the top.

    To my knowledge, that situation doesn't exist on the WSR and, to be honest, since the sad passing of David Randles, who was an immense help on loco allocations, the timetable and rostering, nobody has emerged.

    So, in the spirit of testing whether informed operational matters will ever come to the fore again, can I give an example?

    The WSR will entertain a visiting charter later in July with Bahamas when it is planned that the WSR will take the train down to Minehead. Some people I know, including myself, are holding off from booking until the details are clearer. Part of that is what will happen at Bishops Lydeard. It is inconceivable that the WSR has accepted this charter without having already decided what loco or locos will take the train forward and of course what loco will work the normal service - all subject of course to events on the day. So why is it not possible to share that information on here as happens with other railways in similar circumstances?

    Call it good PR if you like. The WSR management may see NP and this thread as a thorn in its side but on the other hand this is a simple business decision where accurate (provisional) information would be good, surely?
     
  5. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Moderator's hat on.

    People can only have one account on Nat Pres. If two accounts link back to the same source then we delete both accounts. It's a matter of principle and trust. So the clock is ticking and I suggest an urgent PM to any moderator to explain what is going on would be a good idea.
     
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  6. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    Definitely a good idea....
     
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  7. Ian Monkton

    Ian Monkton Member

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    I'm a WSR volunteer. A week or so ago, I answered your query about what locos might work the charter to the best of my ability. I don't volunteer in the operating department so I don't know what the plans are. However, you seem to be waiting for the WSR to announce how they will handle the charter before booking. Surely the tour operating company also have discussed the arrangements with the WSR, so have you tried contacting them? They are the ones you should be telling that you won't book until you know the arrangements.
     
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  8. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    Thanks Ian and I did note your post . I know its conjecture but the status of the crossing and whether the tour can get to Minehead is interesting . Even the WSR friends facebook group is not hopeful and if you look into the start of services from Minehead it is by bus
     
  9. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Good question and you were very helpful. But the RTC doesn't know because the WSR hasn't said. I think that underlines my point. Sorry.
     
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  10. Downline

    Downline New Member

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    Your post is very similar to those that only appear on WSR related facebook pages which brand the whole of National Preservation with the same tainted brush...
     
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  11. WD_Banker

    WD_Banker New Member Account Suspended

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    Okay. I don't understand quite what you are trying to drive at here but suffice as to say I don't use Facebook so can't comment on any specifics.
    It is entirely possible that others share my opinions whether that be internally or via other channels so no real coincidence.
    For clarity though, I don't brand the whole forum with the "same tainted brush", I just recognise there are some people that appear to have axes to grind but without clear reasons or motivation. Nice to see an operational conversation developing and good news stories being shared over the past few pages. There is plenty to discuss at the moment without having to further drag the railway through the mud (queue predictable responses about how the railway can do that all by itself and anyone wanting to concentrate on positive news is deluded and just as responsible for issues. Yes, because that makes it all better)

    On the topic of likes, I note that the usual suspects who appear to take joy in trashing the railway but claim to wish it well don't respond to positive news but are very quick to perk up if they spot any anomalies or can spin a negative story. There is a very defensive clique that exists in that regard and those people are the reason this forum receives the poor reputation it does. Just like the railway itself, the truth of the matter isn't really that important as perception is arguably even more important sometimes.
     
  12. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    First, I think you missed the reactions of a number of those seeing the post of trains returning. Second, that welcome is somewhat tempered by the limited nature of the operation, it's delay of nearly a year since the line arguably should have reopened, and the continuing uncertainty about when the railway will be able to operate into Minehead (e.g. the RTC tour).
     
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  13. WD_Banker

    WD_Banker New Member Account Suspended

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    I can understand that, but not all of the blame should or can be laid at the door of a railway who operated with a limited paid staff pre-Covid and had been on the verge of bankruptcy. It would have been nice to see trains operating last summer but with limited funds, uncertainty over changing restrictions and work sites that had been abandoned for months due to government instruction, it wouldn't have been an easy task to get operational again. From what I can see the management would have been gambling the whole future of the railway and would have been considered a failure whatever course of action they took. Just imagine if they had ploughed every penny in to getting operational as many thought should have happened and the trains ran empty because of the public's concerns over Covid. No railway can afford to run at a loss, especially not one so close to the edge. That's my take on it anyway.
    Re the RTC tour, motive power and exact rail mileage are yet to be confirmed but there are only so many options that the possible scenarios shouldn't be difficult to deduce. If the WSR are slacking then RTC should be chasing them for an update so as they can keep their customers informed, they're both accountable for that one.
     
  14. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    on the other hand many lines did run last summer and successfully, and there was plenty of staycations in Somerset. People's appetite to be out and about after the first lockdown seemed to fuel an appetite for heritage trips especially ones that made people feel comfortable from a covid perspective . The WSR did operate Christmas trains to their credit

    With further lockdown easing in the pipeline I sense a desire though now for a more normal level of service and it would be interesting to know how the fixed itinerary offerings not just at the WSR but across the movement are holding up sales wise . anecdoetal feedback is not strong but something more official would be useful

    More fundamentally the lines chances of success seem to hinge of the level crossing at Minehead and the when it is available again . Exclusion from the honeypot destination along with a significant holiday population looking for something to do seems to present a significant risk . It unfortunately begs the question as to the timing of the crossing work and the fickle finger of fate is sent spinning once more
     
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  15. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Regarding last summer, I think the parable of the Talents applies.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     
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  16. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    I don't recall anyone criticising the Plc for not keeping control of the weather. In fact, my own recollection of their view of the effect of the weather on the railway's fortunes was that bad weather was good for business, as people looked for something to do which wouldn't involve them getting wet. If the Plc had a direct line to him upstairs, they would probably be asking for him to bring on the showers. I suspect this remark must come from someone who spends more time taking photos from the lineside than riding on the trains as a passenger.
     
  17. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    Er no, people start claiming popularity of views based on which view has more likes. Popularity, as any fule kno, has nothing to do with accuracy.
     
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  18. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    It is often said that railways, particularly coastal railways, do better in poorer weather, the logic being that when the weather is very nice, people head to the beach; when it is less good, they look for other things to do. I don't doubt there is some mileage in that view, but I wonder to what extent it is modified in an era of pre-booking rather than "turn up and go"?

    Tom
     
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  19. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    Funnily enough, I stayed in Minehead last September on the way elsewhere and would of visited the WSR. However, they were closed so we ended up going to the L&B (twice).

    One of the things that surprised me were the amount of people visiting Minehead station, including the shop (I actually did pop in myself and bought my son one of the Thomas toys they have). Surely that was a missed opportunity, Minehead was packed and people were visiting the station, I am sure it wasn’t just us who would of had a ride.
     
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  20. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    Unfortunately that argument only stacks up if you believe, and many do, that a problem ignored is a problem solved. Although there are one or two posters who definitely come across as "having a go" at the way the Plc is being run, you can't please everyone all of the time (or indeed, any of the time) and most posts are along the lines of "do the Plc have any idea what impression they are giving to the outside world?" based on the reasonable assumption that the impression made by the latest piece of new on the poster is highly likely to be the same impression on anyone else with an interest in the railway.
    The British hate to complain and, as you have just demonstrated, they don't like complainers. Complaining is very much a last resort and therefore usually only done by people who are seriously pissed off or have an axe to grind, hence yours and many others' assumption that anyone who complains about the Plc "wants to see the railway fail". The result of this attitude is that anyone running a business is starved of accurate feedback from their customers. False positives, where people say everything's great when it's not, then walk away to grumble to their friends and never return, and false negatives, when people who are just being objectionable complain about something completely petty, abound, meaning the whole exercise becomes meaningless.
     
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