West Somerset Railway General Discussion

I happen to think matters will soon take the equation out of the hands of the current board anyway, It's no secret that the WSR is in financial peril, as are many heritage lines, this is going to be compounded by the increase in minimum wage, and Employer NI contributions which will soon impact an already severe situation, that could tip the current operating company into insolvency out of this may even come a new structure, and new charity that does away with the old guard and ways of doing things, with one overarching charity that has the operating company as an 100 per cent owned asset of the charity.

 

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but is there somewhere that specifies the financial limits? It seems very open ended.

 

I'd stick to principles - there's a question of proportion involved. As someone else has highlighted, there is also the specific legal question of how a charity may support a plc.

 

I have known and loved the WSR since I was 14. I am now 61.

The Railway has fallen into the hands of a person all right-thinking folk I know regard as a despot. In my case he - at worst - encouraged, and at best - tolerated - vile and disgusting discrimination against me with all that says about character. Others have suffered similarly.

The present structure is agreed to be significantly sub-optimal in trying times but is only being maintained because of the personal position of an individual. The railway is loss making and scrabbling for every penny, including putting the charities under inappropriate pressure, as we have seen. After 45 years voluntary service I have many friends in different places (some quite surprising were they to become known) who share my concerns but, for a variety of reasons, some related to despotism, are not able to speak out. I am not so constrained.

I fear the catastrophic failure of the railway which runs past the end of my garden.

And before anyone suggests I am motivated by personal ambition, I seek no WSR position. My health and the demands of my professional and other life preclude it.

The mountainside approaches. The pilot appears to intend to fly the plane on a gently descending path until the crash occurs.

 

All of what you say is very well-known in this forum. You've made your views *very* clear.

But the *way* you go about expressing your concerns is not going to change anything. It makes you sound like you know better, or you are just taking every opportunity to pick holes in what they do and trying to drum up some like-minded support on a forum which has even less influence than you do.

If you don't like what they're doing and aren't in a position to change it yourself, then there comes a time you either have to grin and bear it, or move on. Otherwise, there is a risk that it will have a significant impact on your own wellbeing.

 

I don’t sense that @Robin Moira White is commenting here out of a sense of spite. Rather from a heartfelt, but not damaging, sense of her belief that disaster looms and that one person is very largely the architect of that future.

It seems to me that people do not want to hear what Robin has to say. That is perhaps human nature when someone is warning of a problem and has to do so consistently and for a long time. However, that doesn’t mean she’s wrong or that she should stop. From Post Office Horizon systems to climate change by way of any number of other far less impactful matters, how often is the lone voice right? Quite a bit more than is perhaps comfortable for the rest of us.

 

To me, that people who are connected to the WSR, are trying to silence critical voices about how the railway is being run, tells you all you need to know about the culture of the railway, My own view is that due to long term mis management, and empire building the railway is highly likily to fail, because no one is able to voice anything other than the edit set from the board downwards, mistakes cannot be questioned, it would appear, and anyone who did question how, and why things are being done , is somehow anti the railway, the railway isn't the board, but it looks like that's been forgotten, I think that matters will come to ahead , as costs are going to rise very soon, and hard decisions are going to be needed, decisions that are going to pull the rug out from underneath the present board over staffing costs, energy costs, falling traffic and of course debt, I can actually see a very much reduced railway out of the ashes, and a new structure as people try to save what they can from disaster, But the WSR, won't be the only one, i think there will be casualties ahead as everyones going to have to cope with having to cut paid staff, and try to cut losses.

 

I'm not so sure that people don't want to hear what Robin has to say, it's that fact that they've heard the same message over and over again. When no-one who is actually involved in the WSR seems concerned enough by the message to take any action, or form a group to take action, then I think everyone else tends to assume that there's nothing to be done.
At the end of the day, it's for the volunteers/supporters of the WSR to take action if there's a problem, everyone else will then decide which side to support.

 

Martin - while I don't think the WSR finances are especially healthy and they do appear to have been struggling for many years to adequately fund renewals, it is also true that you and others have been confidently forecasting the railway's imminent demise for many years - and it is still here. So there must be a degree of resilience in the organisation.

There is nothing wrong in taking a close look at the accounts and drawing conclusions, or commenting on them. I think the railway as a whole also has to look at how it becomes more financially sustainable, and that almost certainly means some manner of structural reform. But I think sometimes there is an air where things cross over from a desire to see the railway reform into a desire to see the railway punished, for past sins. In other words, how much of saying "the railway is going to fail" is said as a warning to try to engender change, and how much is - perhaps subconsciously - wish fulfilment?

Tom

 

The WSR seems to be well run, the staff and volunteers appear to be happy with things as they are and the stations and rolling stock is well kept. Most of the disgruntled people have either accepted the status quo or moved to new pastures, which, in my opinion, is right couse of action. You cannot bear grudges for a long time and it certainly is injurious to ones health.

 

What you really mean is bullied into silence but as they say, time will tell.

 

I make no such suggestion. We are talking about a Heritage Railway, which in today's world is not a matter of life or death. Volunteers do not have to stay with the railway if they are uncomfortable with the working conditions and paid Staff could look for alternative employment. I find, in the Heritage Railway related pages of NP that most, non armchair, volunteers are prepared to 'go the extra mile' at their chosen railway hobby.

 

Hang on. You're jumping to a lot of misinformed conclusions.

1. I have no link to the WSR. So that conspiracy theory doesn't hold up.
2. I'm not trying to "silence critical voices". I'm just suggesting that these negative posts are not actually going to achieve anything and any concerns would be better informed and dealt with if they were taken up the railway itself.

 

Maybe the volunteers/ supporters feel that everything is going along fine and nothing needs changing.

 

That was my point.

 

However, if they looked at the financials what would they think?

 

But the WSR is different in that, unlike nearly all other Heritage railways, the volunteers have no formal input into the way it is run. The only large shareholder is the District Council, who maintain a largely "silent" status, and neither of the two associated volunteer groups have significant shareholdings. As a result the Chairman effectively appoints the other directors and the Board is not answerable to anybody else, nor are there the usual opportunities to raise any issues of concern. This is why those concerns are regularly raised on this forum and others in the hope that answers and explanations can be obtained.
You seem to be advocating that those with apprehensions about the ongoing financial viability of the railway should just keep quiet, but the lack of answers on this question is affecting the ability of the organisation to attract new donors and funders thus making the financial situation even more difficult.

 

Oh, come on... I don't post much on here because it usually brings forth a further flurry of not very well informed speculation. But this post and some of the previous ones require some kind of response. Currently the West Somerset Railway has around 800 active volunteers in all grades and areas of work, about 70 full time equivalent paid staff, and 6 PLC un-paid directors, of which I'm one. We also have three very supportive and active charities, all with further members. Together, these people are of all ages, levels of expertise and background, all with the single purpose of making sure the WSR runs safely and survives financially. Do you really think these people would allow themselves to be led over the cliff by any one individual? If you do, then you don't know people from around here very well. Like most companies of our size, directors are elected at the annual shareholders meeting, where shareholders receive full financial reports, and are able to ask questions in an open session. Any shareholder (or any volunteer) is welcome to write in and ask a question, or make a comment at any time.

Like all heritage railways, keeping financially stable is a real challenge, but our accounts show that we are doing better than many, and we are certainly doing better than we were five years ago. This is the result of solid effort by everyone involved, and that includes our paid staff (who - like on most heritage railways - work extraordinarily hard for pretty minimal reward) and our Chairman, contrary to the unpleasant imputations in some recent postings on this thread.

At five o'clock on Sunday morning some of our team will be out on the railway starting their inspection to ensure that we are able to run Santa trains safely, following the passage of the storm we are expecting tonight (no, I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't have that job!). I have no idea whether our Chairman will be there, but it would not surprise anyone if he was. So please, before folk start flying off with further accusations, it would be appreciated if people would check out the real situation - but probably not at 0500 on Sunday.

 

I'd echo this and also add that the current directors are far more transparent and open than previous boards, and particularly so where volunteers are concerned (I know, right ?!)

Unlike some previous boards, they have a much greater presence on the ground which helps, but mainly because we actually know who they all are ! For those who we don't see or hear from on such a frequent basis, we've had introductions at annual training/briefing days which has been well received and appreciated. There just isn't that kind of disconnect between the staff and directors anymore; I don't know of anyone in our team of circa 80 volunteers who wouldn't feel able to approach atleast one of them if they had a question or query, regardless of whether they are a shareholder or not. This feels like another important step forward and an improvement over previous years.

Once again, there is the 'Nat Pres WSR' and the real WSR ...

 

It is a discussion forum, anyone is entitled to their opinion the same as you are. Do you think all those posts telling people how WCRC should run their commercial business, or what should happen with Tornado, or why the shed at Herston has not been finished for a few years have any impact on those projects?
Yet somehow the WSR is supposed to be behind some "social media firewall"?