If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. Sheff

    Sheff Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2006
    Messages:
    7,567
    Likes Received:
    2,345
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired Engineer & Heritage Volunteer
    Location:
    N Warks
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    :Arewealone::)
     
  2. Monkey Magic

    Monkey Magic Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2018
    Messages:
    3,498
    Likes Received:
    6,845
    Location:
    Here, there, everywhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    [​IMG]

    Getting a grip is not insulting potential volunteers or donors. Getting a grip is admitting that the original post was badly worded. Getting a grip is not an overly defensive reaction to criticism.

    If you don’t want me to donate that’s fine by me. Plenty of other groups to support. But don’t start crying when something has to be sold to cover debts or the financial black hole.

    Your loss not mine.
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2019
    GWR4707, The Dainton Banker and jnc like this.
  3. Triumph 2500S

    Triumph 2500S Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2014
    Messages:
    1,066
    Likes Received:
    933
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Swindon
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    One very definitive Fact about the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway is that undoubtedly there are disagreements, the Broadway Café being a point in case, BUT the arguments are never allowed to fester or remain and the Railway is always the winner in that Positive Decisions are Made and Everyone Moves onto the next Objective as a Dedicated and Focused Team. You only have to witness what has been achieved from a derelict track bed to Appreciate What has been Achieved under the most Difficult of circumstances particularly landslips which severed the Railway not once but twice!

    I look forward to when I can say the same about the West Somerset Railway, but perhaps the fact that we inherited a complete infrastructure and possessed a lack of Incentive and Drive to get back into Taunton may have exacerbated the problems we now face? It all comes down to Leadership and in that regard I Expect Great things of our New Chairman and wish him well as we cannot now be far from the last chance saloon!
     
  4. 45076

    45076 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2011
    Messages:
    478
    Likes Received:
    313
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    34004
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    44422 weighs 48t 15cwt over 3 axles, so should be well within the weight limit on the WSR?
     
    phil_o99, joe_issitt and Aberdare like this.
  5. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2005
    Messages:
    9,635
    Likes Received:
    8,303
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Alderan !
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Here is the interesting point to me . I read things as the WSR had a/ agreed a price and b/agreed to sell to 4110 group which was made up of volunteers and footplate staff on the railway . Then the goal posts moved to the WSRA and then with a rival higher bid it was sold elsewhere . What is lost is an engine with WSR heritage , economical and a Route availablity suitable for the line . The level of support achieved indicated many others did too . A rash observation maybe that the lines supporters hoped for a pure bred variant as opposed to the mongrel

    Secondly with regard to social media postings , most organisations quite rightly have a social media policy . That policy should not prevent members posting about the railway but postings should be respectful . Andy's comments re volunteers being barred as a result of Social media activity is not the first time this has been hinted at

    there seems to be recurring themes coming out . Flip flopping on direction, . changing minds , control of the volunteers
     
  6. Andy Norman

    Andy Norman Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2015
    Messages:
    737
    Likes Received:
    4,393
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    West Somerset
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    You are right 44422 is ok, in weight limit and a great engine, I've fired it many times over the WSR, it handles 6/7 coach trains with ease and is a lovely steaming engine which as a fireman I've never felt was going to let me down. It was dubbed 'the mighty 4F' by many crews. Ken was referring to 7027 & 6695 both of which are Red Route
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2019
    phil_o99 and Ferguson like this.
  7. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2015
    Messages:
    9,185
    Likes Received:
    7,226
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Thorn in my managers side
    Location:
    72
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I remember a trip to Minehead behind 44422.

    While I was only 4 when it shut, I cant imagine that what I experienced was that different to why I might have experienced on a holiday express on the S&D

    I fear that ending the long term hire is simply a wast of money & the loss of a good engine
     
    phil_o99 and Aberdare like this.
  8. Yorkshireman

    Yorkshireman Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2014
    Messages:
    4,486
    Likes Received:
    5,045
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Comfy chair occupant!
    Location:
    No moaners please!
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Yes!
     
  9. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2011
    Messages:
    25,487
    Likes Received:
    23,719
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Grantham
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I can't agree with that - senior managerial roles involve both strategy and operations. By this logic no chief executive could be a board member.

    The question - and I've heard it asked of other railways - is over the relationship between board and GM, and how the board hold an appropriate balance between supporting the GM in performing the job, and keeping the GM accountable for delivering against the strategy of the board.

    That balance does not lend itself to definitive yes/no answers, though there will undoubtedly be examples where it is wrongly struck in both directions.
     
  10. Faol

    Faol Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2014
    Messages:
    768
    Likes Received:
    1,875
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Any port in a storm
    Location:
    Taunton
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Quite true but 6695 is a red route loco and so is a castle. As I said 2 of the 3.
    Ken
     
  11. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    26,100
    Likes Received:
    57,416
    Location:
    LBSC 215
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Yet at the same time that 6695 is released, a Castle arrives! Which doesn’t seem to make sense if infrastructure is a concern (and I agree it probably should be).

    Now of course, maybe the Castle is not intended to be run, but rather a contract overhaul to be done at the owner’s expense. But if the railway is short of operational motive power, I don’t believe using internal resources - even if paid for - to overhaul (or even store) a loco that won’t ultimately be used is a higher priority than using the same resources to overhaul the home fleet. The logic of being a “workshop for hire” at the same time as you are short of rolling stock resources and have to hire in has never seemed sound business sense to me.

    Maybe all will become clear, but from this end of the A303 the strategy looks decidedly confusing.

    Tom
     
  12. Miff

    Miff Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2008
    Messages:
    2,857
    Likes Received:
    2,793
    I’m not sure it is. Many organisations have a Managing Director or Chief Executive at board level. No different, in my view, to a GM who has been elevated to the board.
     
    35B likes this.
  13. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2005
    Messages:
    9,635
    Likes Received:
    8,303
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Alderan !
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    The social media policy may preclude those close answering but assuming said owner of an engine is maybe seeking volunteer input to aid the restoration, and those said volunteers who had pledged to support another engine on their railway have just rather had their noses put out of joint ......
     
    35B likes this.
  14. Keith Sims

    Keith Sims Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2015
    Messages:
    224
    Likes Received:
    684
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    retired from volunteering
    Location:
    Somerset
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
     
  15. Keith Sims

    Keith Sims Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2015
    Messages:
    224
    Likes Received:
    684
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    retired from volunteering
    Location:
    Somerset
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Thank you Andy and Ken for a bit of "downright honesty".
    Now we know a bit of what the ORR wanted done to ensure the safe running of WSR.
    I do hope that Andy does not lose his ID card, I lost my job for having the courage to " stand up" and tell the bosses where there were failings in their organisations. (many others had expressed that opinion privately)! The railway needs men of courage and drive.
    Incidentally my wife and I gave up volunteering because letters we sent to "Head Office" at Minehead, concerning what we felt was unfair treatment of a fellow volunteer, were not answered, it seemed no-one wanted to hear about conflict in the organisation.
     
  16. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2006
    Messages:
    11,930
    Likes Received:
    10,088
    Occupation:
    Gentleman of leisure, nowadays
    Location:
    Near Leeds
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Having a GM on the board should not be a problem, just as having a Managing Director shouldn't be. The Chairman is in charge of the board, who must make collective decisions. Once those decisions are made, the GM/MD has to implement them and the board support him in this process. The only conflict is if there is something of concern about the GM needing discussion and, in that case, the chairman would/should exclude him from the meeting.
     
    The Dainton Banker likes this.
  17. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2012
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    2,706
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Western Atlantic
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    The same organizations, yes - but the people in charge are almost entirely different.

    Noel
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2019
    The Dainton Banker likes this.
  18. Dennis John Brooks

    Dennis John Brooks Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2014
    Messages:
    408
    Likes Received:
    885
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    North Somerset
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I feel that the WSRA has commited suicide, which I predicted 3 years ago & the WSR is following close behind. None of that is due to the diligent volunteer's but the poor management at the top & it's gone so far as to be virtually impossible to recover the situation.

    DJB.
     
  19. Yorkshireman

    Yorkshireman Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2014
    Messages:
    4,486
    Likes Received:
    5,045
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Comfy chair occupant!
    Location:
    No moaners please!
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    That really is complete and utter ‘nonsense. Three years ago the WSRA had just been rescued from the mess created by the EX6+1. Recovering from that was never expected to be quick or easy but progress has not been quick or easy but progress has been slower than any would like. To suggest that the current problems of the WSR PLC are the fault of the WSRA is frankly ludicrous. They are two rntirely separate organisations under different managements.
     
  20. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2013
    Messages:
    10,440
    Likes Received:
    17,940
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Cheltenham
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Do I need to even bother now, especially as I suspect I'm on Yorkshireman's naughty list?...
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2019
    Matt37401, nick glanf, ghost and 7 others like this.

Share This Page