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. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2014
    Messages:
    2,237
    Likes Received:
    918
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Is there a WTT for the 40 year anniversary please
     
  2. pgbffest

    pgbffest New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2018
    Messages:
    191
    Likes Received:
    370
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Somewhere with a lot of letters!
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Daft question, but has anybody conducted an intervals survey? By this has anybody been willing to sit down and work out how long it takes to do certain things e.g. take water (avg), run round, conduct a brake test, cycle a token through the instruments to cross trains etc? It takes a lot of work, but it may answer a few questions.
     
  3. aldfort

    aldfort Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2009
    Messages:
    1,923
    Likes Received:
    4,237
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Cardiff
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    We have somebody studying this in depth. It is far from the whole story.
     
  4. The answer is yes - every year since reopening - on those things you mention. I'd imagine most railways do the same and any railway will have delays if there are out-of-course incidents. On the WSR, it looks like the current 5mph restriction at Blue Anchor is causing delays in both directions. The crews and station staff seem to be working hard to minimise delay but heck s*!t happens.

    Steve
     
  5. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2008
    Messages:
    2,027
    Likes Received:
    1,319
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Bus Driver
    Location:
    Loughton Essex
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Is the WSR unique in being remote from major population centres, and therefore struggling to gain sufficient volunteers for their requirements?

    Does the WTT have sufficient recovery time built in to allow for TSRs which will inevitably occur?

    A 'can do' attitude from train crews is always a help.
    As is allowing more than the minimum time at terminal stations, so that crews can turn round more quickly whilst still retaining their PNBs.

    As is timing trains to run below the limit, thus allowing for some recovery from delays by running slightly closer to those limits. But it does largely come down to only four sections on a 20 mile railway. The sections are so long that changing crossing places due to late running is virtually impossible. As a comparison, on the KESR the line is divided into 4 sections if all 4 signal boxes are open, being only a 10 mile line this allows for the occasional crossing at unplanned location.
     
  6. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2011
    Messages:
    25,494
    Likes Received:
    23,734
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Grantham
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Your note is absolutely fair and reasonable. However, it also highlights why the “if you don’t like it come and volunteer” response is inadequate, especially if expressed sharply.

    When I visit somewhere, and pay money, I respond to a prospectus. If a railway, the timetable is part of that. So would the catering, ride, loos, and a myriad of other things.

    If I comment on that, and the response is along the lines of some on here, that comes across as an attempt to blame me for that failing. That is inadequate and inappropriate for a visitor attraction that charges visitors.

    If there is an explanation of what’s happening (as above), then that will go a long way towards restraining blood pressure. But that can only be mitigation, and shouldn’t be expected to stop visitors being frustrated - people who have bought tickets on the basis of the prospectus offered.

    And, yes, I recognise the catch 22 in this.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     
  7. aldfort

    aldfort Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2009
    Messages:
    1,923
    Likes Received:
    4,237
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Cardiff
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    What can I say, we are doing our best and trying our hardest. We need more volunteers otherwise things won't improve and that is a best case scenario.
    It's not a secret that we need more revenue, approx. £250k more than the ticket take currently per year. I fully understand if we can improve the offering then we will get more passengers and may be able to charge a little more money. You recognise that as well, it is, as you say, a catch 22. There would certainly be a lot of moaning and wringing of hands in Somerset if the railway closed.
     
    Yorkshireman likes this.
  8. aldfort

    aldfort Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2009
    Messages:
    1,923
    Likes Received:
    4,237
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Cardiff
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    You'll find the ORR don't like some aspects of a "can do attitude". H&S and obeying the rules has been drummed into us as it will be drummed into all Heritage Rail operators in the coming years.
     
  9. Forestpines

    Forestpines Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2009
    Messages:
    1,681
    Likes Received:
    2,438
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Somewhere in the UK
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Oops. I shouldn't reply to posts before I have finished my first cup of tea in the morning.

    My apologies, because I did completely ignore the word "every" and entirely misconstrued things
     
  10. 6960 Raveningham Hall

    6960 Raveningham Hall Member Friend

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2016
    Messages:
    713
    Likes Received:
    1,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired.
    Location:
    Near St. Austell, Cornwall.
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    @Ian Monkton kindly posted a link to the PDF a couple of weeks ago, Anthony.

    See post # 18950 in this thread. (Page 948).
     
    Ian Monkton likes this.
  11. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2008
    Messages:
    2,027
    Likes Received:
    1,319
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Bus Driver
    Location:
    Loughton Essex
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I certainly wouldn't endorse any breaches, or even bending, of the rules. These observations are not based in any way on WSR practices as I have not visited for a very long time.
    It is however sometimes evident that some train crews on some railways are not really aware of the little things which could be done more promptly. Sometimes it is a matter of planning who will do what before arriving at the terminus, it may be a matter of asking a trainee to step back on this trip and allow the qualified person to 'hook off' for example.
    It is also sometimes evident that some station staff feel it is necessary to maintain normal leisurely station dwell times even when late running occurs. Encouraging late arriving passengers to pay the inspector on the train rather than holding a train while they pay at a booking office can help for example.
    As a signalman for example, I try to process tokens through the machine promptly, and work the frame in the most advantageous way to get trains moving. Replacing home signal to Danger as soon as train is in clear of points, so that once I have the token I can process it without another lever movement can safely save a few seconds on a crossing move, particularly if a route would otherwise be time-locked. (Example from KESR: at Rolvenden, the Loop South points are route-locked by clearance of Up Inner Home signal, so replacing Up Inner Home to Danger behind an arriving Up train on the loop as soon as the track-circuits for the loop points are clear, allows the 2 minute timer for changing those points to start before I've collected the token, thus once I've processed said token I am free to set route for Down train using the Main. Wheras if I waited until I'd collected the token before replacing that signal, then I would have to wait two minutes before setting the opposing route, thus delaying departure of Down train.)
     
    Rumpole, oddsocks, jnc and 3 others like this.
  12. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2014
    Messages:
    11,247
    Likes Received:
    17,947
    Gender:
    Female
    Occupation:
    Barrister
    Location:
    Stogumber
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
  13. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2011
    Messages:
    25,494
    Likes Received:
    23,734
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Grantham
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    In the context of the challenges the WSR faces, I agree entirely. In the context of customer feedback, @johnofwessex highlights the level of challenge you face.
     
  14. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2008
    Messages:
    2,027
    Likes Received:
    1,319
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Bus Driver
    Location:
    Loughton Essex
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Timetable planning is a bit of a 'black art' , speaking as a former denizen of Wimbledon Special Timings office, I was glad my efforts had only a limited application and would not affect the whole year's timetable.

    Get it right and no one seems to notice, get it ever so slightly wrong and everyone will notice. Our timetable planner at KESR does a wonderful job, an unsung hero.
     
  15. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2014
    Messages:
    2,237
    Likes Received:
    918
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    It’s seems to jump from post 18948 to post 18951 for me.
     
  16. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    26,103
    Likes Received:
    57,433
    Location:
    LBSC 215
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Do you roster As Required (spare) crews in your loco department? We have an AR crew (D / F / C) who are there partly to ensure cover in case someone doesn't turn up for their turn, but partly to work as directed by the Running Foreman. In particular they can give the service crew relief, for example taking a loco off shed and hooking on while the service crew get breakfast and changed; giving relief on run rounds to allow the service crew a break etc. Even fairly trivial stuff can take pressure off the service crew if time is tight, for example if the AR crew assist with watering and bringing coal forward, it allows the fireman to concentrate on building his / her fire for the next trip. Might not count for much in a planned thirty minute run round, but if you arrive 15 down, it might be the difference between getting away on time; getting away late, or struggling with all the coal at the back of the tender part way through the trip.

    Tom
     
    oddsocks, jnc, Nick C and 1 other person like this.
  17. 6960 Raveningham Hall

    6960 Raveningham Hall Member Friend

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2016
    Messages:
    713
    Likes Received:
    1,033
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired.
    Location:
    Near St. Austell, Cornwall.
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer

    Anthony.

    wsr.org.uk/40th-wtt.pdf

    (I’m useless at copying links!)
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2019
  18. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2015
    Messages:
    9,186
    Likes Received:
    7,226
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Thorn in my managers side
    Location:
    72
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    While I appreciate all the issues involved, 'for example' all the derelict planters on Minehead platform, which are really now just rubbish, could probably have been removed at the end of the last season, something I suggest would have taken no more than an hour - after all there are several platform trucks of various sorts on display.

    Please dont try this at home but I remember watching the Sleeper to Cologne being given the Right Away from Poznan irrespective if the fact that passengers were still boarding as it was time to go
     
  19. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2014
    Messages:
    2,237
    Likes Received:
    918
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Brilliant thxs
     
  20. 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
    A can do attitude doesn't require people to break rules or ignore H & S. A quick turn round can knock minutes off the time to do it if crews are organised and efficient. The NYMR has crews that will do that and run round in 10 minutes, including taking water. Unfortunately it also has crews that will dawdle and saunter down the platform to get a cup of tea and take the full 20 minutes allowed in the timetable. Guards, especially, can take their time. (Or so us footplate crews think!:))
     

Share This Page