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West Somerset Railway - Removal of the PLC Chairman and related matters

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by rodders154, Aug 14, 2018.

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  1. big.stu

    big.stu Well-Known Member

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    I think the suggestion is that Messrs Courtenay and Greenway, whilst trustees of the WSRA, have acted in a way which flout the Charity Commission guide lines. Not my battle, just my interpretation of the information made available so far...
     
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  2. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Amazing. What on earth is the problem in and around the West Somerset Railway that seems to result in one difficulty after another popping up? If all the key people are there for all the right reasons then one would hope than any occasional hiccups would be resolved in the best interests of all and away from publicity. But it seems to be one thing after another.

    If this were a family one might question whether it was disfunctional but perhaps that is too harsh.
     
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  3. Quite right @Big Al - I think some of us are now looking for a common thread...so it can be dealt with. Maybe it is me ;)

    Steve
     
  4. It is a sad fact that many dedicated and capable folk, in ALL grades, have walked away in recent years. There certainly isn't a balancing flow of like-minded new people joining the Railway. That's the issue that really needs addressing. I don't have the first clue as to how to go about it though.
     
  5. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

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    Barrie, you are presupposing that Mr Courtenay sought co-option rather than responded to a
    request by some that he return ?

    What we (all those who love the WSR) wish for is strong and positive leadership from the Plc.

    WSRA RIP ?

    Michael Rowe
     
  6. snappertim

    snappertim New Member

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    Having moved to the frozen north, well East Midlands actually, The West Somerset Railway is by far and away streets [or should it be rails] ahead of those heritage railways near to me. I know many of the WSR volunteers and staff who are always welcoming to visitors and passengers: great pride is taken with all 10 stations: rolling stock and locomotives, steam and diesel are turned out extremely well: the scenery is very varied and interesting over the whole 20+ miles: I could go on but I won't.

    As with all volunteer led organisations there are disputes and elsewhere are settled, in the main, "in house". WSR is not perfect but much much better than this thread would suggest. I'm looking forward to seeing Braunton, the 40's weekend and the Autumn Gala all in the next couple of months. Much to enjoy thanks to the dedication of a great many staff and volunteers.

    Perhaps we should have a "good news" thread ?
     
  7. Yorkshireman

    Yorkshireman Part of the furniture

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    The common thread is that post the ex6 +1 there have been some extraordinarily strong minded and determined personalities who just cannot manage to work together. I have no idea of how to overcome the impasse. I am almost tempted to say let the whole WSRA be wound up. I hope it does not come to that.
     
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  8. QB Cook

    QB Cook Guest

    What I feel is extremely poor is that the two gentlemen concerned felt the need to post on a public website. This has led to unnecessary comment and opinion without both sides of the issue being known, and to the feeling of "here we go again" which I think to be fundamentally wrong. As far as I see it, there was a disagreement with the WSRA Board with regard to the pursuing of the matter of shares, albeit ratified by the membership, and a subsequent approach to the WSR plc Board to have Mr Courtney co-opted onto that Board without the knowledge of the Association. If this is the case, and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, then it was quite right to dismiss them.
     
  9. Michael, we don't have a clue what Frank was up to, nor what he possibly hoped to achieve. I'm not aware anyone wanted him back, nor indeed why he resigned!

    Strong and positive leadership from the plc would be most wonderful. I tried to find some of that back in February.

    If you attended the Rally you would be aware that WSRA is very much alive and well. From the information so far available to me, I consider they have acted entirely correctly, as I would expect.
     
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  10. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    The WSRA apparently spent £47,000 in legal expenses defending an attempt to get two expelled WSRA Member re-instated. The two ex members lost their case; it was not until the new trustees took office that the two were re-instated as members. A hollow and very costly victory. Now a further £22,000 is being risked for the return of shares which have a relatively small value it appears. Both sides in the saga feel they have right on their side, time will tell.
    This could end up a greater catastrophe, if they lose, for the West Somerset Railway when you consider what those sums of money might have achieved in locomotive restoration and support for the line and PLC.
    No wonder some are withholding their financial support.
     
  11. 6024KEI

    6024KEI Member

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    Personally a little surprised this share thing is still rumbling round. My opinion remains as it was at the outset which is that beyond sentimental value, the monetary value of shares in a steam loco - especially one out of ticket - have little monetary value. The old adage about the best way to make a small fortune out of steam loco ownership being to start with a large fortune still holds a lot of truth.

    Sometimes you can have some very competent people in their own fields (engineering etc) but who lack the vital skill of working together as a team and as such are best used as advisors rather than as management team members. I don't know much about any of those involved but the perception of strong characters and strong views doesn't seem to bode well for a coherent team. A good team working together well will achieve more than the sum of its parts - a bad team of however talented people can easily achieve much less than it should.
     
  12. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    The notion that an out of ticket steam engine has no value is a strange one, particularly if the loco in question is not an ex-Barry example but is complete with all fittings, plus a large pot of cash and an operable 08 shunter - it flies in the face of other sales. Furthermore, it's a locomotive that is ideal for the WSR and seems to have been sold for a low price so that the WSR would be deprived of it. I would say it is very worth pursuing, and it would seem that the WSRA membership agreed.
     
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  13. Gunz412

    Gunz412 New Member Loco Owner

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    I don’t know the full story but the realisable value of the loco might not be the issue. It could depend on how the book value (share value) was recorded in the association accounts. I am still a member of the association so I should have a copy of the accounts in a draw somewhere.
     
  14. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    If I recall, the value also involved other assets and a sizeable cash pile. But the question for me is not about that issue, on which opinions will legitimately differ based on people’s view of risk and opportunity. It is how consensus can be achieved and maintained when those views do differ.

    That is something that it appears has yet to be learned sufficiently.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  15. Paul Kibbey

    Paul Kibbey Well-Known Member

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    As Steve Edge suggested maybe our "dirty washing " could be done on WSRA+ site , still public but not quite so public . I ag

    Not again .
     
  16. The Dainton Banker

    The Dainton Banker Well-Known Member

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    I am deeply sorry to see this dispute break out and into the public arena. Although not a member of the WRSA I followed the original dispute with interest, as it had implications for many organisations, and I was impressed by the clarity, sense-of-purpose, commitment and commonsense displayed by the members of the Reform group, which included all of the players in this current scenario.

    It seems to me that all of these people spoke with much the same voice until recently, so perhaps it is the strain of having to deal with this ongoing crisis over several years, or perhaps it is just the hot weather, but there seems little justification for the present situation. They each used to be able to trust one another and should still be able to do so. I would suggest that they each take a few weeks off, remember how to “breath through their noses” again and then meet quietly somewhere, perhaps with a few other senior members of the “family”, and beat out an agreement to make the best use of their individual talents to the benefit of the Railway.

    It would be a pity to jeopardise all the work of the last few years for the sake of a bruised ego or so.

    Good luck to you all.

    Mike
     
  17. Dennis John Brooks

    Dennis John Brooks Member

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    Enough is enough, one railway ONLY ONE organisation!!!

    DJB.
     
  18. Some of us might agree with you, Dennis. Others think the current set up is fine.

    Steve
     
  19. Interesting observation, Mike. Folks need to look for the common thread.

    Steve
     
  20. Faol

    Faol Member

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    There you are I go away to meet with someone to discuss the Safety Management System and return to 3 pages of what I see as mainly turgid speculation. We are one Railway and I can prove it. With the massive help and support from both the PLC and the WSRA we have a viable Wagon Restoration Team that meets weekly or more frequently if required. The Team is now about 3/4 through restoring its 3rd PLC wagon with the WSRA doing its best to raise donations. The 4110 group has coalesced and is making progress to submit plans to the PLC to restore this loco which is not only the right locomotive for the branch but was also shedded at Taunton and worked the branch. Their plans will embrace the fund raising that the WSRA has already started with their Locomotive Restoration Fund supporting 4561, 4110 and Ditcheat Manor. I read that many, many volunteers have left the Railway. To my knowledge some have sadly passed away, some have retired but can anyone privately name me 20 ex volunteers that have left their posts because of all this kafuffle? I would suggest not.
    We are a Great Railway and like many great railways will, from time to time, have problems with personalities. I know of 2 major heritage lines that have had major problems but neither of them have a single purposed thread on Nat Pres. What is it about you keyboard warriors that drives you to continually poke and prod at the great west country branch line that is the West Somerset Railway. If the West Somerset Railway Association removed 2 of its Trustees because they breeched the CC guidelines then so be it. We do not need to trawl through the entrails. To finish here is a photo of our latest wagon restoration, the Brake van has its new sub floor packing installed prior to fitting new floor boards. LONG LIVE THE WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY.

    Sub floor.JPG
     
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