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The maroon Roller-shutter BG coach (the ‘BG’) presently stabled in the Goods shed siding was purchased by the plc for the Signal & Telegraph Department. At the time of purchase it was not immediately required and was loaned to RAMS for a limited period. It must be released at Easter 2009 so that it can be refurbished and fitted out for the S&T Department to provide them with appropriate mobile workshop facilities so that they can begin the works to extend Williton loop, likely to start in 2010. The BG was due to be removed in late autumn 2008 but I have negotiated an extension on that until Easter 2009 to allow the opportunity for alternative facilities to be provided.
The BG is presently used in two separated halves by RAMS, one for preparation of items to be painted and one as a ‘clean’ and controlled environment in which to paint.
RAMS have my wholehearted support for this excellent work they do, which will be much harder without suitable, similar facilities.
The result is that if a ‘do nothing’ approach is adopted, this RAMS facility will cease to be available from Easter 2009.
In any event, this is not a suitable location for the maintenance activity. Firstly, the goods shed siding is a traffic siding which must remain available to traffic. It is needed for the railway’s operations for locomotive and vehicle stabling and the like. It is also the access to the Gauge Museum. Use of this location as a maintenance base has, on occasion, caused tension when traffic and other needs have required the siding to be used. Secondly, this location is at the centre of our passenger station. It is central to the view the majority of our passengers experience in the absence of a train when they use the shop and adjacent to our Museum / Visitor Centre. A roller-shutter BG is not consistent with the image of a GWR branch line. Given that we have to find alternative facilities it is also sensible to consider ways in which this area can add to what we offer our visitors rather than detracting from it as it does at the moment. The decrepit portacabin and the piles of potentially useful but unsightly stored materials next to it are not an advantage. That will become increasingly so as the western side of the station becomes much more public in coming years as the Station Farm development gets underway.
A further consideration is finding RAMS a facility with some permanence. Plans were previously produced for a workshop on the cattle dock area. As part of the extensive consultations on the Station Farm Development I have spent much time with the conservation officers of the relevant planning authorities. It is highly unlikely that such a building would receive planning permission, given that it would be immediately adjacent to the listed 1862 buildings. In any event, it would use a space at the centre of our passenger station for maintenance activities. I doubt whether that would be perceived by WSRA members as the right thing to do.
I have tried to identify a solution that best meets the many and various needs of all departments.
The WSR plc currently has two Covered Carriage Trucks (‘CCTs’) surplus to requirements at Minehead and intended for disposal. These vehicles are short coaches with no internal fittings built in the 1950’s to move motor cars. They are in unaltered condition. The have big end doors (the whole end) and side doors and would lend themselves very well to moving items in and out for preparation and painting. There are two of them, so one could be the ‘preparation’ shop and one the paint shop. We could site the two CCT’s no longer required at Minehead in the north east corner of the lower car park. The vehicles have windows and would be within the ‘station’ environment which I know is important to some volunteers who work with RAMS.
At my request the 40’ container situated in the lower car park has been unloaded and moved and the space available would be sufficient to install the two CCTs on two short track panels. By locating these to vehicles in an ‘L’ shaped configuration the enclosed space behind them could create a very useable storage area. Some rationalisation of the rubbish skip and recycling bins could be effected and a close boarded fence erected around this facility with a gate would keep the rubbish separated from the two vehicles. The rubbish/recycling area could then be gated securing it from unwelcome visitors. There would be some work needed to supply electricity to the site and ramps for access would need to be built. Ken Davidge has produced a sketch of this arrangement (see below) and I understand that John Baines is having a more accurate drawing produced.
In addition, we can base a GWR 21’ van in the former cattle dock (subject to traffic requirements) to provide some workshop space close to the station for limited station maintenance activities carried out from the portacabin. Such a vehicle would be in keeping with the Goods Shed and would be kept in a condition to run in the railway’s heritage goods train when required. I will be speaking to Andrew Forster in the next few days to identify the particular vehicle.
This will allow the unsightly portacabin and stored materials to be removed and the area of the cattle dock to be restored to improve our offering to our visitors.
There are a few.
Firstly, this is a further move for RAMS but if we do nothing, the facility will be lost. We have awhole winter to make the changes during which both old and new facilities will be available alongside each other.
Secondly, the facility in the lower car park will mean that the space cannot be used for car parking, disabled or otherwise, and we will have to be careful that the facility does not interfere with vehicle traffic. Ken Davidge has produced a sketch plan which I understand John Baines is working up into a fully measured plan.
Thirdly, we will have to carefully consider the electrical supply for the whole site which, until the Station Farm Development provides a new sub-station for the area, will continue to be difficult.
If we are to have these facilities in place by Easter, a decision is required very soon. I intend to present the solution set out in this paper to the WSRA Board at its next meeting on 11 October. If you have any comments to make, or you have an alternative, workable solution to suggest, please » email the Chairman at chairman@wsra.org.uk or pass your comments in writing to Susan Kaufman or Keith Sandford by 30th September at the latest.
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