S&D Railway Trust told to leave Washford

[TRP]

The West Somerset Railway has given notice to the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust to vacate their site at Washford station on the WSR. The following is copied from the S&DRT's facebook page:

Trust receives 12 months notice to quit Washford site.

Ian Young, S&DRT Chairman, is sending the following letter to members:

"Dear member, I am sorry to tell you that we have received a Notice to Terminate the agreement at Washford by February 10th 2021. It has been sent by solicitors acting for the West Somerset Railway plc.

This is very disappointing news for the Trust. The reason cited by the letter from their solicitors is that the WSR wishes to use the site for their own purposes though they have not furnished any further detail.

We cannot be certain of the outcome of this move but, whatever that might be, it will bring challenges to the Trust. At the same time I would ask you all to be assured that this does not indicate the end of the Trust, we will continue with our present activities as usual. I have no doubt that it will cause us to evaluate, as never before, what our strengths, weaknesses and ambitions are. However the Trust has faced difficulties in the past which have been overcome and we must seek the opportunities which will lie ahead.

We are seeking legal advice, and a response has already been sent to the WSR via their solicitors.

In the meantime, we will endeavour to keep you informed via the website. Please note that certain information may be reserved for the Members’ area."

Ian Young,
Chairman, Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust Ltd.

Hopefully they can find a new, suitable home. Moving in with a heritage railway in the Somerset & Dorset area could include the sections of the S&D being revived at Midsomer Norton or Shillingstone, or neighbouring railways such as the East Somerset or Avon Valley Railways.

Tony

[ordessasteve]

Originally Posted by TRP

The West Somerset Railway has given notice to the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust to vacate their site at Washford station on the WSR. The following is copied from the S&DRT's facebook page:

Trust receives 12 months notice to quit Washford site.

Ian Young, S&DRT Chairman, is sending the following letter to members:

"Dear member, I am sorry to tell you that we have received a Notice to Terminate the agreement at Washford by February 10th 2021. It has been sent by solicitors acting for the West Somerset Railway plc.

This is very disappointing news for the Trust. The reason cited by the letter from their solicitors is that the WSR wishes to use the site for their own purposes though they have not furnished any further detail.

We cannot be certain of the outcome of this move but, whatever that might be, it will bring challenges to the Trust. At the same time I would ask you all to be assured that this does not indicate the end of the Trust, we will continue with our present activities as usual. I have no doubt that it will cause us to evaluate, as never before, what our strengths, weaknesses and ambitions are. However the Trust has faced difficulties in the past which have been overcome and we must seek the opportunities which will lie ahead.

We are seeking legal advice, and a response has already been sent to the WSR via their solicitors.

In the meantime, we will endeavour to keep you informed via the website. Please note that certain information may be reserved for the Members’ area."

Ian Young,
Chairman, Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust Ltd.

Hopefully they can find a new, suitable home. Moving in with a heritage railway in the Somerset & Dorset area could include the sections of the S&D being revived at Midsomer Norton or Shillingstone, or neighbouring railways such as the East Somerset or Avon Valley Railways.

Tony

I fear sadly its been a long time coming...
Th trust changed ....and have done great things but have always been a bit of an anomoly at the side. If they are struggling to help the WSR...its not a suprise that this has come about...

Just an observation from an old volunteer...

[TRP]

Thanks for that. I'm not involved on either side, just something I saw online and it was quite a surprise to me, given how long they've been based at Washford. But things change I guess and there's not much public information to know exactly what's going on behind the scenes.

Tony

[TRP]

The WSR has posted a statement on their website - link here:

https://www.west-somerset-railway.co...rding-washford

It's quite strongly worded in parts and describes the S&D Trust as acting like 'a cuckoo in the nest' during the WSR's recent financial difficulties, suggesting that the Trust could perhaps have done a bit more to help the railway in this situation.

Tony

[StoneRoad]

I wonder how the WST would have reacted if the Washford site was let to an "ordinary" engineering company ... or a franchisee had a station buffet in the same circumstances.


Also, the S&D constitution may not allow them to appear to prop up another organisation ... and did they have the money in the first place ?


All very odd ...

[TRP]

Following the move of the S&DRT's 7F 2-8-0 No.53808 to the Mid Hants Railway in September, it appears that at least some of their other rolling stock & artefacts will also be moved to the MHR in the near future - https://preservation.watercressline....t-railway-to-w

However, it seems that the S&DRT may be maintaining it's base at Washford for the time being, as the WSR don't need Washford yard in it's entirety and the two parties are discussing a new 10-year lease for the site - https://www.sdrt.org/images/files/ne...t_06-11-20.pdf

I'm not sure that anything is completely decided yet!

Tony