Templecombe station

[whole diary]

[broadgage]

Consider the impact on newts also.
Does hunting disturb and stress the newts, not to mention some being killed under the hooves of the horses.

On the other hand, perhaps hunting actually benefits newts in some way ? Horse dung fertilising plants that shelter  newts  perhaps ? Do horse hoofprints perhaps create micro-environments that newts like.
Is the reported decline in newts in fact due to the hunting ban and nothing to do with railways.

More research is needed.

Then repeat for bats, badgers, whists, great bustards, and the increasingly threatened wild haggis.

[JayMac]

Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt at it again this last weekend.

From the North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs:

The Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt almost chased a fox onto the railway line at Templecombe again! A monitor known as Wildlife Warrior, witnessed hounds following a strong scent across Temple Lane towards the tracks,  but thankfully they lost the scent before they reached the railway.

They searched rough hedges there for a while until terrier men noticed the monitor watching and quickly phoned the huntsman!

The British Transport Police are currently investigating the BSV for 3 instances of railway trespass. The "Marsh Farm fox" they chased along the railway twice at Buckhorn Weston on December 13th, and the horrific New Years Day incident below Bowden Lane, Templecombe that got 4 dogs tragically killed by a train!

Scum. The lot of 'em.

[broadgage]

I would not consider a hunt saboteur group to be an entirely accurate or impartial source of news about this sort of thing.

If the report is accurate, and I suspect that it is PROBABLY accurate, then I agree that the hunt are scum. I am becoming increasingly opposed to allegedly legal drag hunting.

[TaplowGreen]

Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt at it again this last weekend.

From the North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs:

The Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt almost chased a fox onto the railway line at Templecombe again! A monitor known as Wildlife Warrior, witnessed hounds following a strong scent across Temple Lane towards the tracks,  but thankfully they lost the scent before they reached the railway.

They searched rough hedges there for a while until terrier men noticed the monitor watching and quickly phoned the huntsman!

The British Transport Police are currently investigating the BSV for 3 instances of railway trespass. The "Marsh Farm fox" they chased along the railway twice at Buckhorn Weston on December 13th, and the horrific New Years Day incident below Bowden Lane, Templecombe that got 4 dogs tragically killed by a train!

Scum. The lot of 'em.

There are a lot of groups whose habits, views and/or activities I strongly disagree with, but I manage to draw the line at hurling abuse at them on a collective and/or individual basis, especially when based on uncorroborated accounts.

The Deputy Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition recently had to apologise unreservedly for similarly intemperate and unpleasant behaviour, using remarkably similar language to yours.

I thought that one of the rules of this Forum was that discussions should take place in a civil manner - I may have broken that rule (albeit less offensively/vociferously) in the past for which I apologise if I've offended anyone..

As a Moderator, perhaps you should set a better example.

[broadgage]

The insulting term used is fairly minor and is in my view acceptable under the circumstances.

I would not consider it acceptable to refer to a named individual as scum, but in my view the term is acceptable if applied to a group or organisation of which one strongly disapproves.

[ChrisB]

Hmm.

So someone getting fed up with a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) removing services finally slides into using that language against the company. Do you find that just as acceptable?

I think the original suggestion ought to stand, and that the Moderators should take a joint view. There’s no need for calling anyone (singular or joint) scum in my view.

[grahame]

We should probably take this as a reminder to all of us not to get too emotional about things and move on.

[ChrisB]

And/Or move threads that disappear off-topic quicker.

Just to be clear, I am against all this too

[JayMac]

I stand by my comments.

[broadgage]

I stand by my comments.

Such remarks are not to be made routinely, nor without careful consideration, but in this case I agree with you.

[grahame]

And another - a Facebook post from yesterday

Details of train collision involving dogs. No people were physically harmed.

Following yesterday's devastating incident where Wacton based hunt, the Dunston Harriers, allowed the death of hounds and the trauma of train passengers as the two collided. Our thoughts are also with the train driver and any member of staff that witnessed or had to respond to the event.

We extend this to the locals who are now living next to the aftermath and our gratitude for sending pictures of the reality hunting hounds face. The forgotten victims of hunting.

[JayMac]

And another - a Facebook post from yesterday

Details of train collision involving dogs. No people were physically harmed.

Following yesterday's devastating incident where Wacton based hunt, the Dunston Harriers, allowed the death of hounds and the trauma of train passengers as the two collided. Our thoughts are also with the train driver and any member of staff that witnessed or had to respond to the event.

We extend this to the locals who are now living next to the aftermath and our gratitude for sending pictures of the reality hunting hounds face. The forgotten victims of hunting.

I refer readers to my sign off on reply #19 above.

[broadgage]

And I refer readers to my reply in post #27, which I also stand by.

[ellendune]

An interesting feature of the Coffee Shop software is that if you select the option in the settings to see the most recent post at the top, it numbers them all from the the most recent, so the post numbers other posters give are unintelligible.  If only the thread gave the current number of posts in the header.....

[JayMac]

Later this year will mark the 40th anniversary of the reopening of Templecombe Station.

It had closed on 7th March 1966 and the original station buildings were demolished in 1968, leaving just the platform faces and the signal box.

The station reopened on 3rd October 1983, initially for a three year trial. The services proved so successful that a new waiting shelter was provided in 1988, and an extension with toilets was added two years later. A 'new' footbridge was erected to connect the platform with the car park; it had originally been erected in 1893 at Buxted. The signal box doubled as a ticket office, and for many years the station was staffed full-time because of the need for a member of staff to operate the points and signals for the double track west of the station. After the commissioning of a new signalling system, controlled from Basingstoke, in March 2012, ticket office staffing hours were reduced. However, because the platform was only accessible by crossing the track, staff were still required to operate a level crossing for wheelchair users and other passengers unable to use the footbridge. To resolve this, the disused platform on the south side, where there is level access to the car park and streets beyond, was extended out across the disused trackbed up to the active set of tracks, and was provided with a ticket office, basic shelter, an automatic ticket machine, information boards and passenger information dot matrix display.

The Friends of Templecombe Station are making plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reopening. More information on that in the coming months.