Kemble - station, facilities, improvements, events and incidents - merged posts

[whole diary]

[Robin Summerhill]

On the main bulletin this evening, Stroud's MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), David Drew (Lab) was interviewed. He said that fares along this line had always been expensive. This was so, he said, pre-privatisation, pre-Beeching, and even pre-Brunel. Quite how he knew about fares pre-Brunel (which would have had to have been stagecoach fares) is beyond me.

As I recall, he was not above opening his mouth before his brain was engaged when he was in the same form as me at Kingswood Grammar School in 1963. Some things never change...

[bobm]

The reason BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Points West were there today was in relation to a story about the annual fares increase. The Stroud Valley Line was chosen as stations on this route have some of the highest pence per mile fares in the country.

On the main bulletin this evening, Stroud's MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), David Drew (Lab) was interviewed. He said that fares along this line had always been expensive. This was so, he said, pre-privatisation, pre-Beeching, and even pre-Brunel. Quite how he knew about fares pre-Brunel (which would have had to have been stagecoach fares) is beyond me.

Stagecoach been going that long?  My local bus provider is Go South Coast. 

Incidentally there was a member of this forum briefly featured in the same programme.

[JayMac]

Incidentally there was a member of this forum briefly featured in the same programme.

There was.



That's me in the background with the bright orangey pink polo shirt and rucksack slung over my shoulder.  The camera operator picked up my best side.

(OFF TOPIC. BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Points West interviewing a charity collector for St Margaret's Somerset Hospice. Said hospice's Yeovil inpatient unit is facing closure. Something actually close to my heart. Its where my stepfather spent his final days. An excellent facility that's facing closure for financial reasons. Quite what those are and how they've come about is a bit of a mystery. Trustees and Chief Exec initially blamed NHS funding cuts. Then they said they were having trouble recruiting. Then it was discovered the management wage bill has tripled in the last two years. No problems recruiting high paid managers it seems. Its also been discovered that a funeral company set up by the charity, despite surveys saying it wasn't needed, has so far cost the charity over £300,000 and hasn't shown a profit. A lot of anger locally that Yeovil faces losing an excellent facility with rumours that this is because of financial mismanagement).

[CyclingSid]

He probably got the details of the pre-Brunel prices from the Member for the 18th Century

[TaplowGreen]

Ah, but where did he get that toupee?

[TonyK]

Ah, but where did he get that toupee?

It looks hand-knitted to me, and specially coloured to contrast with the real residual hair.

Be sure your sins will find you out here - not just BNM keeping an eye on proceedings, but tales from the schoolroomtoo! Although I thought you had to go to Eton to be able to represent the common people.

[Western Pathfinder]

Sup up your beer and collect your fags there's a row going on down near slough !...

[Red Squirrel]

What a nice day for eating trifle!

[grahame]

And please put the RailFuture event ... in your diary for 4th April

Kemble. Room  booked  (by Railfuture branch secretary) at  the  Tavern  Inn  for  Saturday  4th  April  at  2  pm  with  guest  speaker  Peter  Langman  of  Cirencester  Community  Railway.

Cancelled / AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) deferred to a later date.  May be a conference call / Skype in due course.

Meeting rescheduled 26th September 2020 (according to RailFuture website, Branch page) awaiting confirmation and not sure if it's going to be the AGM if it happens.

[grahame]

Meeting rescheduled 26th September 2020 (according to RailFuture website, Branch page) awaiting confirmation and not sure if it's going to be the AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) if it happens.

Notification in the latter half of last month this was going ahead - "Hope to see you at Kemble on 26th September", but I understand from the vice chair of the branch that the committee had a zoom meeting the other day and he (the vice chair) has questioned the legality and practicality for late next month.     Still in my diary ... the committee meeting (I am told) did not get right though the agenda and will resume and come to a conclusion (?) in the next few days.

Railfuture branches are largely independent of the national board and groups;  Severnside's Committee comprises five individually elected officers and a representative of each associate member organisation, but no opportunity for ordinary members to be on the committee unless they want to take on the extra commitment of an officer's role. It leaves them somewhat out of communication with the rank and file individual members in the area, who have not had an opportunity to meet either in person or online since last November.

[grahame]

Meeting rescheduled 26th September 2020 (according to RailFuture website, Branch page) awaiting confirmation and not sure if it's going to be the AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) if it happens.

From my email, in response to a question I asked during today's Zoom meeting with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).   Notes / comments from that to follow at http://www.passenger.chat/23977 - probably tomorrow morning!

Graham,

Yes, the Severnside Branch meeting at the Tavern Inn, Kemble, 2 pm on Sat 26th September is going ahead.

Nigel

[grahame]

From my email

Graham,

Yes, the Severnside Branch meeting at the Tavern Inn, Kemble, 2 pm on Sat 26th September is going ahead.

but from RailFuture Severnside Branch page a few minutes ago

Our proposed branch meeting on Saturday 26th September at 2 pm, Tavern Inn, Kemble, has been cancelled

Not seen any member communication yet, but can't say I'm surprised.  Thought it was a long shot a week ago.

[grahame]

Branch Meetings

Our proposed branch meeting on Saturday 26th September at 2 pm, Tavern Inn, Kemble, has been cancelled.

Saturday 21st November, at 2 pm, Manvers Street Baptist Church, Bath, with speakers invited from the campaign to reopen Saltford station.

[ChrisB]

Bet that didn't go ahead, either?!

[grahame]

Bet that didn't go ahead, either?!

Correct - I would (purely personally, and I might be in the minority) love to have these meetings replaced by something online to keep us in touch.