Remind me, who are we fighting?

In recent weeks I have been dismayed at the slagging off that some hard working individuals have been receiving on internet forums, message boards etc.

Why? Well in at least one forum the planned livery of a loco is being attacked. Yes this loco never carried it in BR service but the group’s management team suggested it and it was voted on at the AGM (and accepted). Now some members who didn’t bother to attend the AGM or authorise a proxy to vote, and a few non-members are up in arms. The criticism as I understand it is that they are accusing the committee of undemocratic behaviour.

The vitriol has now risen to such an extent as to be nauseous. It has become deeply personal and, from what I see, likely to be deeply damaging too.

What the members and non-members must understand is that the committee are all volunteers who put in their time for free. It doesn’t matter if the work is engineering, administration, or fund raising related, it still takes time, in many cases more than 20 hours a week.

If these hard working individuals get fed up with the complaints, they may just stand down. Who is then going to replace them? Do the replacements have the right skills and the time to give up to the cause?

Yes, discussion and genuine complaint is good, and the democratic process is there to allow management teams to be changed. But unless there is wrong doing or there is an obvious and capable replacement waiting in the wings, you may just find that replacing a dedicated enthusiastic committee member is harder that you think.

But above all remember we are all in this for the fun of it, so keep the discussions frank, honest and open, encourage dissent, and do not expect everyone agree with you. But there is never any place for petty arguments, rudeness and person insults. Surely our fight must be with rust and those who stop our beloved locomotives from operating in a safe and regulated way, not with those individuals who actually make it happen!

Recent Failures and Successes

Firstly 50049: Well done to the guys of the Class 50 Alliance for repairing and returning Defiance to operation so quickly after her failure on the Pompey-Vectis Explorer. She developed a water leak from a fracture in the coolant pipework and had to be relieved by 47853 (from Acton). A week later she suffered with over heating on the charity do round Bristol but a good radiator clean up seems to have cured the problems and she is now out and about again (to Paignton and shuttles around Melton Mobray). I saw ’49 at Tyseley in the rain on Saturday and spoke to one of her support staff, who was busy removing an unofficial Tyseley shed sticker. He reported that there was still work to do but that they are generally satisfied with her current state.
37906: Since reporting the theft of parts, spares have been located from both inside the UK and elsewhere and she has been undertaking work on the SVR. Well done to all involved too.
On the down side the Severn Valley Railway has been breached, and parts of its tracks washed away by the recent heavy rains. An appeal has been launched: click here. Please support it.