2000 Timetable Leaflet now available The Timetable Leaflet for 2000 is now available. A good looking clean and colourful publication with all the train times including dates for special events and lots of other information.
29 December 1999

 Official Site Gets New Look... The Official West Somerset Railway Web Site is due for a General Overhaul over the next week or so and will depart the Paint Shops in early January 2000 - on the 4th if we are lucky.
23 December 1999

 New Official Guide Published On sale in Minehead's "Buffer Stop" shop, is the 9th Edition of the Official Guide to the Railway at £1.50. Edited by the Railway's own wordsmith, Richard Jones, the A5 Guide is packed with details of the line and loads of colour pictures. A must for everyone!
20 December 1999

 WSR placed second in "Independent Railway of the Year Award" The volunteers and staff of the West Somerset Railway were delighted with the news that Britain's longest "heritage" line has been voted into second place in the prestigious "Independent Railway Of The Year" awards whose results were announced on December 9th . This is the second time in three years that the WSR has been placed in the top two in its field and Chairman Dennis Taylor, together with Managing Director were presented with a commemorative plaque by the sponsors of the award, publishing company Ian Allan Limited. The plaque will eventually be displayed at the station at Bishops Lydeard near Taunton, the southern terminus of the twenty mile line.
10 December 1999

 18 March 2000 "The Exmoor Belle" London to Minehead via Slough, Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon, Chippenham, hauled by GWR "King" 4-6-0 no 6024 "King Edward I". Will be piloted over the WSR by a "Manor", and hauled back to Bishops Lydeard by a "Western" diesel-hydraulic, then an EWS class 47!
28 November 1999

 "Western Fusilier" on the line in 2000? The latest Journal mentions the possibility of a visit during 2000 of Western Diesel Hydraulic Class 52 No D1023 "Western Fusilier" owned by the National Railway Museum.
16 November 1999

 Best Kept Station Competition 1999... The competition was judged this year by Mrs Audrey Short and Mr Carl Honnor, who commented upon the very high standard of ALL stations, which made judging very difficult. CROWCOMBE HEATHFIELD took the title of the Best Kept Station 1999, with BISHOPS LYDEARD judged the Runner-Up. MINEHEAD gained the Most Improved award. (The stations and gardens really are a major attraction and I wonder if they should appear more prominently in "places to visit" guides...?)
15 November 1999

 Train Timetables for 2000... Now out! The full timetables for 2000 are now on this site - the Interactive Timetable for 2000 and the tabular Timetables for 2000. Go ahead and plan your trip!
14 November 1999

 The "Red Griffin" Luxury Dining Train... The "Red Griffin" Luxury Dining Train will run from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and back on the 5th, 12th and 19th December 1999, departing Bishops Lydeard at 12.30 for lunch and 7.15 in the evening for dinner. Advance booking is essential for all trains during the Christmas period. Please call 01278 422281 to check dates of service and availability of seats for a provisional reservation. This venture recalls the earlier "Quantock Pullman" winter dining trains of 1980, when the Railway was in its infancy, and some of those working on the "Red Griffin" may well recount some interesting yarns about those pioneering days...!
10 November 1999

 News from the 5542 Group... "...the last year has been one of mixed fortunes for our locomotives as it was our hope that 5542 would have been returned to traffic by the end of 1999. Back in June it was confirmed that 2 of the 4 patches which were to be required for the boiler repair were found not to be needed, producing a good saving on our original estimates, howver, fate dealt a blow recently when it was revealed that whilst individually the small repairs required to the front tube plate were not excessive, collectively there would have been a high risk of any one failing within a relatively short period, thereby risking very large costs to rectify. The decision to replace the front tubeplate has been taken. This will not delay the repairs..." (Taken from a newsletter from the 5542 Group)
5 November 1999

 Holiday Haunts... According to a national "glossy", the Railway is to participate in a new venture next spring, when 2 4-6-0 GWR locos,no 6024 "King Edward I" and no 5029 "Nunney Castle" will double-head excursions from Minehead to destinations in Devon and Cornwall. The trips will revive memories of the holiday trains of the past - hence the title "Holiday Haunts". Pathfinder Tours are reported to be behind the plans, which will do much to further enhance the Railway's reputation in the tourist and charter train business. (No news or confirmation has been received from the Railway about the above news).
21 September 1999

 Spring Steam Gala 2000 News... Not confirmed yet but rumours rife that a "King" and two " Castles" will attend the weekend in March 2000 which is being based around named trains of the great days of steam.....(more on this as and when news breaks altho when I asked the Railway, I got '...the above is a rumour which "the Management" can neither confirm or wish to deny at the moment!...') see Holiday Haunts above
2 August 1999

 Prussian Blue for Somerset & Dorset 2-8-0 no 88 in 2000... Great news for those longing to see what that famous S&DJR livery looked like. Well done, the Somerset & Dorset Museum Trust, for a move sure to attract colossal interest...

 No 92212 running late... In a Press Release released in the week beginning 23 August, the Railway describes its disappointment that BR Class 9F 2-10-0 no 92212 will be late arriving in West Somerset and will NOT make the August Bank Holiday weekend jamboree, due to technical difficulties at the Great Central Railway. The loco is now due to leave the GCR on Tuesday 31 and should be on the WSR in good time for the Autumn Steam Gala Weekend 10-12 September.
Thanks to WSR plc for copy of Press Release
26 August 1999

 WSR OFFICIAL SITE HITS 10000... The "Official" WSR Site, run by the WSR plc has been getting around 250-300 hits per week, and this week will see the 10000th hit since the launch in the autumn of 1998. This proves without doubt that the Web presence has generated a lot of interest - much of it possibly due to the Web itself - in the Railway. Congratulations to all of those people on the Railway whose dogged determination to get the Site on the World Wide Web has paid off with very clear proof that "It Works"!
Item added 24 July 1999

 Autumn Gala News... Recalling the time ten years ago when "Evening Star", the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, graced the metals of the WSR and single-handed (or is that ten-coupled?) dragged the railway from its emergent state into the top flight of "heritage" railways, it is good to hear that sister loco, Class 9F 2-10-0 no 92212 is to be the star of the Autumn Steam Gala.
The July edition of "On-Line" reports:

"The Autumn Gala guest engine line-ups are finalised and both look to be very attractive events. For the Steam Weekend we have 92212 coming from the Great Central and 5541 making a return visit from the Deane Forest. 4277 and 76079 will still be here and we will be fielding 7820, 4160 and 6412. With a 9F and a Standard Mogul available to us the 12.25 on the Saturday and the Sunday will be a double-headed Pines Express."

And continues with news of the Diesel Do a couple of weeks later in September:
"For the Diesel Weekend we will be bringing in three East Lancs locos. D832 will be joining D1010 and D7017 to give the hydraulic enthusiasts a treat, D5054 will join 25173 for double "Rat" factor, and D345 will make a welcome return to represent two generations of West Coast Main Line power alongside 50149. 33048 will also be in action and for shunter fans two of the residents will top and tail along the Norton Road on the Friday." (Extracted,with permission, from WSR's OnLine News) 5 July 1999

 Taunton Deane Vintage Bus This new venture will begin in mid-July, running on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays and linking the Railway at Bishops Lydeard to a variety of attractions in the Deane area, including Hestercombe House, the Willows and Wetlands Centre, Fox's Mill, and Sheppy's Cider. Vehicles will be four vintage single deckers from the Rexquote Fleet and they will also link the Railway with the Crescent in Taunton. Different attractions will be linked on different days.Please note that the through tickets from the WSR to Taunton will not be valid on these buses, only on those of First Southern National. Check with WSR booking offices. 5 July 1999

 "Royal Oak" to leave the WSR...... The Williton Diesel Depot website reports that the Class 50 no 50117 "Royal Oak" is to leave the WSR...

"In a deal currently being negotiated between Regency Railways, John F. Kennedy and the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group. Royal Oak will leave the West Somerset Railway for mainline duties.

The Locomotive will be towed to Crewe, for examination and certification for mainline use on VSOE trains along with the three Deltics owned by the Deltic Preservation Society. Certification is not believed to be a major job as 50017's bogies received a light overhaul at Crewe works in 1992 and have seen little use sinse. Together with time spent on engine overhaul by the volunteers at Williton Royal Oak could see mainline use before the end of the summer.

Volunteers at Williton have mixed feelings about the loss of this locomotive after so much work was put in to restore it, but negotiations are underway to ensure that Royal Oak returns for future Diesel Galas on the line."
1999

 Eye Witness Report 3 July 1999... The "Cheddar Cheese" and other trains as reported in the latest Eye Witness...

 Mike Palmer... Sad news, Mike Palmer (Mr S&D) passed away on May 27. Tributes will, I'm sure, flood in from all corners of the world, so I will just say thanks, Mike, for your not-small part in ensuring the memory of the Somerset & Dorset Railway is never lost to future generations. My abiding memory is a visit to Edington Village Hall is the early 1970s to see the Somerset & Dorset Circle Model Railway Exhibition, and the chance to visit many S&D locations on the way back home to Dorset, accompanied by my Dad. Such events and such people simply spark latent enthusiasm.
1999

 Lengthmen wanted... The Cutting Back people are looking for volunteers to take on the role of lengthmen to keep the vegetation in check after the Cutting Back mob have swept through. It takes just two years, sometimes, for nature to reclaim a cleared area. If you are interested, contact the Company on 01643 704996...

1999

 Autumn Diesel Gala News... Well, actually, not much news except to say that it is reported in the June issue of the Company's OnLine that the rumoured visit of the Class 1 "Clayton" is NOT going to happen. Up to three other diesel locos are expected however...and maybe the shunters top'n'tail on the Norton shuttle on the Friday?
1999

 Heavy Tank has arrived (again)... Mr Peter Best’s big 2-8-0T made its welcome to the WSR on Wednesday April 27th, arriving in the early evening. This was a little later than planned but we were pleased to let the Severn Valley have use of the loco to tide them over a problem.
Reproduced, with permission, from the WSR's ONLINE Web Page
1999

 'ere guvnor, wanna buy a genuine GWR water tower? The Railway has a historic piece of railwayana for sale - possibly to another line or maybe to an enthusiast.
It is an ex Great Western Railway "parachute" water tower - capacity 2500 gallons - with a cast iron column.
The tower is at Minehead and the purchaser will have to dismantle and remove the item. More details can be had from Andrew Forster, CME at The Railway Station, Minehead
1999

 The Taunton Link "Funding is now in place for the necessary upgrading of the signalling at Norton Fitzwarren, where the WSR joins the Railtrack main line. This will enable train movements to and from the WSR to be controlled by 'main line' (rather than shunt) signals, and will enable the connection to handle a larger number of through trains more efficiently (though this, of course, is not guaranteed). However, this work is subject to final confirmation from Railtrack - who will coordinate the work - and no start date details are currently available."
(Extracted,with permission, from WSR's OnLine News)
6 March 1999
1999

 Stoned Again? "Funding is now in place for the necessary coastal protection works at Doniford, and work could begin in May this year. It is likely that stone trains will be worked to Bishops Lydeard by EWS traction (perhaps the new Class 66's....?), prior to being 'tripped' in parts to Doniford by the Williton-based heritage fleet. The sight of a 'Western' on a stone train again in Somerset therefore looks a distinct possibility..."
(Extracted,with permission, from WSR's OnLine News)
6 March 1999

 Stock Book Supplement The Supplement to the latest edition of the Stock Book, by Keith Smith, is now available for just 50p. It covers "Sir Keith Park" and no 5193 etc...
27 March 1999

 Heavy Goods No 3850 - steaming next year? The recent newsletter from the Dinmore Manor Locomotive Limited (who own both "Dinmore Manor" and No 3850), hints at a scheduled steaming early next year. Work on the 2-8-0 has been greatly helped by having the loco under cover in the new Minehead Shed Extension. The loco will be very suited to the West Somerset Railway.

 Shearings and WSR join forces... The WSR has joined forces with Shearings, one of the country's leading tour operators. The Railway will provide Shearing's travelling customers with a steam train trip from Minehead to Watchet and back. This is an excellent development of the coach tour business for the Railway, which is ideally situated and equipped for such ventures...

1999  Luxury Train to Minehead The Regency Rail set of luxury coaching stock - including a GWR Directors saloon, No 9005 - is currently scheduled to make two visits to Minehead in the first half of the year -, on May 1 and July 3. Named "The Cheddar Cheese", the charters from Preston will be diesel-hauled.
10 March 1999

 Real Ale for WSR Buffet Cars...! Cotleigh Brewery of Wiveliscombe, Somerset will be supplying real ale to the Railway for the Buffet Cars this season. Although "Quantock Belle" passengers have long enjoyed the products of Cotleigh, this a first for the normal timetabled trains and gives passengers the chance to sample the delights of some of Somerset's produce, whilst travelling through some of Somerset's finest scenery along one of Britain's finest heritage railways...
1999

 Pannier off on its travels again... West Somerset Railway Association-owned GWR 0-6-0PT no 6412 is due to visit the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway and is due to stay from Easter until June. The loco is currently back in Somerset, having had a trip to the Spa Valley Railway in Kent before Christmas, and will take part in the Spring Gala.
1999

 Stock Book Supplement The Supplement to the latest edition of the Stock Book, by Keith Smith, is now available for just 50p. It covers "Sir Keith Park" and no 5193 etc...
27 March 1999

 Sod Cutters Special Celebrate the 140th Anniversary of the Cutting of the First Sod with an evening trip by DMU from Bishops Lydeard to Norton Fitzwarren and then up to Crowcombe Heathfield for wine and buffet, and then back to Bishops Lydeard. More details.
9 March 1999

 Standard Class 4MT 2-6-0 no 76076 It seems this British Railways Standard loco is due to spend most of the summer on the Railway. It will arrive in time for the Spring Gala from its home on the East Lancashire Railway, and stay until mid-September

 Heavy Goods No 3850 - steaming next year? The recent newsletter from the Dinmore Manor Locomotive Limited (who own both "Dinmore Manor" and No 3850), hints at a scheduled steaming early next year. Work on the 2-8-0 has been greatly helped by having the loco under cover in the new Minehead Shed Extension. The loco will be very suited to the West Somerset Railway.
1999

 Real Ale for WSR Buffet Cars...! Cotleigh Brewery of Wiveliscombe, Somerset will be supplying real ale to the Railway for the Buffet Cars this season. Although "Quantock Belle" passengers have long enjoyed the products of Cotleigh, this a first for the normal timetabled trains and gives passengers the chance to sample the delights of some of Somerset's produce, whilst travelling through some of Somerset's finest scenery along one of Britain's finest heritage railways...
1999

 Shearings and WSR join forces... The WSR has joined forces with Shearings, one of the country's leading tour operators. The Railway will provide Shearing's travelling customers with a steam train trip from Minehead to Watchet and back. This is an excellent development of the coach tour business for the Railway, which is ideally situated and equipped for such ventures...
1999  Mickey Mouse in West Somerset... Ivatt "Mickey Mouse" 2-6-2T no 41312, fresh from overhaul at the Mid-Hants Railway, is due to visit West Somerset for the Railway's Spring Gala billed as "Railways of Somerset Remembered", which takes place over the weekend of 19-21 March. 21st Anniversary Gala. Locos of this class were regular performers on the Barnstaple line and also were well known on the Evercreech Junction to Highbridge branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway.
1999

 Mogul returns for 1999 Spring Gala... GWR 2-6-0 No 7325 will arrive from the Severn Valley Railway to take part in the West Somerset Railway's Spring Gala billed as "Railways of Somerset Remembered", which takes place over the weekend of 19-21 March. The loco took a major starring role in the 1997 21st Anniversary Gala, and is particularly welcomed back as the class were regular on the Minehead and Barnstaple branches.
1999

 Prairie Repaint and PrairieBooked for Spring Gala... "Large Prairie" BR(W) 2-6-2T no 4160 is due to emerge from a full repaint in the original 1948 livery with "British Railways" in full lettering on the tank sides.

Also, "Small Prairie" GWR 2-6-2T no 5541 (from the Dean Forest Railway) will attend the March Gala. This class was very much associated with the Minehead branch in GWR and BR days...
1999

GWR 2-6-2T No 5193 After spending some time searching for a suitable steam engine, the Company has recently purchased GWR '5101' Class 2-6-2T No 5193 from a private buyer. The 'Large Prairie' - built in 1934, and a member of the same class as No 4160 - is currently sited at the now defunct Southport Railway Centre, having been based there since its original purchase from Woodham's Scrapyard at Barry in August 1979. Although some protective work has been carried out, and some components obtained for the engine (which are also now the property of the plc), No 5193 is in unrestored condition and is basically 'a kit of parts'.
The 2-6-2T is - following delivery to the WSR (expected in early December) - expected to be placed in store at Minehead, with restoration work planned to commence in 2000, following completion of the overhaul on No 53808 .
(reproduced from WSR's OnLine Web Page)
1999

 Midland Visitors Two Stanier engines normally based on the Severn Valley Railway - 'Black 5' 4-6-0 No 45110 and 8F 2-8-0 No 48773 - paid a brief visit to the WSR in early November in between main line railtour duties. On Saturday October 31 the pair double-headed Pathfinder's "The Stannary Staniers" charter from Penzance to Taunton, where the train continued diesel hauled. Nos 45110 and 48773 - the latter a Summer visitor to the line in 1993 - then ran light engine to Bishops Lydeard, with support coach, where they were stabled until heading back north the following Monday, November 2. Perhaps we might see them again in the future for a longer visit..... (reproduced from WSR's OnLine Web Page)
1999

 No 4277 is WSR's Guest Loco for 1999 GWR 2-8-0 No 4277, owned by Pete Best, is to make its second visit to the WSR during 1999 from early April until mid-September
1999

 Through trains for 20 March 1999 - Photographers make a date in your diary! Charter Train - British Railways Class 5 4-6-0 No 73096 brings the Daylight Rail Tours green Mark 1 coach set from Alton to Bishops Lydeard and return.
Also, the same day sees a Great Western Trains HST on a charter from Paddington to Minehead and back, via Banbury and Oxford.
1999

 Locos move on... "Ditcheat Manor, which re-entered service after restoration during the Autumn Steam Gala has now moved to the Great Central Railway "Dumbleton Hall" has moved to the Nene Valley Railway after two years on the line
1999