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| • Steam Trust Sponsored Walk meeting...
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A unique chance to burn some calories and help secure the future of our railway heritage. The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust are organising a Sponsored Walk on Sunday 16 November 2008 along the scenice coastal Williton to Minehead section of the popular heritage railway. Ahead of the Walk, the Sponsored Walk organisers have arranged a Meeting on Friday 26 September 2008 at 7.45pm at WSRA, Brunel House, Bishops Lydeard. Main Organiser Mike Webber writes: "I'm looking for Marshals - and if people want to participate in the walk as well they can be Sweepers. All offers of help will be welcomed, even if it is only for a few hours and the planning meeting will mass the troops so to speak." So - come on - join the Walk and burn away some Autumn calories! Full details at the WSSRT website...
31 August 2008
Details from WSSRT
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| • Working on Toplight no 3639...
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New volunteers will be very welcome at the next work party of the Toplight 3639 working group on Saturday 13 September. Normal working times are from 10.30am to 4.30pm.
The coach is currently in the Tarmac shed at Williton. New volunteers are most welcome and there is much to do, whether you are a skilled joiner or just keen to try a new challenge. So previous experience is not a pre-requisite, just a will to work and to be prepared to get rather dusty at the same time. In the meantime removal of the first of the life expired timber work by David Stockwell, assisted by new recruit Richard, has well and truly started and Claire Sheppy has been hard at work measuring up the coach and preparing records and working drawings for the manufacture of the new timber members. With a total of 14 (or possibly 16) coaches, this type of record is going to be rather important! Toplight coach 3639 is the first coach for the project to create two trains of genuine GWR coaches, so now is a great time to start, and so to be involved from almost the very beginning. And, if you cannot get to Williton, but could get to Buckfastleigh, or to Crewe or to Leeds, each of these places have a small team of volunteers working on some of the other coaches which now belong to the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust. You would however need to contact them via the WSSRT website to get dates and times.
30 August 2008
Details from WSSRT
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| • Strongman Train Pull to be screened on TV...
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Look out for Minehead Station on Channel 5 on 3 September. The final heat of the Britain’s Strongest Man contest will be screened on Wednesday 3 September at 8.00pm on Channel 5. One of the challenges for the competitors was pulling West Somerset Railway trucks at Minehead Station. Channel 5 say "Coverage from Minehead of the Britain's Strongest Man contest. In this week's instalment, competitors take part in the notorious train pull, before heading to the beach for the final two events of the 2008 contest." Contrary to rumour, neither the General Manager nor the Commercial Manager took part.
29 August 2008
Details from WSR Plc
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| • Steam Railway supports Heritage Carriages Project...
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Protecting the ageing heritage carriages have received a boost following a donation from a popular steam railway mazazine - the donation will help provide made-to-measure tarpaulins which will keep the elements at bay until the carriages are safely stored indoors. Steam Railway magazine are also supporting the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust Benefit Launch Train on Wednesday 24 September 2008. A few seats are still available for this train. See below for more details of this train...
28 August 2008
Details from WSSRT
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| • A record August Bank Holiday weekend...
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The West Somerset Railway had its best-ever August Bank Holiday Weekend with a total of 4,922 passengers travelling on the trains over the three days 23-25 August. This is a growth of 13% compared with 2007. The biggest increase was on the Saturday with growth of no less than 470 passengers. Another success was the vintage bus link between Dunster Station and the village which ran on the Sunday and Monday with 693 passengers making the journey, an increase of 18% over 2007. "Overall", said West Somerset Railway General Manager Paul Conibeare, "we have had a very busy August with large numbers of passengers travelling on the trains and the Bank Holiday Weekend rounded out things nicely. We are also getting a steady flow of bookings for our Autumn and Christmas Special events with one gentleman ringing from a train on his mobile to make a booking for a Santa Special train in December. Advance bookings have also nearly filled one of the December Carol Trains from Bishops Lydeard and our Autumn Steam Gala which takes place on October 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th, will feature the return to active life of the locomotive 34046 Braunton for the first time since 1965. With all of this activity we are very hopeful of a busy Autumn and Christmas Period..."
27 August 2008
Details from WSR Plc
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| • Enjoy good food on the Belle at the Autumn Gala...
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Enjoy First Class travel and great food during the forthcoming Autumn Steam Gala. The famous Quantock Belle dining cars will be running on each of the four days of the Autumn Steam Gala serving the QB Great British Breakfast until 12.30pm and after 12.45pm, serving a choice of hot lunches, brunches and cream teas. All food prices include a First Class supplement and VAT. There is also a table service of real ale, lager, cider, wines, spirits and soft drinks is available from the steward. Full details...
24 August 2008
Details from Quantock Belle
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| • The next Taunton Group meeting...
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The next meeting of the WSRA Taunton Group is due to take place at the usual venue - the GWRSA Snug Bar, near Taunton Station - on Monday 1st September, at the usual time of 7.45pm. The speaker is to be Dave Hartland (well known in a GWS Taunton Group context), who is, as you may know, an entertaining, humorous, speaker. His title is "The Sparks Flew Upwards!" All are very welcome.
22 August 2008
Details from WSRA
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| • New Chairman for Railway Company...
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Chris Austin
Mark Smith
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Mark Smith is to be the new Chairman of the West Somerset Railway, taking over from Chris Austin who is retiring from the Board after five years as Chairman. Mark, who is the current Vice Chairman of Britain's longest heritage railway, will head the company until its Annual General Meeting in June next year, while the Board seeks a new Chairman to lead the company into its next stage of development. Chris Austin said: "The last five years have been a challenging and exciting period of growth and success for the WSR. Chairmanship of this remarkable railway is a great honour, but also a great personal responsibility. I am grateful for the support of colleagues along the line throughout this period, and particularly grateful to my family who have seen little of me over the last five years. It is time for me now to put this right, although I do look forward to having the time to become a 'hands on' volunteer again." Mark Smith said: "After 24 years working on the West Somerset Railway, including 18 years as Managing Director, it is a privilege to take over as Chairman as we move forward to the next stage of development. The railway is going from strength to strength, but as it has grown, so has the management task, and we will be seeking more voluntary help in this as well as recruiting a new Chairman over the next few months. " Deputy Chairman, David Morgan, said: "The Board is grateful to Chris for his leadership over the last five years which have seen huge achievements, namely building up passenger numbers in excess of 200,000 pa, the installation of the turntable at Minehead, upgrading the main line connection, and the purchase and restoration of Odney Manor – to name but a few. We look forward to building on the success of the railway under Mark's leadership." Mark will be taking over as Chairman following the Board meeting on the 27th September.
21 August 2008
Details from WSR Plc
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| • Pete Waterman will be signing books at Autumn Gala...
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Down the years Pete Waterman has been a regular visitor to the West Somerset Railway Steam Galas. Sometimes riding the trains and on other occasions on the footplate of engines with which he is closely associated such as the "Super D" and GWR "Small Prairie" no 5553. However, on Saturday 4 October, Pete will be exercising his penmanship in Minehead Station Shop, signing copies of his book A Train Is For Life as part of the programme for the Autumn Steam Gala. There will be two sessions, 10am. to Noon and 2pm to 4pm. The book costs £19.99 and is a 160 page hardback published by Ian Allan. Anyone who would like a signed copy of Pete’s book but cannot get to Minehead on 4 October can order one by ringing 01643 700387. More...
20 August 2008
Details from WSR Plc
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| • Special Trains sell-out...
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Seats on the special steam service to the Swing Band Evening on the evening of Saturday23 August have sold out but it will still be possible to pay an admission charge and come on the platform at Minehead Station. The cost is £5 without food and £8.50 with a portion of barbeque. Looking further ahead, although tickets have only been on sale for a month the Carol Train from Bishops Lydeard on 15 December is already approaching being a sell-out with less than 20 tickets left. Business for the other Carol Trains has not been so brisk but sales are progressing steadily so be sure to "buy early for Christmas".
20 August 2008
Details from WSR Plc
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| • Roof work on Collett BCK no 6705...
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Volunteers from the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust have spend two days on a roof in Crewe. Steve Lord and Walt Denning have spent a couple of days at Crewe working on Collett BCK 6705 between the showers. Walt explains "We have removed the cracked sealant around the water tank covers on the roof and re-made the joints so that they are water-tight. One of the refurbished ventilators has been reattached and this proved to be a more difficult job than anticipated so the others will be left pending more urgent work. Our next job is to dismantle some of the gutter and remake the joints so that water does not stream down the sides of the coach. Hopefully this will avoid the need to cover the coach with a tarpaulin this winter. One of the water tank covers does not have a filler cap or hinge so we have plated over the hole for the time being. If anyone knows of a filler cap assembly that is available then we would be very pleased to know about it." More about the Heritage Carriages Project at www.wssrt.co.uk
18 August 2008
Details from WSSRT
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| • Warship gets the diesel roster turns...
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Maybach music returns once more to the West Somerset Railway. The Diesel and Electric Preservation Group team, led by Neil McCannon, have been working very hard on Class 42 diesel-hydraulic Warship Class no D832 Onslaught in preparation for several running days. Work has focussed on the Minehead end engine which caused some problems during the Mixed Traffic Weekend. A full injector change has taken place now on this engine. Whilst the loco has been on shed at Williton other jobs have been progressed. D832 will be in use on the standard Saturday diesel diagram on 30 August starting with the 11:30am service from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead, with two round trips. And another two round trips on 13 September during the CAMRA Real Ale Festival weekend.
18 August 2008
Details from DEPG
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| • Records tumble in Dunster as well as Beijing...
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A new record was set on Friday when the free bus service from Dunster Station to Dunster Steep car park for the annual Dunster Show carried a total of 481 passengers. The vehicle used was ex-Hants and Dorset Bristol VR UFX856S which can carry 74 passengers seated and 14 standing which was just as well as on three journeys there were over 80 on board while on one journey they carried 74 passengers and one live chicken (in a box). The chicken is another first for the WSR bus services! The bus was crewed by Alan Grieve and Robin Fisher, Robin conducting for the day as a change from driving the DMU...
17 August 2008
Details from local correspondent
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| • Magazine supports Heritage Carriages Project...
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The Steam Railway magazine is sponsoring the Heritage Carriages Project at the West Somerset Railway by supporting the Benefit Launch Train on Wednesday 24 September 2008. This will run from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and return. The train will have a dining portion formed of the WSR's famous Quantock Belle dining carriages and requested motive power is Jeremy Hosking's newly restored SR West Country Pacific no 34046 Braunton, on one of its first outings since restoration. The special train will leave Bishops Lydeard at 1pm, running non-stop to Minehead, arriving at 2.45pm. Members of the Steam Railway team will be travelling on the train and there will be a competition and raffle with great prizes including a WSR footplate pass and annual subscriptions to Steam Railway. Full details are available on the website of the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust.
17 August 2008
Details from WSSRT
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| • No 34046 completes a loaded test run...
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No 34046 completes a loaded test run. In the evening of 13 August, SR West Country 4-6-2 no 34046 Braunton successfully completed a test trip from Minehead to Blue Anchor and back with seven coaches in tow. By all accounts the crew were pleased with the way she handled and she sounded magnificent pulling out of Minehead with what would be her first train for 43 years, since late 1965. Further similar test runs may take place over the next few days until the restoration team are satisfied that she can be completed to appear at the Autumn Steam Gala.
14 August 2008
Details from local correspondent
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| • Real Ale Festival shirts...
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With the Real Ale Festival only a few weeks away the polo shirt for the 2008 event is now to hand. The shirts are dark green with the logo of this year’s main sponsor Taunton Brewery woven on the front whilst the reverse features this year’s Festival logo including line drawings of Braunton printed on the back. The shirts can be obtained for £10 from the Buffer Stop Shop at Minehead station or by mail order for £11.50 including postage and packing from the Buffer Stop Shop, West Somerset Railway, The Railway Station, Minehead, TA24 5BG. Credit card orders can be made on 01643 700387.
14 August 2008
Details from WSR Plc
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| • Busy start to August...
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The West Somerset Railway has enjoyed a very busy start to August with well-loaded trains making their way along the twenty miles of line between Bishops Lydeard near Taunton and Minehead. "The return of our full fleet of steam engines to service on July 19th came in good time for the peak season", said WSR General Manager Paul Conibeare, "and the larger engines have been working eight coach trains on a daily basis since, carrying lots of visitors for a day out in the villages and attractions along the line as well as to the seaside.. We have also done well with special events, carrying a large number people to Dunster Country Fair and to the very successful Steam Fayre and Vintage Vehicle Rally at Norton Fitzwarren. We will be running a further special linking bus service from Dunster Station to Dunster Show on Friday August 15th. Our office staff has also been busy with advance bookings for various events including the September Real Ale Festival and the Christmas Trains including the Santa Specials, Carol Trains and the specials for the Dunster by Candlelight event. We will shortly be sending out the publicity leaflets for the Autumn Steam Gala on October 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th, which also promises to be another popular part of the Railway’s calendar."
12 August 2008
Details from WSR Plc
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| • Somerset Arts Week - by train perhaps
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Somerset Arts Week takes place this year between 13-28 September and features over 200 studios and workplaces showing work by artists all across the county. Several exhibitions are along the West Somerset Railway route. At the Old Methodist Church in Washford Martyn Lintern will be featuring contemporary furniture made from locally sourced sustainable hardwood and timber sculpture inspired by the landscape; at 36 Causeway Terrace, Watchet Jenny Barron features watercolour paintings, prints and cards inspired by the colours, rhythms, and character of natural and man made subjects; at the Mount Studio, 29 Woodland Road, Watchet David Horne offers paintings and drawings of a large variety of subjects; at Mineral Cottage, Whitehall, Watchet Neville Cox offers paintins inspired by local landscapes and interesting scenes in a variety of media; Almyr House, Goviers Lane, Watchet is where Sheila Mannes-Abbott will be exhibiting paintings of flora and fauna, both local and from further afield and greetings cards and limited edition prints will also be on sale.; at Beech Wood Studion, 20 Lethbridge Park, Bishops Lydeard Penelope Gail offers original paintings, prints, stationery and cards. Subjects are from many countries both of landscapes and flowers. More information about Somerset Arts Weeks can be found at www.revealsomerset.org
12 August 2008
Details from WSR Plc
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| • Vintage bus link for the Dunster Show...
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The West Somerset Railway will once again be operating a vintage bus service between Dunster Station and Dunster Steep on Friday 15 August in connection with Dunster Show. The Steep is a short walk from the Show Ground or from the village itself. Travel on the bus will be free to WSR passengers and it is hoped that once again the Railway can help to reduce the volume of traffic on the A39/A358 that the show generates.
12 August 2008
Details from WSR Plc
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| • A big decision for the WSRA...
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On 5 September the WSR Association Committee face a controversial decision. The WSRA have received an offer from the South Devon Railway of £160,000 for GWR 0-6-0PT no 6412, in its present, unrestored, state. Members of the WSRA have the enormous affection for the Pannier Tank as the locomotive was obtained when the line first opened and it saw considerable service in the early years of the WSR. Now starts a brief period of consultation during which WSRA members are invited to submit views to help inform the meeting in September. The full story is available on the WSRA website...
11 August 2008
Details from WSRA
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| • A Manor on the move...
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The latest West Somerset Railway Manor is on the move. Ditcheat Manor - purchased by the West Somerset Railway Association last month - is expected to leave the Churnet Valley Railway by the end of August. The locomotive will go to LNWR Heritage at Crewe, where the boiler will be de-tubed for the inspection which it is hoped will define the work to allow a two-year extension to the boiler ticket. It is expected that we will know whether that is possible by the end of September. The tender will come direct to Minehead, to join the increasing collection of GWR tenders which our CME is amassing...
7 August 2008
Details from WSRA
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| • Railway Rally a Resounding Success
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The annual West Somerset Railway Steam Fayre and Vintage Rally held this year over the weekend of 2 August was a resounding success on its new site at Norton Fitzwarren. Thousands of visitors enjoyed a spectacular collection of steam traction engines, vintage and military vehicles, railway exhibits and other attractions. Despite showers on Saturday morning and after the ring displays had finished on Sunday afternoon, folks came for all over the country to see the show. West Somerset Railway Association Chairman, Robin White, said: "It was brilliant rally with some spectacular exhibits which are a tribute to British Engineering skills. Rally organisers Humphrey Davies, Mike Buttell and their army of helpers worked their socks off to create a great family day out and were rewarded with more visitors than we expected. Our new site at Norton Fitzwarren has been perfect and we are already think how to make the rally bigger and better next year." A particular star of the show was Southern Railway express locomotive Braunton which made a special guest appearance on Sunday afternoon. It is now undergoing commissioning trials after a ten year overhaul and will be joining the WSR fleet in the next few weeks.
6 August 2008
Details from WSRA
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| • News about the Sponsored Line Walk...
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The sponsored line walk on Sunday 16 November 2008 gives a great chance to safely walk the railway line between Williton and Minehead. And organisers, West Somerset Steam Railway Trust, are pleased to be running this walk in conjunction with St Margarets Somerset Hospice. Walkers can choose to give all the sponsorship to the WSSRT or to split it between the Trust's Heritage Carriages Project and the Hospice. On the day there will be a choice of two groups leaving Williton for Minehead. The first will start at 10am. The second group will start at midday. Travel from any WSR station to the starting point at Williton by a special Sponsored Walk train. Full details are available at the website of the Trust. Or download the Walk Information Sheet and the Sponsor Form right now...
5 August 2008
Details from WSSRT
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| • And now the Duchess stays away...
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The much awaited visit to Minehead by LMS 4-6-2 no 46233 is reported as cancelled. The tour operators Steam Dreams have confirmed the news to a customer and say the tour from London will be steam-hauled to Westbury, then diesel hauled to Exeter. A stop at Taunton for a coach connection to allow passengers to make a trip to Minehead. It would seem the train will be steam-hauled from Exeter to Clapham Junction. Neither the steam locomotive, the diesel locomotive or the train itself will shine the rails on the Minehead Branch. No reason is given for the cancellation so we are unable to give more information at this stage.
1 August 2008
Details from local correspondents
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