| Renovated old style travel trunks and suitcases available for sale |
 |
Volunteer Malc Stacey has renovated a number of old style suitcases and travel trunks, kindly donated by well-wishers, to help raise funds for the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust, one of the key organisations supporting the West Somerset Railway. The renovated cases and trunks are now available for sale. Interested? Please contact Malc Stacey on 01278 425551.
30 January 2014
Details from local correspondent
|
| Hydraulic visitors announced for the 2014 Mixed Traction Weekend |
 |
The West Somerset Railway has just announced two visiting locomotives for the 2014 Mixed Traction Weekend. The two visitors - Class 42 Warship no D821 Greyhound and
Class 52 Western no D1015 Western Champion - are sure to please the fans of Western Region diesel hydraulics. The plan is that D821 will be moved to Bishops Lydeard on 12 February for forward movement to Williton Diesel Depot where DTG/DEPG engineers will undertake a light topside overhaul of D821's defective MD650 Maybach engine. The locomotive will be resident with the DEPG at Williton until the Mixed Traction Weekend when she will be joined by D1015. After the event the two locomotives will return to the Severn Valley Railway. For more details of the Mixed Traction Weekend please click here.
28 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc 
|
| Sales and publicity stands at Minehead Station during Spring Gala |
 |
The large canopy at Minehead Station will once again host a number of publicity and sales stands for various groups and companies during the Spring Steam Gala. The Railway report that the following will be attending the event - the team working to build LMS Patriot no 45551 The Unknown Warrior; the team working on the restoration of GWR 4-6-0 no 6024 King Edward I, a very appropriate presence given that restoration work on the 'King' is taking place in the workshops at Minehead Station; and the representatives of the project to build LNER B17 4-6-0 no 61662 Manchester United. For details of the Spring Steam Gala please click here.
27 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| WSR Day Out With Thomas™ events win national award |
 |
The West Somerset Railway has proudly announced that, at the annual Day Out With Thomas Seminar and Awards ceremony, the railway was awarded the "Best Overall Theming" award for Day Out With Thomas ™ events [pics] held in July 2013 at Minehead Station. For the full award story please click here. For full Day Out With Thomas™ event information for 2014 click here or call 01643 704996.
24 January 2014
Details via Facebook from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| Snapdragon upholstery design recalls railway travel in 1940s |
 |
The Carriage and Wagon Department are refurbishing ex-BR SK no 25308 at Minehead and the upholstery material is "Snapdragon" - a GWR design from 1940s for third class carriages - which will allow passengers to enjoy an even more realistic heritage experience on the West Somerset Railway.
23 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| A real treat due at the February meeting of the Taunton Area Group |
 |
The next meeting of the West Somerset Railway Association's Taunton Area Group will feature a truly special presentation. WSR veteran volunteer John Pearce is attending the February meeting and as organiser Ian Aldridge explains "We are going to show his early slides of the West Somerset Railway, of Barry, and beyond. I have previewed some of the slides which are amazing and tell a story of how dedication has got the railway where it is today from its lowly beginnings. Thanks must be given to all who have strived like John to get us where we are today." The meeting is on 3 February 2014 at the Great Western Sports & Athletics Club, Station Approach, Taunton at 7.30pm for 7.45pm. For more details of the Taunton Area Group and a location map, please click here.
22 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Association 
|
| The Heritage Carriages Project during the Spring Steam Gala |
 |
The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust will have two examples of the work of the Heritage Carriages Project on display during the Spring Steam Gala in late March. Great Western Railway Sleeping Car no 9038 will be open to the public on all four days 27 to 30 March 2014 in the Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard. No 9038 was constructed in 1897 at Swindon with eight single berth compartments, and seating for six people and gives visitors a real insight into late Victorian and Edwardian travel at its best. Meantime, at Williton, ex-GWR Collett BCK no 6705 will be on display. It was built in 1938 and after withdrawal from British Railways it spent time at Steamtown Museum in the USA. The Trust repatriated it in 2007 and have carried out a superb restoration. For more about the Trust please click here.
21 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| Celebrate The Beatles connection with Crowcombe... |
 |
Friday 7 March at 7.30pm is film night at Crowcombe Village Hall with a showing of "A Hard Day's Night", The Beatles film shot 50 years ago that week in 1964, partly on the Minehead Branch when it was still operated by British Railways. Also showing is a very short film made, as a graduate project by students of The Film School, Ealing Studios, a major part being shot at Crowcombe Heathfield Station in September 2013. Tickets are £5 each, to include a glass of wine or soft drink. Seating is limited to 100 and tickets will be dealt with on a 'first come first served' basis. To apply for tickets please click here.
21 January 2014
Details from Friends of Crowcombe Heathfield Station 
|
| Attractions at Minehead Station during the Spring Steam Gala |
 |
For the second year in a row there will be a model railway exhibition at Minehead station on 28, 29, 30 March organised by the Somerset Railway Modellers. This will share a marquee outside the station with a Railway Literature Festival at which a number of leading transport publishing companies will be represented. The exhibition will include four layouts; Distillery Branch (large 4mm layout featuring post-war steam, Sharpe's Park, Winter Barton (8 ft by 4ft 4mm) and an N gauge layout. Entry is through the Literary Festival and is free to gala ticket holders. For non-travellers there is a charge of £1.00 for adults and 50p for under 16s. Those publishers attending the Literary Festival include Mainline and Maritime Ltd, Kingfishers Productions, Silver Link Publishing/Nostalgia Press, Ian Allan, Oakwood Press and The History Press. Admission is free. Discounts and special offers will be available, as well as opportunities to meet both the publishers and authors. Meanwhile stalls confirmed for the platform at Minehead station are welcome returns by Don Bishop and the team involved in building GWR 4-6-0 no 6880 Betton Grange. There will also be support for GWR 2-6-0 no 5322 from the Great Western Society. For full details of the Gala please click here.
20 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| Model railways on display during the 2014 Spring Steam Gala |
|
Members of the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust are pleased to announce that they have arranged for a working 2mm scale model layout of Wadebridge Station to be on display and operated on the Saturday and Sunday of the West Somerset Railway's Spring Steam Gala 2014, in the Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard Station, as part of the Gala's theme of "The Withered Arm and the Atlantic Coast Express". There will be a small entrance fee to cover the costs of bringing in this model, which has been built and is operated by members of Salisbury and South Wiltshire Railway Society. Also on static display in the Gauge Museum will be the 4mm scale buildings of Okehampton station up and down platform buildings, water tower, footbridge and signal box, together with appropriate trains, arranged as a diorama. These buildings, locomotives and rolling stock normally reside on the 4 millimetre scale operational model of Okehampton station as part of the "Summer Saturdays in Devon" layout owned and operated by Claire Sheppy and family, Keith Petersen and Ian Coleby.
19 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Steam Railway Trust 
|
| Keith goes on the road again to promote the WSR |
 |
Keith Smith of the West Somerset Railway Association's Home Counties Group writes "I am about to do my WSR show at two venues in the coming weeks. First is on Thursday 23 January for the Thames Valley Group of the Mid Hants Railway Preservation Society at 7.30pm. The venue is The Church House, 59 Church Street, Caversham, Reading RG4 8AX. Incidentally, this is the same venue for the meetings of the Reading Transport Group every Wednesday, which has a strong presence of WSRA members. My second show is Monday 27 January, to the Maidenhead Branch of the RCTS, at 7.30pm at Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead SL6 3AX. I welcome WSR supporters, old and new, to any of the above."
17 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Association
|
| Manston is confirmed as a guest at the Spring Steam Gala |
 |
Another classic Southern Railway locomotive has been confirmed for the 2014 Spring Steam Gala. SR 4-6-2 no 34070 Manston will appear alongside guest locomotives SR 2-6-0 no 31806 and GWR 2-6-0 no 5322, and home based engines nos 4160, 7828 and 6960. The four day 2014 Spring Steam Gala takes place from Thursday 27 March to Sunday 30 March. Please note trains will also be running on Wednesday 26 March. For full details of the Gala please click here.
17 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| The Annual Volunteer Information Open Day on 11 May 2014 |
 |
If you have ever thought about volunteering on the West Somerset Railway then make a note of the date - Sunday 11 May 2014 - an Open Day for potential volunteers to find out more about volunteering roles on the Railway. Please note advance booking is essential. Meet in the Gauge Museum on Platform One at Bishops Lydeard Station at 9.15am. The event includes a visit to Williton to view the workshops, signal box and station as well as the opportunity to chat to current volunteers, returning to Bishops Lydeard and dispersing by 1.45pm. Bring a packed lunch if required. Tel 01935 429032 or email volunteers@wsrail.net to book a place and more information.
15 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| No public trains - but one of the busiest times of the year |
 |
Although no public trains are running it is very busy elsewhere in terms of engineering and maintenance, event planning, stock takes, timetabling, marketing and so on. At Blue Anchor Station the Bcrossing gates have been removed for maintenance; at Minehead Station the ladies and gents toilets have been completed stripped out and new and improved facilities now being installed; at Bishops Lydeard Station a major track renewal project is underway; the Turks Castle stretch has received the attention of the cutting back gang; the Sales & Marketing folks are busy promoting and marketing the railway for the 2014 season including development of the new app, attendance at key trade shows for group travel organisers and the organisation/planning of events and specials on the railway; and the Catering Department are gearing up for another great season with many dining train specials running and of course the on train buffet cars and Minehead Station's Turntable Cafe. And no doubt there are dozens of other projects underway all along the line...
15 January 2014
Details via Facebook from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| WiFi comes to the Turntable Cafe in February 2014 |
 |
Jacquie Green, the WSR's Hospitality & Catering Manager, has posted a message on the unofficial WSR forum announcing that WiFi is planned to be available from the Turntable Cafe from February 2014. Make a purchase from the Cafe and get the code and then maybe download the new West Somerset Railway Heritage Hunter app!
14 January 2014
Details from Unofficial West Somerset Railway forum 
|
| A diary date for members of the West Somerset Railway Association |
 |
The West Somerset Railway Association's 2014 Annual General Meeting will be held at the Village Hall, Bishops Lydeard at 2pm on Saturday 19 July 2014 advises Susan Kaufman, Manager of the Association. Meantime, the latest Journal has been printed, packaged, sent out and should be with members any day soon.
13 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Association
|
| Sponsor a sandstone block for recreation at Crowcombe Heathfield |
 |
As part of the run down of the line before its closure by British Railways the sandstone Goods Office building which stood on the platform used by the Taunton bound trains was demolished following the withdrawal of goods services from the station. The Friends of Crowcombe Heathfield Station now intend to have a recreation built which will serve as a workshop and store room and they target having the building constructed in 2014. The Friends have already earmarked £10,000 of station funds towards the project and have been greatly aided by the professional services of an architect and work on the wooden doorways, doors and window frames being carried out by RAMS - the Bishops Lydeard based restoration and maintenance team of volunteers. However up to another £7000 may be required to complete the work and add even more to the Great Western Railway ambience of the station. Sandstone blocks can be sponsored for £10 each and cheques payable to Friends of Crowcombe Heathfield Station can be sent to Easter Cottage, West Bagborough, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 3EF.
13 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| Ex-Reading water tank arrives at the West Somerset... |
 |
A 22,500 gallon water tank has arrived at Bishops Lydeard from Reading GWR loco shed beside the Berks and Hants line west of the station. The move was done by Allelys Heavy Haulage and it left Reading at 4 am this morning. Reading shed had a number of tanks on the site, this was one of the hard water tanks associated with the water softening plant for the loco shed, It was erected there around 1952 although it may have previously been located elsewhere. Approximate size is 30ft by 16ft foot and 8 foot high with a capacity 22,500 gallons or 110 tons of water - enough for five days of water demand at Bishops Lydeard. The supporting structure will follow later. Final position for the tank will be near the existing, life-expired water tank at Bishops Lydeard. The tank was donated to the WSR by Network Rail as part of the redevelopment at Reading station where it was in the way of new track alignments. Ian Jonas of WSR did much of the liaison work with Network Rail.
7 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| Snowdrops and Steam Excursions in February |
 |
Once again the Railway is offering excursions to Exmoor's famous Snowdrop Valley. The excursion combines a steam train trip from Bishops Lydeard Station near Taunton to Dunster Station with a coach transfer to Wheddon Cross. Excursionists with the Snowdrops & Steam Standard Ticket then walk the mile to Snowdrop Valley whilst those with the Snowdrops & Steam All Inclusive Ticket take the special Snowdrop Valley Bus. For full details of the excursion and ticket options please see the Snowdrops & Steam webpage.
3 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Plc
|
| A refit and spruce up for the Bishops Lydeard Station Shop |
 |
The WSRA's Retail Manager, Kate Beard, writes "Just to inform all our customers that the Station Shop and the Whistle-Stop Cafe [at Bishops Lydeard] will reopen on Saturday 15 February 2014 following a refit in our Book and Model Railway Department and a general spruce up! Any queries please e-mail wsrashop@btconnect.com or call 01823 432125."
2 January 2014
Details from West Somerset Railway Association
|