The Friends of Watchet Station say:

We were hoping to open the Station four days a week until the end of September but after a trial period this has not been worthwhile. With no trains running on the WSR there simply haven't been as many visitors as we hoped. The Station will reopen when train running resumes.

Please note that there has been a change to telephone arrangements at the Station Shop, Bishops Lydeard. Anyone wishing to contact the shop should either send an email to kate.beard@wsrail.net or telephone the shop directly on 01823 430570 on Saturdays only between 10am-3pm. Please note that this telephone number is not monitored outside these hours.

West Somerset Railway Plc Director Steve Williams has written to staff and volunteers about recent events concerning the popular Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway 2-8-0 no 53808. Given many WSR supporters may also be interested, Steve has kindly agreed to his words appearing here:

As many staff will know, 7F 53808 left Minehead on Wednesday [26 August 2020] for a period of external hire to the Mid-Hants Railway. The Plc Board is well aware of the popularity of this locomotive amongst staff and enthusiasts alike and thought it would be helpful to tell everybody the basis of the formal agreement reached with the SDRT [Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust] about its future.

The current agreement with the Trust has been suspended in order to allow 53808 to go to the Mid-Hants Railway to earn hire fees to contribute towards the cost of its 10 year overhaul. The boiler ticket is anticipated to expire in around November 2022 when 53808 is due to return to the WSR for the overhaul.

Whilst it is at the Mid-Hants, there will be an annual inspection of the locomotive which the Plc will be part of. This builds on the joint independent inspection that took place prior to its departure on the 26th so that we know the condition in which the locomotive left the WSR.

The Plc will now focus its efforts on raising funds toward the cost of the overhaul. Our initial indicative target is £228,000 (the SDRT will also be contributing in relation to the period when the locomotive is away from the WSR). The Plc Board will be examining options for fundraising very shortly and we will be publicising our approach to everybody to help us to secure the funds which will be put into a designated account specifically for this purpose.

53808 has spent the best part of 20 years on the WSR and, after the overhaul, we look forward to her being able to complete the remainder of her contract with the Plc which runs until 2030.

The West Somerset Railway Association reports the suspension of the delivery of the HPC Community Engagement Project. Writing in the Railway's latest 'The Platform' newletter, Mike Sherwood, Acting Chairman of the Association, explains:

The nature of the project required a lot of face to face interaction and was required to bring a lot of folk to a working railway. Neither of these things are possible while Covid-19 continues to rule our lives. The sad consequence of this decision is that we were also forced to make Catherine Dance redundant. We want to stress that the project is not scrapped and, when the Railway is back to full operation, we will speak with the HPC Community Fund again with a view to restarting the project.

The Association have also confirmed the matter has been discussed with HPC Community Fund and their advice formed part of the decision making process.

Lots of really useful topical information about the West Somerset Railway can be found in the August 2020 edition of the new electronic newsletter.

Click or tap the buttons below to go to the official WSR website.

West Somerset Railway Plc and Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust have issued a joint statement:

26 August 2020 was a significant day for both organisations. The day when S&DJR 2-8-0 no 53808 left the West Somerset Railway for an extended external hire to the Mid Hants Railway. The WSR Plc and the S&DRT have had final discussions which have paved the way for this hiring to take place. The WSR Plc has acknowledged the benefit of the S&DRT having a hire agreement directly with the Mid Hants Railway and the S&DRT will be ring-fencing the accrued fees. There will be further discussions between the WSR and the S&DRT on funding towards the end of this hire period to the Mid Hants.

The engineering team at Minehead received the go-ahead at the end of July to restart the Winter maintenance on 53808 which had been unavoidably interrupted when the Covid lockdown began in March. Some significant work has been completed which has included new piston rings, refurbishment of the piston valves and firebox repairs. A live steam test was carried out with satisfactory results. The Minehead team have been burnishing the paintwork in recent days as a mark of the pride they take in their work. The S&DRT would particularly like to thank the volunteers and staff at the Minehead works for their huge contribution towards the completion of 53808's maintenance programme which has enabled the locomotive to depart this week for a period in service at the MHR.

The West Somerset Railway Joint Fundraising Group is pleased to announce that it has been able to support the WSR Plc in submitting, on behalf of the whole railway, a substantial six-figure bid to the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage established by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The bid focuses on winter infrastructure work for 2020/21, Covid-19 preparations for re-opening the Railway in 2021 and skills retention.

The Fundraising Group would like to thank all of those organisations and individuals on the WSR who contributed to development of the application.

The WSR also received a significant number of letters of support from MPs, local authorities and stakeholder organisations across West Somerset. See link below.

The result of the bid is expected to be known by the end of September but the Railway has found the process of making the bid has been of great value in defining priorities, formulating plans, and strengthening channels of co-operative working.

The updated Emergency Funding Appeal figures up to 24 August for the West Somerset Railway Plc are as follows...

The West Somerset Railway Association's Rail Renewal 2020 appeal now totals £35,435,00.

The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust's appeal (updated monthly or when any significant donations are made) totals £18,298.70.

The separate WSRA appeal to refurbish the line's Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) stands at £2,230 of the £5,000 target.

The WSRA’s loco renewal fund stands at £3,816.00 and along with a donation to cutting back equipment of £1,070.00, for completeness for all current appeals, this is now included in the total figures too.

Together that makes a Grand Total of £228,698.96 from all sources.

GWR 4-6-0 no 7822 Foxcote Manor, after a winter period running at the Llangollen Railway returned to the West Somerset in July for contract mechanical work and signed up for a longer period as a WSR home fleet engine for the 2021/22 season. However, due to a locomotive shortage at Llangollen, Foxcote Manor will soon return there to assist in running their steam hauled service for the upcoming bank holiday weekend and into September. No 7822 will be back at the West Somerset Railway by mid October for winter maintenance. Currently, the WSR is running no train services.

This year the 1940s event - 12 and 13 September 2020 - will be smaller than in previous years and will be held on Minehead Station platform and throughout Minehead town only. Here are some of the attractions to be seen throughout the event:

• Military and civilian vehicles and displays
• Land Army, Civilian Life and Home Front displays
• Uniformed British and American troops
• Visits to a locomotive footplate
• Shunting demonstrations
• Turntable Demonstrations
• The Buffer Stop Shop, The Turntable Café and Readers Halt Bookstall will be open during the event

The event will take place between 10am and 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Access to the Station will be by ticket only.

A ticket will be valid for a two-hour timeslot. Timeslots will be between 10am and 12pm, 12pm and 2pm, 2pm and 4pm. Tickets will be limited and available to purchase in advance, and if capacity allows, on the day from the booking office.

The Event has been organised by the Mobile Living History Museum and has been kindly supported by Minehead BID.

Many supporters will know the Bailey Report included a recommendation that the Railway change its organisational structure. With the aim of drawing up detailed options WSR Plc have embarked on a consultation exercise and an update has been issued to staff and volunteers. With the agreement of the WSR Plc Board, the update is now being made available to all. A link to the lengthy update document can be found below.

On 17 August 2020, the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust was advised by the National Heritage Lottery Fund that their recent application for support from the NHLF Emergency Fund has been approved in full. The Trust will get details from the NHLF in the next few days on timing.

Trust chairman Chris Austin welcomed the grant, saying,

This will allow us to be Covid secure when we are able to reopen the museums again, and to resume work on carriage restoration while also protecting the unrestored carriages with covers. The application was carefully crafted, and the result is great for the railway and an important step towards welcoming visitors again.

Writing on the West Somerset Railway Forties Weekend 2020 Facebook page, organiser Robin Wichard provides an update on this event:

The event this year aims to provide an opportunity for 40s enthusiasts to meet together in a safe environment with safety at the forefront of all planning. Arrangement have been approved by the health and safety advisers of the WSR and Minehead Town and are continually under review.

The plan is for there to be displays on the station platform in Minehead and also in carriages/compartments which will allow those displaying to maintain some distance from the viewing public.There will also be entertainment and activities throughout the town as well this year with further displays - performers signed so far include Ricky Hunter, the Liberty Sisters, Vintage George Formby, May Blossom, Blitz Time Sally, Jayne Darling, Kitty LaMare, Betty Bluebird and Johnny Victory - all of whom will be performing throughout the weekend. The railway will also be using steam to shunt wagons from the military train around and in displays of the turntable. There will also be tours of the engine restoration sheds (normally not open to the public).

We are aiming to limit numbers on the platform to 150 at any time. this has been trialled in several 'Living Museum Weekends' and has worked well. Tickets will be available to the public in two hour sessions (although people will not be 'booted off' at the end of a session). To cover the insurance costs there will be a small charge for 40s visitors not displaying on the station.

The overall three day 1940s event in Minehead runs from 11 to 13 September 2020. Our current understanding is that the events at Minehead Station are for 12 and 13 September only.

Note: this website - wsr.org.uk - believes the West Somerset Railway will update its website and social media shortly.

Shirley Turner introduces the next step in organising the Weeding Teams:

We are splitting the line up into sections and are looking for teams to take on and look after a section of track, much like the linesmen did in former days. I hope that this will encourage a sense of pride in the railway as well as maybe a little competition!

The end points of the proposed sections are Bishops Lydeard, Nethercott Bridge, Roebuck Farm, Yard Farm, Williton, Watchet, Washford, Blue Anchor, Dunster and Minehead. Shirley is looking for team leaders and team members.

Here is an update from the Friends of Minehead Station:

For the remainder of August, it is hoped to open Minehead Station's platform for a few hours each day from about 9.30am. On weekdays, neither the Buffer Stop Shop or the Turntable Cafe will be open but it is hoped that Readers Halt will be until about 2pm. Please note that the station toilets will not be open.

Weekends will be different with Shop, Cafe both open together with Readers Halt.

FoMS are very grateful for all those who donate items for sale but, due to the small volume of sales this year so far, we cannot take any more doations for the time being. We simply do not have the storage space. We will let you all now when normal service can be resumed. Thank you for your understanding of the problem.

After a few fun days on Twitter, Blue Anchor Station has emerged champions of the WSR's World Cup of Stations fun poll. Joe Rogers, the enthusiastic minder of the official WSR twitter feed, says:

According to our Twitter audience, Blue Anchor is their favourite WSR Station! The Friends of Blue Anchor Station and WSSRT will be very proud to hear this after the incredible work they have done over the decades.

A quick breakdown after summing up the votes cast at each round, Minehead actually got the largest number of votes with 264, followed closely by Blue Anchor on 235. A total of 1139 votes were cast over the week! We hope everyone enjoyed this bit of fun. Hopefully more to come!

Blue Anchor Station website Official WSR Twitter page

Liam Pope has kindly provided an update on industrial steam locomotives nos 1857 and 1219.

An update on progress with Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T no 1857. All of the tubes are now fully fitted into position whilst around 30 or so stays complete the boiler back head; and the main steam collector pipe is being prepared ready for fitting. We are getting ever closer to completion. I would estimate that we could see a fire in the boiler by the start of October if not before but all balancing around work commitments.

Also we are repainting Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST no 1219 into a new livery - she is now gloss grey with black and white lining and different font for 'Caledonia Works'. We thought the old girl needed a spruce up ready for next season and to carry it though till the end of its current ticket.

It seems there will be 'Table Top Sales' at Minehead Station on 15, 16, 22, 23 August 2020. The Turntable Cafe, the Shop and the secondhand bookstall will also be open. Sorry we are a bit late with news of the first day. Well done to those behind this enterprise. Hope these events go well.

15 August 2020
Details kindly provided by magic

WSR volunteer Claire Sheppy writes:

The West Somerset Railway Weeding Teams have been entered for consideration in the search for a Somerset Superstar in the 'Make a Difference' campaign. How fitting it would be if one of the two Somerset winners was to be the WSR's Weeding Teams with that name on a train running up and down on the Great Western railway network.

Make a Difference Superstars (BBC webpage) Somerset Superstars (Somerset Cool webpage)

15 August 2020
Details kindly provided by local volunteer

Good news from Watchet:

Watchet Railway Station is reopening this weekend Saturday 15th August and Sunday 16th August. And then midweek Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th August. And then all following Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays (Watchet Market Day) and Thursdays until further notice. Open between 10am to 4pm.