Fifty years ago the last BR passenger trains ran on the Minehead Branch. Saturday 2 January 1971 saw the last timetabled passenger train although other BR trains appeared for various reasons up to March 1975. Sadly the West Somerset Railway are not able to recognise and celebrate this milestone anniversary due to current pandemic restrictions. And so those who recall that time are left with their memories, especially people now involved with the West Somerset Railway who travelled on the old line, particularly the last day. Let us hope some kind of celebration can be arranged when things return to normal.

Kate Beard writes:

Following the change of Government Covid regulations and the cancellation of the WSR's Winter Steam Journey trains, we are sorry to announce that the shop will close after the final train on Christmas Eve. We plan to re-open in January as usual, subject to Government regulations, but will confirm this in due course.

In the meantime we shall continue to accept customer orders for models and other items, and would ask our customers to contact us on the e-mail address below, which will be monitored on a daily basis.

Railway modellers may like to be reminded that Hornby will be making their annual announcement about new releases in early January and that we shall be very happy to accept pre-orders for any of the new items scheduled.

For enquiries or to place an order, please contact the shop via kate.beard@wsrail.net providing a phone number on which you can be contacted.

The Railway has announced:

West Somerset Railway is currently in a Tier 2 area until 00:01 Saturday 26th December 2020 when Somerset will enter Tier 3. Santa Express services up to and including 24th December 2020 remain unaffected and will go ahead as planned. It is with great regret that we will no longer be able to operate services for our planned Winter Steam Journeys after Christmas. We look forward to welcoming you back to the railway in 2021, but in the meantime please stay safe. Wishing you a Healthy and Happy New Year.

The Railway is now into the last week of running Santa trains between Bishops Lydeard and Williton with the services having done really well and with some very happy customers. Staff are even happier and just so pleased to be back running the railway again! The WSR Plc Chairman's Christmas message - usually for those working on or for the Railway - is being given wider distribution and may help give folks more details on what is happening and what is planned. Click ot tap the button below to download the full Christmas message

The Railway is hopeful of running the remaining public winter services on 29 and 30 December subject to Government restrictions, and is looking forward to the New Year with growing confidence if the virus is kept at bay.

Here are the details of the Railway's various fundraising appeals as at 22 December 2020.

Please note the WSRA and WSSRT categories/groupings differ from previous presentations of the same data on these webpages.

As reported in the recent 'The Platform' newsletter:

Following informal discussions with the ORR (Office for Rail and Road) it has been decided to include CCTV in the scheme. This will enable the signalman to see the crossing and road approaches in detail before initiatingthe barrier sequence. The new crossing will now be an MCB-CCTV classified crossing (Manually Controlled Barriers with Close Circuit TeleVision). The first work on the ground which will take place as soon as formal approval to the detailed plans are given by the ORR will be the installation of the concrete base for a new switch room on the Dunster side of the crossing. The room itself (a small cabin) has already been constructed off site. Regular (and frequent) planning meetings are now taking place betweenall the partners in the project, including Somerset County Council, who are financing the project, and the various consultants and contractors. All involved are well aware of the urgency of getting the project completed but this is a complex technical project which must be correctly planned and delivered. Inevitably, in a project like this, most of the time takes place in the preparation and the physical build time is relatively short.

In his Christmas message to staff and volunteers, WSR Plc Chairman, Jon Jones-Pratt, confirms work is underway and for completion in early 2021 although the message suggests this work may result in a likely restricted service during the first part of the season. No doubt as boxes are ticked we will get more updates on this project.

The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust say:

A reminder that the Trust is planning to formally adopt the new name of 'West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust' with effect from 1st January 2021. Hopefully that will give us time to do all the logistical work involved with the change. Alongside this the Trust will be updating the Articles following the approval at the AGM. The Trust will also be undertaking a review of its policies and will be looking to align these with those of the PLC where they apply to the Trust.

In anticipation of being able to run normal steam services again in early 2021, the West Somerset Railway Plc has announced that former GWR 5101 class 2-6-2T no 5199 is moving on 17 December to Somerset from its current base on the Llangollen Railway. The WSR Plc say:

The hire of the 'maid of all work' Class 4 loco from the 'The 5199 Project' owning group will last until 31 December 2021 and was agreed by Group Chairman Richard Pumphrey in conjunction with WSR Plc Chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt and Acting WSR CME Andy Forster. The Llangollen Railway is fully aware of the hire and move from North Wales.

No 5199 will operate on a minimum number of 35 steaming days in this period. It is an ideal engine for the WSR being capable of hauling most trains with ease, and many members of the class ran regularly on the steeply-graded branch hauling eight coach trains in GWR and British Railways days.

For 25 years, the WSR was host to popular sister no 4160 which was restored at Minehead by WSR personnel, but it has now left the WSR and is undergoing overhaul on the South Devon Railway at Buckfastleigh under the aegis of Locomotive 5542 Ltd.

The West Somerset Railway Association have published the agreed Minutes of the Board Meeting of 11 November 2020 and a synopsis of the more recent Board Meeting held on 8 December 2020. Click or tap the buttons below to load the documents from the Association's website.

The West Somerset Railway Association have some good news for the Railway's Diesel Multiple Unit.

The WSRA is pleased to announce that the recent fundraising campaign for the railway’s DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) has now achieved its £5000 target. The West Somerset Railway is very grateful to everyone who donated to this appeal. The funds will be used to pay for repairs to the old door handles, locks and striker plates on the DMU to ensure that they are safe for passengers.

Work has already commenced to remove the old items and prepare them for sending away for refurbishment. Interim Operations Manager Paul Fleet said:

This most welcome funding allows us to focus on some of the small, but nevertheless important components of the unit.

Our small team of dedicated volunteers are grateful for all of the donations, and would welcome offers of help to bring about a number of desired and long-overdue improvements that will keep the unit serviceable over the coming years.

9 December 2020
Details kindly provided by West Somerset Railway Association

A chance find in a Californian antique shop’s store room has opened a fascinating link between Minehead and Los Angeles, 5,341 miles away as crows or seagulls fly, and excited volunteers at the West Somerset Railway.

The discovery of a dusty, wooden roll-fronted cupboard hanging high on the wall in Agoura Antique Mart was only made because of the curiosity of a customer who took a long-range photograph so she could enlarge the image and then discover exactly what it was.

The answer proved to be a vintage ticket cabinet from Minehead railway station which probably last saw service in the 1960s. The mystery, still unsolved, is who rescued it when the branch line from Taunton was run down and finally closed in 1971 by British Rail, then took it to the United States.

This story was discussed on BBC Radio Somerset's 'Breakfast' on Wednesday 9 December 2020. Click or tap the BBC Radio Somerset button below - the five minute discussion starts around 2 hours 34 minutes into the programme.

Click or tap the button below for the full story...

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

• Christmas Trains
• The Cultural Heritage Recovery Fund
• Seaward Way Level Crossing at Minehead
• Williton Goods Shed and Williton Strategy Group
• Washford Yard
• News from the Civil Engineering Department
• News from the Mechanical Engineering Department
• Developments in Signal Engineering
• News from the West Somerset Railway Association
• News from the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust
• Online Personal Track Safety Certification

Click or tap the button below to load The Platform newsletter...

Kate Beard writes:

We are now able to confirm the opening times of the shop for the remainder of December. We shall be open every day that Festive Season trains are running. Those days are as follows and our shop times are set out below these dates:

• Saturday 12th December (Trains depart at 11am, 1.45pm and 4.30pm)
• Sunday 13th December (Trains depart at 11am, 1.45pm and 4.30pm)
• Saturday 19th December (Trains depart at 11am, 1.45pm and 4.30pm)
• Sunday 20th December (Trains depart at 11am, 1.45pm and 4.30pm)
• Tuesday 22nd December (Trains depart at 11am, 1.45pm and 4.30pm)
• Wednesday 23rd December (Trains depart at 11am, 1.45pm and 4.30pm)
• Thursday 24th December (Trains depart at 10am, 12.25pm and 2.50pm)

Post Christmas

• Tuesday 29th December (Trains depart at 10.15am and 12.45pm)
• Wednesday 30th December (Trains depart at 10.15am and 12.45pm)

In the days prior to Christmas Eve we shall be open from 9.30am until at least 4.45pm, and until at least 3.00pm on Christmas Eve.

On 29th and 30th December opening times will be 9.30am until at least 2.30pm.

With restricted access to the shop because of social distancing requirements and to minimise the need to queue, we would ask all shop customers who do not hold pre-booked train tickets to avoid coming to the shop in the 30 minutes before the scheduled train departure times shown above.

Please note that the main station car park will be closed throughout December, with vehicle and pedestrian access to the station prior to Christmas via the old approach road alongside Platform 2 on the south east side of the road overbridge. Before Christmas customers may be met by staff in the approach road and directed to parking.

We shall be operating a one way entrance and exit system through the shop and customers are asked to use the hand sanitisation facilities available in the lobby and to wear a face mask and the disposable gloves provided while in the shop.

After 30th December, the shop will remain closed for our usual break, re-opening on Saturdays from 23rd January at 10.00am.

The Board of the West Somerset Railway Plc have released a brief report on the Annual General Meeting held on 21 November 2020:

The WSR PLC board is pleased to confirm to shareholders and the WSR community the results of the 48th AGM held on 21st November which was held virtually, online, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The minutes of the previous AGM were approved and the Finance report, along with the director's statement and auditors' reports accepted in draft form. A.C Mole & Sons were also re-appointed as auditors.

The meeting also confirmed the appointment of Andy Castledine, Justin Kerr-Peterson, and Steve Williams as directors, having been previously co-opted to the Plc Board during the last year, and the new appointment of Mike Thompson commencing as a director from the time of the meeting.

The meeting also noted the retirement of Mark Smith as Vice Chairman and as a director and the Chairman paid tribute to and acknowledged his major contribution to the WSR and the PLC over many years, but especially in more recent times when he returned to step and help the railway in its critical hour of need.

Thanks also went out to Bob Meanley for his outstanding contribution as CME, who had also stepped in to help the railway at a really critical time, and resigned as a director in July this year.

Later, after the completion of the AGM, a separate Q and A was attend by up to 62 people virtually on line via Zoom. Some 55 written questions were submitted by shareholders in advance all of which were answered by various directors in line with their respective business activity portfolios.

Blow the cobwebs away between Christmas and New Year on a Winter Steam Journey. Travel behind a steam locomotive in a cosy warm carriage, and watch as the Quantock Hills and stunning scenery roll by. The journey will be between Bishops Lydeard and Williton return, and will take roughly 1½ hours to complete. These services run on 29 and 30 December 2020 only. Advance booking only and restrictions apply. Please tap or click the button below for full details and online booking.

The West Somerset Railway has issued a Coronavirus Update affecting the Santa Express trains:

Please note that due to the government restrictions in place for the first weekend of services (12th and 13th December) we are unfortunately unable to accept bookings from those within a Tier 3 area. If you are within a tier 3 area and would like to make a booking nearer Christmas, in the hope that restrictions will be eased after the review, please contact us on 01643 704996 to make your booking.

If you already hold a booking with us for 12th and 13th December and are in a Tier 3 area, you should have received an email with your options.

We are asking all passengers to please follow the current guidelines on your day of travel if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us either by phone Monday - Friday 9am-5pm 01643 704996 or email info@wsrail.net.

Thank you in advance for your co-operation.