WSRA - West Somerset Railway Association

» Lots more news about the Railway can be found at » the official WSR website and also at » www.wsr.org.uk

The Annual General Meeting of the West Somerset Railway Association was held at Bishops Lydeard Village Hall on 12 July 2008. Incoming Chairman Robin White was duly elected and the text of the Chairman's Address is available » here. During the meeting, former Treasurer Mike Grimoldby is presented with a tankard by Chairman Robin White as a token of thanks for his work for the Railway over many years and a tankard too for Humphrey Davies in appreciation of his 10 years as Chairman from his successor Robin White. And for her sterling efforts on the finances in the absence of a treasurer, the WSRA bookkeeper Anita Hall-Roberts was thanked by WSRA Manager Susan Kaufman.

Posted 14 July 2008

The WSRA Norton Fitzwarren site was a busy place on 13 July. The day saw the combined forces of the WSRA Permanent Way and Special Projects teams preparing for the » Steam Fayre and laying the first section of track on the Barnstaple formation. At one time there were five different groups, preparing the crossing from the public cars park ready for the Rally, taking shuttering off the last culvert under the East Chord, erecting a banner to face the mainline and advertise the Steam Fayre, safety railing a footbridge across a ditch and of course a further group laying a further three 60 foot panels of track on the original up formation. In all approximately thirty volunteers. Meanwhile Wessex Water has almost completed the installation of a metered hydrant at Norton Bridge to supply water for the Steam Fayre and in the future for visiting locomotives - the connection being near enough to the WSR line to connect a hose from hydrant to locomotive. A stop for morning coffee was timed to coincide with the passage of Tangmere on the Torbay Express service, and there were plenty of FGW and CrossCountry services passing during the rest of the day to admire our progress. If you've not seen Norton be sure to make a date for 2-3 August for the » Steam Fayre when the public will be admitted to the site....

Posted 14 July 2008

Andrew Padfield has become the latest Deputy Station Master at Bishops Lydeard. Andrew joins Eric Bennet, Clive Goddard, Ian Hibbard, Stuart Hookins, Chris Sheppard and Malc Stacey. With Bishops Lydeard’s busy station requiring a Deputy for each day Andrew will shortly take up the Saturday position which leaves Monday and Friday still without deputies. Any existing or potential volunteers who would like to be considered for a Deputy Station Master job should contact Ken Davidge, Station Master by telephoning 01404 44021 or by » email...

Posted 26 June 2008

Your legacy matters. The day-to-day income from fares, shops and catering covers the cost of running the trains. But it does not provide income to invest in railway expansion, heritage train restoration, educational facilities or conservation of heritage artefacts and records.

But did you know that legacies fund investments for the future! The Railway are holding a Will Surgery for folks to meet the WSR Legacy Officer, Roger Stobbs and Ashfords (Solicitors) between 11am and 4pm in the Quantock Belle train at Bishops Lydeard Station on Saturday 12 July 2008.

For more information, ring 01823 433856 or » email legacy@wsra.org.uk

Posted 26 June 2008

No 9038

Volunteer gardeners at Bishops Lydeard Station near Taunton have been helped in their efforts to achieve floral competition success this summer thanks to a Ł150 donation from a garden centre in Somerset.

Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre in Monkton Heathfield near Taunton donated the money to help pay for floral displays and flower beds.

Ian Aldridge, the Volunteer Co-ordinator and Deputy Head Gardener at Bishops Lydeard, said "The donation from Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre is greatly appreciated. All the gardening work at Bishops Lydeard Station is done by volunteers.

This year we are entering our floral displays in the Taunton in Bloom Competition and the WSR Best Station Competition."

Posted 26 June 2008

Bishops Lydeard Station Gardens

Opportunities exist for members with appropriate qualifications and experience to make a significant contribution to the West Somerset Railway. If you think you might be the person for any of these, please write to, or » email, the WSRA Secretary at Bishops Lydeard. Please note: these roles are WSRA Committee posts and will require regular attendance at Association Committee meetings which have traditionally been held at Bishops Lydeard on the second Friday of each month (except August).

Treasurer
Voluntary post - ex-officio Member of WSRA Committee Volunteer Treasurer required to oversee the finances of the West Somerset Railway Association, a charity operating as a limited company. Preferably with experience in preparation and presentation of company annual accounts, budgets, cash flow forecasts and management accounts. Professional accountancy background essential.

Secretary
Voluntary post - ex-officio Member of WSRA Committee Volunteer Secretary required to oversee the administration of the West Somerset Railway Association, a charity operating as a company limited by guarantee with over 5000 members. Preferably with experience in administration. IT and written skills essential.

Public Relations and Press Officer
Voluntary post - Member of WSRA Committee Volunteer Public Relations and Press Officer required to ensure the WSRA achieves appropriate coverage in the local, national and railway media; to make the most of good news stories and manage any bad news efficiently as required; to advise on all public relations and media management matters for the WSRA. Experience and expertise in public relations, journalism or a related field, and excellent communication skills essential.

Operations Staff Representative (new post)
Voluntary post - Member of WSRA Committee Volunteer required to represent operational volunteers (loco crews, signalmen, guards, TTIs, Buffet) on the WSRA Committee. Able to command respect from these grades. Requires good communication skills.

Posted 24 June 2008

The West Somerset Railway Association is pleased to announce that after a period of careful negotiations with S D Sherring and Sons owners of the former Hansons Concrete Works at Williton a Licence Agreement for the use of the site has been signed in order to develop the engineering business by West Somerset Restoration.

The Licence Agreement is a part of the process prior to obtaining a 10 year Lease Agreement that will be signed shortly.

Over the next few weeks a thorough survey of the site will be undertaken in preparation for the compilation of plans showing track work, buildings and storage facilities. In addition plans are being developed to identify and apply for the funding required to help carry this work forward.

» West Somerset Restoration is managed and funded by the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) and is based in the Swindon Shed, which is a Grade II Listed building and was originally situated on the site of the Swindon Railway Works.

West Somerset Restoration's primary objective is to support and maintain the WSRA locomotives and to provide a heavy engineering facility complementing those facilities of the West Somerset Railway at Minehead. There are a number of jobs currently being worked on including the extensive and complicated restoration of Bullied Pacific No 34046 Braunton and the overhaul of Tank Locomotives 6412 and 6695.

The team at Williton is keeping traditional engineering alive and flourishing in Somerset and is interested in taking on a wide range of tasks in order to maximise on the engineering potential and to develop an educational and heritage resource for future generations to see and to enjoy.

The West Somerset Railway is Britain’s longest "heritage" railway running for 20 miles between Bishops Lydeard (4 miles from Taunton) and Minehead. It carries over 200,000 passengers per year and is estimated to generate some Ł6 million annually for the local economies of Taunton Deane and West Somerset.

Posted 12 June 2008

Sherrings Yard and the Swindon Shed

We currently have a shortage of station staff at Bishops Lydeard, due mainly to illness. We are struggling during the current timetable and the situation will become worse later in the year, if not addressed now. There are days when only one person is on duty, nowhere near enough for a busy station like Bishops Lydeard.

Therefore, if anyone would like to come along to Bishops Lydeard station and help us out, you will be made very welcome and will receive a thorough training, if necessary.

The days that we most desperately need cover are Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. But, help on any other days would also be gratefully received. If anyone would like to help, could you please ring Ken Davidge, the Bishops Lydeard Stationmaster, on 01404 44021 or » email him at kenefd@aol.com and he will contact you.

Posted 20 May 2008

The West Somerset Railway Association is holding a New Volunteers Day on Sunday 8 June starting at 11 am at Bishops Lydeard Station which is just 4 miles from Taunton. Representatives of all the departments will be there to explain the jobs available, which are many and varied. People are not just needed for such railway jobs as guards, signalmen, ticket inspectors, loco crews and engineers but also cutting back lineside vegetation or working on stations or in the buffet cars.

After being welcomed and briefed at Bishops Lydeard the new volunteers will have an opportunity to see the West Somerset Railway at work for themselves, leaving Bishops Lydeard by the 12.40pm steam train and returning on the 2.15pm from Minehead. The day will end around 4pm at Bishops Lydeard.

More information about the New Volunteers Day can be obtained by ringing the West Somerset Railway Association Office on 01823 433856.

More information about volunteering on the railway can be found on the » Volunteers Page.

Posted 20 May 2008

You may not be surprised to learn that we (WSRA and GWS Taunton Groups) have to CANCEL the trip arranged for Bank Holiday Monday, May 5th to the Dartmoor Railway and/or the Devon Railway Centre.

The reason for this withdrawal is that the Dartmoor Railway has recently ceased activities, as many of you may know: apparently their owners have no wish to continue operating railway services. The next meeting of the WSRA Taunton Group is now to be on Monday June 2nd, when the excellent photographer Ed Hurst is due to give a talk entitled: 'Mainline Steam in Medium Format'. I hope to see many of you there, especially in view of recent good attendance at our meetings.

The next meeting of the GWS Taunton Group is scheduled to be on Friday May 16th, when Richard Morant is due to give an talk entitled: 'My Lifetime Hobby'.

Posted 5 May 2008

The 700 Club has gone from strength to strength, thanks largely to the hard work and commitment from the late Audrey Short. After many years as the 500 Club, and more recently as the 700 Club, the Association has decided to increase the number of participants to 1,000 and is re-launching the scheme under the name “The 1,000 Lottery Club”. » Further details...

Posted 19 April 2008

After fifteen year’s service as Secretary of the West Somerset Railway Association, Brian Crudge has stepped down.

Brian’s time as Secretary included the gaining of charitable status by the Association and the change in company structure consequent upon that. The Secretary’s role involves much unseen and unsung administrative work without which an organisation of over 5000 members would not function. The Association is very grateful to Brian for that work, and wishes him well in his retirement.

The (voluntary) position of Secretary will be advertised in the next WSR Journal and it is expected to make an appointment in August. Until then, Stephen Williams, a recently retired NHS Director now living in Oake, near Bishops Lydeard, has kindly agreed to fill the role on a temporary basis.

Brian will continue as Secretary of the WSRA Promotions Company until a permanent Secretary for the Association is appointed, whom it is expected would become Secretary of both companies.

Posted 17 April 2008

The latest issue of the West Somerset Railway » Journal (No 121 - Winter 2008) has been published and has over 70 pages full of news and views of the line many of which are in colour - why not guarantee your copy each quarter by becoming a member of the WSRA?

Posted 5 April 2008

It is with great sadness that we announce that long-standing Association volunteer Audrey Short has passed away at the age of 77 after a long and courageous battle with illness. Audrey's association with the West Somerset Railway started in 1976, working one day a week in the shop at the then terminus of the line, Blue Anchor, located in what is now the Great Western Railway Museum. Volunteer turns in various booking offices followed until, in 1984, Audrey and her husband, Ron, were persuaded to join the team of the Quantock Belle dining set, Audrey working first in the kitchen and later as a steward. In September 1987, Audrey was asked to consider becoming WSRA Treasurer, a post which she accepted and held for the next eleven and a half years, until retiring in April 1999. During this time, the Association's finances became infinitely more complicated and the WSRA made the transition to becoming a Registered Charity, completed in 1994. Audrey earned much respect in the role of Treasurer, and alsoserved as a Director on the Company Board as one of the three directors representing the Association. Audrey and Ron produced two volumes of "Walks from West Somerset Railway Stations" which were designed to encourage ramblers to make more use of the Railway and which have proved remarkably good sellers over the years. For most of its existence, Audrey presided over another long-running WSRA institution, the 500 Club, this attracting many members and going on to become the current 700 Club. Audrey continued in this role until just before her death, handing over the reigns to her successor, Ray Casely, in January. Away from the Railway, Audrey and Ron were keen bell-ringers, and Audrey was also a volunteer at the local hospice. Audrey's funeral was held on Wednesday 19th March at St.George's Church in Ruishton, just a few yards from her home of Poldens. The service was attended by many friends and colleagues. Known to many simply as "a lovely lady", Audrey will be sadly missed. Our sympathies are extended to her son Malcolm and his family at this time.

Posted 31 March 2008

Two new ‘high flyers’ have been appointed to the senior management team of the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA), the volunteer supporter’s group on the 23-mile West Somerset Railway. The new WSRA Chairman is Robin White (44) who takes over the all-voluntary post from Humphrey Davies who has served as Chairman for the last 10 years. And the WSRA has also just appointed Susan Kaufman to the new and important salaried post of Association Manager based at Bishops Lydeard. For the full story please click here

Posted 19 March 2008

Due to the planned speaker not being able to attend the next Taunton Group meeting on Monday 3 March will have a surprise element, there will either be Don Bishop giving a presentation "Digital Steam Recreations" or Peter Darke's talk "Roaming Northern Rails" - either way it will be worth attending at 7.30pm in the GWRSA beside Taunton Station.

Posted 2 March 2008

The latest issue of the West Somerset Railway » Journal (No 120 - Autumn 2007) has now been published and is as always full of news and views of recent events on the line together with a variety of features and articles. It runs to 80 pages with plenty of photographs, many in colour - why not guarantee your copy each quarter by becoming a member of the WSRA?

Posted 3 January 2008