WSR S&D Spring Steam Gala, 5-6 and 10-13 March 2016

44422 looks to be in steam outside crewe heritage centre just now spotted it on railcam.

 

Steam test for LMS 0-6-0 no 44422 at LNWR Crewe on 9 February 2016. The move to West Somerset is planned for early in the following week. © Andy Forster


Steve

 

Any visiting locos arriving via rail

 

Is there a link to footplate rides, can't find it.

 

The list in the earlier posts shows the available footplate rides (it came to me on Monday from the Commercial Team at Minehead). I guess more info can be got by phone.

Steve

 

I don't think any of the visitors are passed for the network, so they should all be coming in by road.

 

Yes, I phoned Minehead to book my footplate ride.

John

 

Price? What loco are you going for?

 

Has the programme been printed? I ordered mine last week.

 

It's at the printers, I understand. Not long to wait now. Should be with us (yes I'm waiting for one too!) sometime next week, I hope.

Steve

 

Fantastic! I'm not annoyed. I was just worrying that I might have done something wrong when I ordered it.

 

Thank you for posting,Steve
53809 booked! £150 for the WSR ........ All thanks to Steve

 

Any chance the rail flayer will be making a trip up and down the line before the gala to make the lineside all neat?

 

Not sure when you last visited the line but over the winter there has been a lot of clearance at various places especially at Crowcombe where it looks totally different now. The people concerned of course cut things down nicely the old fashioned way with saws and don't make a mess with a flayer like on the big fast railway these days

 

However, the Company P/Way department do have a flail attachment for the road/railer and it usually comes out at this time of the year to tidy up the lineside where the cutting-back gang have not been, but I expect they are all too busy with the work at Williton to be able to do this before the Gala. It might happen later in March/April.

 

Churchlands on 11 Feb 2016 - well done the lengthsmen.


Steve

 

It's nice that they make the effort for photographers. There is more and more annoyance towards them all the time and I know that they don't help themselves. I'm doing Saturday on trains and Sunday photting. I might do the same on the following weekend.

 

It's more for the passengers who do not then have their view out of the windows spoiled by thick clumps of trees and overgrown bushes. They do not appreciate travelling through a 'green tunnel' as happens on some other preserved lines!

At least some photographers contribute by paying for a lineside pass.

 

Photters like yourself who put money into the railway will always be very welcome.
It is a little tough when some photters turn up and don't actually spend a penny on the railway in any way shape or form. I know photters like this are in a minority but they stick out like a sore thumb to the rest of us and it does not help at all. Gala's are amazingly expensive to put on and the equation is simple, if people want Heritage Railways to keep doing Galas then they need to turn up and spend their money.

 

I know how hard the PW and cutting back guys work and the areas they clear always look fantastic. But it seems the overgrowth has got to the point on many areas of the line now where it's an almighty job to clear even short sections. Yes from a photography point of view this is frustrating but I ride the trains as much as I phot and like to be able to enjoy the stunning views on offer at the WSR. I was watching some old videos I bought from the shop there like the Pride of the Great Western gala. The line side back then was stunning. That was the first visit I ever made to the railway and I was so impressed with the presentation of the line side. Many of these views such as Churchlands curve which Don Bishop has some stunning shots of are completely gone now. The same can be said for so many locations. I was last at the railway in October. It seems the little and often of the flayer would stop a lot of the big stuff growing out of control and mean a lot less work for the cutting back guys to do. I just wish I lived closer to come along and help out. I would certainly love to see the line side return to its stunning condition of 2006! I use to call the place the Augusta National of railways as it always looked so perfect


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