West Somerset Railway General Discussion

That was an open goal, and you sir have nicely tucked it away!

 

Getting back to a possible extension to Taunton station.

Could it be that they could do a scheme similar to what the Spa Valley Railway already uses at Eridge. Here they have a double track formation where for some miles one track is network rail and the other track the preserved line and they run alongside each other and at Eridge station the Spa valley uses one platform and network rail the other. They run alongside but are physically not connected.
The Cholsey and Wallingford do the same and it also happens at Matlock with Peak Rail.

Not sure if there is sufficient room but from looking at Google maps there 'may' be ? and there is the former bay platform at Taunton which could be reused. It would also mean the WSR could use existing trains and tickets etc without any modification and avoid all the hassle of getting things passed for main line running and having to work around fitting in with trains on Network rail

 

Many posts on here concern the apparent depressed economic status of the area in which the WSR is situated and the feasibility study re how an improved link to Taunton and NR might somehow improve that.

But is anybody considering how much worse the economy of the area would be without the WSR, in its current "heritage railway" guise? - 200,000ish passengers per year, a proportion of whom visit the area specifically to visit the "heritage railway" and spend £££s locally. I suggest the loss of some or all that as a consequence of becoming a sanitised adjunct to the national network would make a very major dent in any positive aspects of becoming a modern route again.

Other than perhaps one early outward (ex Minehead) and one late return "modern" service its difficult to see how such a service could be integrated with the current heritage line service without significant adverse consequences to that.

If folk are looking to invest in Minehead in particular they would do better to focus on visitor attractions which compliment its coastal but non bathing friendly situation. How about, for example, the following:
a decent sea front part open air/part roofed swimming pool
a boat service from Cardiff Bay - neatly bypassing that ever busier M4/M5 route
more encouragement of better eating out establishments

 

Thanks for your comment, I bow to your greater knowledge on the subject. As you rightly suspect I don't get involved in that side but I am more than grateful for people like yourself who do.

 

I'm not sure, but I believe that the Spa Valley trains have to be fitted with door locking even though they only run alongside Network Rail.

As for the WSR running alongside into Taunton, this has been discussed only a few pages ago!

 

The room is or rather was there but is cluttered with NR cabling, cabinets etc which are part of the signalling. One contributor suggested that NR track had been further realigned further reducing the necessary room. There is a spare bay platform at Taunton but it is not particularly long.

 

The skittle alley is a bit of a give away of its former role. Not many houses have a 60’ long garden shed...

Robin

 

Sounds like the perfect home for a model railway!

 

Hi folks,

I originally joined this site to be able to see Robin's photos. I've had my say on the Taunton link and if I wrote anything further it would simply be repetition.

I don't think social media is for me so I'm out of here.

All the best to everyone in the heritage railway movement, keep up the good work.

bye
Richard

 

Er yes, that was why I was at the AGM.

 

It is a pity Minehead no longer has a pier: a drying harbour severely limits the sort of craft that could operate such a service. Otherwise a trip across the Bristol Channel on a steamship could be a successful tourist attraction and provide renumerative work for a heritage vessel.

 

Now that would be a rather more useful project for Alex de M and the Minehead Chamber of Commerce to focus on.

It should be remembered that Minehead DID have a pier but that it was dynamited in the general panic in 1940.

Robin

 

First ‘Santa Express’ of the 2017 season passing Stogumber.

Robin

 

We had a swimming pool, a beautiful outdoor Olympic sized one. We had a few trials with hovercraft to Wales. We had a pier. We had some beautiful eating establishments. Even a wonderful model village that you could roam around. We had some beautiful B&B's, now converted (and continue to be) to flats They were all on the sea-front. All gone.

 

We seemed to have skipped over Blue Anchor "Then & Now" a bit quick? Not enough old photos?

 

There seems to be an implied assumption that if the big railway wanted to run over the WSR then a wholesale takeover would occur. The NYMR have access to whitby via a track use agreement with NR. Why cant it work the other way round. The WSR grants GWR access rights for a fee and the WSR retains foll control of its assets. There is the issue of staff availability, essp signalmen. This may require either payed staff or payments to volunteers for unsocial hours. Train crews would simply learn the route and sign for it

 

Don't forget to buy I.C.s excellent book, they are all in there.

 

I think pathing would also be an issue. Plus, would people be happy for the heritage atmosphere to be spoilt be modern stock coming through on a regular basis? It's a much different prospect to the odd special HST coming through as a novelty.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

No. We spent a long time at Blue Anchor long ago in the sequence. I am now working through a list of shots other have suggested, and it will jump about a bit. You might be a bit surprised by tomorrow...

Robin

 

Already happened on the WSR - years ago - and still does for the odd special or at special events. The WSR Plc's website even has (or had until recently) a scale of charges for access on/off the branch.

If a TOC wants to run regular services on the Minehead line, then all it needs to do is ask. Of course, WSR has regular contact with TOCs and NR, so I'm fairly sure all relevant folks are well aware.

Steve