West Somerset Railway General Discussion

I had a fiddle with the other photo. I couldn't get rid of all the purple, but I think it's a slight improvement.

 

Three photos below by Baz Juniper, the late Tim King and Alan Stanistreet. All taken in 1976 on or close to opening day in March 1976. So pretty certain your photos are within days of then.

Would it be possible for your photos to be added to the collection maintained by WSR stallwart Steve Edge at wsr.org.uk? Unseen photos from those long off early days (I was 12) are precious to we WSR old stagers.

Robin

 

Robin's photos are from a few weeks before my second ever visit, when the entire country was a tinderbox for the second year in a row .... by which time Denis Howell was Drought Minister, and along with all steam on the line, Victor was sidelined pending a downpour (which didn't come during August) and there was no grass remotely that luxuriant anywhere!

I've very fond memories of the Class 103s (as indeed I did from the Cambrian Coast a few years earlier). Bodywork issues aside, the panoramic views from those 'house liveried' units were superb. The stunning approaches to Blue Anchor and Washford Stations were never so well displayed to passengers .... truly a case of no clouds, but still a sliver lining!

 

Robin,

Your estimation of March/April 1976 is too early from photographic evidence.

The photo at Minehead shows the flowerbeds in position & the water tower up. Both of these did not happen before May 1976, also the summer flowers are in bloom.

The photo of Blue Anchor shows the waiting shelter cleared away & the DMU with whiskers on. These did not happen before the summer of 1976.

If you do a search of photos on wsr.org for “22 October 1977” four pictures come up. The 2nd one is of the DMU in the bay with 7017 beside it (perhaps Steve can post it?). The position of 7017 with the BGZ behind matches and 7017 is in the same location as evidenced by the platform edge white line. I can find no other photographs of stock in the Bay siding that corresponds, and is dated by month.

The sun is from the south-south-west at an Azimuth of about 210 degrees. The shadows are quite long with the length of the lady’s shadow in the foreground being about the same as her height.

I conclude that the date is therefore late summer/early autumn 1977, from solar tables more specifically about 30th August 1977 at approx 14:45. I'm not that good at Met office records but the days before then and after appear to have been quite poor weather wise.

Pleasant period photos of a bygone era, thanks to echap for posting them.

Andy.

 

You're wasted on this thread Andy, you need to join the picture puzzle thread!

Tom

 

A busy Minehead platform greets a Park Royal DMU arriving from Williton on 22 October 1977.
© Steve Edge
This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. Any re-use of the above image must conform to the requirements of the Creative Commons Licence.

Visit wsr.org.uk for all the latest pictures



...and to think I was a mere 27 years old at the time.

Steve

 

Never mind just joining it, he should be setting the questions...

 

Had a go at it. Sharpening has brought up the dust speckles though.

 

Interesting update about the thinking around plans for reopening:

https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/news/detail/west-somerset-railway-briefing-04-june-2020

Tom

 

I hope they're also considering moving the shop out of the shop, or at least partially, and moving it onto the platform underneath the canopy to allow more room for social distancing.

I see the English government has decided to require face masks on public transport. I guess the railway should consider the same but the regulations may require this anyway.

Perhaps capacity could be maximised by utilising three trains just between Blue Anchor and Minehead with one ready to leave the station instant the other arrives so there will always be one in the section.

 

But will there be enough passenger traffic to warrant three engines (or DMU + two engines) and three sets of crew all day?

 

Now that the PLC own restorations, who employs the old staff & also Kate Beard?

DJB.

 

From my own observations I would suggest the images are from 1977. Of interest is that on December 18 1977 the D&EG and S&D Trust came to an arrangement whereby the D&EG used D7017 to move 88 from Minehead to Washford, in return for which the S&D Trust used their crane at Washford to remove the steam heat boiler from D7017 in a bid to reduce its axle weight. I have a few images from the day but have been unable to scan them at this time - apologies for those interested in the images.

 

In the 10 years I ran my transport company we made a profit every year but always struggled for cash. Ultimately that was unsustainable. Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity but cash is reality.

 

At the end of National Volunteers Week, a cross organisational group of concerned volunteers of the West Somerset Railway have written an open letter to the WSR PLC, WSRA and WSSRT. The letter can be viewed on change.org here: http://chng.it/Rtkc8y6z7q

We would ask you to take some time to read and hope that if you agree with it that you sign the letter online to give your support. We will send the 3 organisations a hard copy of the letter on the 5th July 2020. Should sufficient support be shown this date may be brought forward.

We are aware of the concerns of many active volunteers, so the ability to select an option to remain anonymous to viewers of the letter online exists. We will not reveal the signatories until a hard copy of the letter is sent to the 3 organisations concerned, at which point the list of signatories will be randomised.

If you support us please spread the link.

EDIT: Following several direct messages, I can confirm signatures are welcome from the entire Railway Family, all volunteers, stakeholders and supporters of the West Somerset Railway.

 

Good luck with this, anything that helps sanity to re-establish its self has got to be praiseworthy
As regards the plans post covid, Whilst running only as far as Blue Anchor, whilst it may short term be profitable, and affordable, your in effect abandoning the rest of the railway, No trains, means no customers beyond Blue anchor or anywhere else, so abandoning the rest of the line, that means the line will need work to bring it back up to standard once it can be reopened, , no income for Washford, Willington, or BL, , for how long? and how much is this down to needing to bring the permanent way back up to standard, following the ORR visit?

 

The MD number-crunchers will ultimately make the call, but I'd have thought MD - WN would generate more traffic. This offers BA & WT as attractive destinations. We are told that 40% of journeys originate at MD, so subject to Broad Gauge distancing, the passenger volume should be there.
Maybe a BA shuttle (no catering) in between is viable.

 

I have already suggested that they ought to aim for at least MD - WT, as - with no offence intended to BA - IMHO that will provide a destination probably more likely to both attract travellers and generate originating passengers too.
A DMU could run to WT and turn-back. The Plc message spoke of a 'push-pull' steam service, but not sure how they intend to do that without 5542 and an auto! Perhaps the steam could just shuttle to BA and back, then no need to top&tail. With the necessary 'adjustments' to the block-working (in much the same way as BA-WT was closed for track work), there would be no need to man the box or station at WN, thus saving on roster demands.

 

and shareholders?