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

Given in, accommodation and rovers bought for Friday/Saturday...

 

Some not so good news :-( but some hopeful news too

Andy Forster, the WSR's Chief Mechanical Engineer writes:

Unfortunately for a number of logistical reasons Black 5 number 45379 will not be available to attend the S&D Spring Steam Gala from the Mid Hants Railway as had previously been hoped. Our thanks go to the Mid Hants for their best efforts in trying to make this visit possible.

So that we can still maintain the published locomotive diagrams without having to resort to a GWR home locomotive we are arranging for a suitable replacement to attend. We should be able to confirm the number of the locomotive to our customers during next week once details have been finalised.

All is going well for the remainder of the fleet to attend the gala, 53808 is in the final stages of painting, 44422 is due to move from LNWR Heritage Crewe early next week and 53809 is close to being ready to move from Butterley. 80072, 34058, 34070 and 92214 all have their transport booked to be on the railway in good time."

Steve

 

Standard 5! Standard 5!

 

Great idea - but is there one available at such short notice? Black 5s are a little more numerous, and one or two can be moved by rail if that helps...

 

Another spam can

 

Looking at the old photo's its surprising how few trees there were - and that's off the railway, not on it

 

It's my humble opinion that an S&D gala can never have too many 9fs or Bulleid light Pacifics....

 

Riley hinted at something on Facebook the other day.... about coming to the WSR for two weeks in March

 

What about a 2MT Tank? They were associated mostly with the branch

 

A nice idea, but something a bit more powerful is required to substitute directly in the loco diagrams for the Black 5. They have already been written and are in the programme which is at the printers, and would require major recasting. The 4 sets of coaches will be load 6 or 7 and a Class 2 is only allowed 5 coaches on the WSR.

 

Pair of black fives be nice but aren't they busy with railtours

 

Nope, 407 in the works having cylinder work, and 871 doing KWVR and then spare over first part of March....

 

Black 5s are nice but they're just not that synonymous with the S&D. They worked there but not after 1960 and they worked in so many other places. Isn't 73050 available? Wells? 43924 would be quite nice.

 

73050 out of ticket, Wells - ELR - Spring Steam Gala 11th-13th March.

 

Read Mendips Enginemen by Peter Smith to see how synonymous Black 5's are with the S&D!

 

Long ago and far, far away I remember the first 'S&D' Gala on the WSR when Peter Smith AND Donald Beale visited (I think that would have been 1986? Do any photos survive?) and at the end of the day the (much smaller then) band of hearties who had been running the Railway for the day, Peter and Donald all decamped to the bar of the Beach Hotel for some yarning..... Happy days.

'Mendips Engineman' well worth a read for anyone coming to the Gala.

Robin

 

I've read it. His favourite locos were the Riddles 5MTs. I remember the story of the 2P that was coming onto the front of the train and Donald Beale told them to take it off because it would only hold them back.

 

was it 1996? when 34105,34039,44422,75096 came to visit 70000 was renumbered to 70047 and renamed and sat at bishops lydeard all three days, 88 and 7828 ran as well?
mark

 

Just home, and checked my bound WSR Journals.

It was 1987, when 88 had just come into service.

Three photos:

(1) An 11-coach 'Pines Express', the WSR's heaviest train to date. (Photographer Steve Edge @West Somerset Wizard )

(2) A 'few' folk on the platform at Bishops Lydeard, (Steve Harris) and

(3) Peter Dmith and Donald Beale on the footplate of 88 (Fracis Stothard).

Apologies for the poor copies.

Robin White

 

Yes it was 1996, the weather on the Friday was rain and snow. I was firing the 4F on the 08:30 goods off Minehead and rtn . Myself, Driver and owners rep got soaked as no sheet on the engine and tender first from Bishop Lydeard. I remember sitting outside the café at Blue Anchor on a the Sunday morning having breakfast as the weather had completely changed to warm and sunny and with the Quantock and Exmoor hills still covered in snow, listening to the sound of Boscastle climbing Washford bank. Its what started off the March galas for the WSR.