West Somerset Railway General Discussion

It is not an 'open weekend'. It is a recruiting day on Sunday 27 for potential WSR Guards and signalmen.

We are starting two groups -at 10 and 11, finished by about 3.

If anyone else would like to attend, you would be welcome, just PM me.

Robin

 

okay just checking, its a shame, should be able to make a day of it depending on what ways things face,

 

This Year having S&D themed events has been welcome, 50 years on and that,
The main bug bear is, every other gala having a theme renaming stations etc , sort of cheapens the events of the past year,
Don't have a problem personally for big commemorations or events like the big gwr galas and S&D,
I personally don't see whats wrong with having a gala with the excellent selection of home fleet then for example off top of my head, 42765,41312,35006. something along those lines,

 

The 'news' section of the latest issue of Heritage Railway magazine reports the following:
"West Somerset could buy freehold under new deal"

See: http://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/

I haven't seen the actual issue, only this one line from the current issue contents page.

Is this anything new or just a rehash of the recently established position stated here:
http://westsomersetrailway.vticket....the-wsr-plc-at-the-wsra-agm-22nd-october-2016

Does anyone have any further information?

 

Nothing new, no story, nothing to see, move along please......move along.....

Robin

 

The Croscombe Heathfield webcam showed a team enthusiastically repainting the platform edge white line yesterday. and they seemed to be getting together for more of the same at 9.30 a.m.today (Thurs). I had to go out then, so was unable to observe them further.

I just wondered when the custom of white lining edges commenced on the WSR. Did the GWR do this from time immemorial, or is it in response to modern safety regs?

I (just) recall my father pointing out the new white edgings at St.Helens Shaw Street station about 1940, and telling me it was because of the war-time blackouts, as too many people were falling over the edges in the dark. However he had a developed sense of humour, so I was never really sure if I could believe him. But I would not have thought that the oil lamps at country branch-line stations would shed much light at the best of times?

 

Pictorial evidence suggests that pre WW2 platforms had no painted edge. Post WW2 platforms had white edges. The story that the edges were a wartime introduction appears to be corect

 

I remember as a porter at Exeter St Davids in the mid 1960s painting the platform edge on the early turn on a Monday, using a specially made broom with the bristles cut so that you painted the edge, along with a set amount of the horizontal surface (about six inches). The "paint" was a fairly free flowing kind of emulsion. My memory tells me this was a regular Monday morning task, but given the size of the station and the number of junior porters (about five) I doubt if we covered the whole station each week. However the edges were certainly "freshened up" more than once a year, though whether ours was the only treatment they got I don't know.
What happens now on the main line?
Frank

 

Is there anything running on the 17th December other than 6201 visiting ?

 

http://cgibin.wsr.org.uk/cgi-bin/r-trains.cgi?date=20161217

 

Everything I've seen has said it was a wartime introduction in 1939/40 for the blackout along with blue bulbs in carriages. They also painted white lines or squares on curbs/roadside obstacles in cities and towns as well as on the front/rear corners of cars as cars were only allowed very dimmed and shielded headlamps (I have one on a Jeep and frankly its totally useless light wise). Plus of course the much extended use of white lines on roads themselves which we still have today.

 

This is a filmclip I found on youtube

 

Santa trains and mince pie specials - http://westsomersetrailway.vticket.co.uk/section.php/68/1/christmas-services

 

West Somerset Railway to host Flying Scotsman in 2017
See WSR.ORG

 

For some reason, Lancashire County Council painted YELLOW lines on country roads outside St.Helens around 1940. They didn't survive long, and were overpainted white fairly quickly. Perhaps someone's theory of what constituted a high-viz colour in a blackout.

 

When will the Winter Steam Festival Roster be avalible

 

Will not be anywhere near West Somerset or indeed Somerset when the 'Scottish Engine' comes visiting.

 

considering it, I mean gonna need eyes on the lineside, if the mainline is anything to go by,

 

I will be at Williton Station area on the Saturday as normal doing coach restoration, but I wont bother to see this engine go pass, and the ones I work with also feel the same over this engine. Yes it hopefully bring money onto the railway, but to me there are other workhorses what are far better than this engine.