WSR Spring Steam Gala - Thu 27 to Sun 30 April 2017

Indeed.
Closely followed by 1501 & 5199

 

Thankfully the cloud disappeared on Saturday afternoon. The double-headed 4Fs looked superb at Castle Hill in the evening sunlight and were very noisy.

A bonus came in the form of the 17:45 from Minehead to BL. 53808 was due to haul the train but 78018 was also coupled up and the train ran double-headed.

Ex S&D loco 53809 made an appearance and successfully hauled a train of four blood and custard coaches.

During the day the trains appeared full which is very good. Rain is supposed to make an appearance on Sunday afternoon so a day for travelling.

Good to see the crews thoroughly enjoying themselves, lots of waving to the public and whistling from the locos.

A very enjoyable gala so far. Well done to the WSR. <BJ>

 

Yes an excellent day. Highlight for us the climb from Williton to CH with the double headed 4s keeping the very tight 15 minute booking with lots of noise

 

Looks like there is a problem with the turnout that controls the two platforms at Mine head. 10.45 departure can't be released.

 

Just been watching the web cams at Minehead with S&T working on the points this side of the level crossing.Trains spot on time at Bishops.

 

1501 just got the 10.45 departure away 45 mins down on a green flag from the signalman.Kilmersden looking splendid waiting to start operations .

 

10.45 off at 11.30. home starter was still on when it left.

 

If you've got an iPhone you can set the camera up to behave like a magnifying glass.

Settings > General > Accessibility > Magnifier

Pressing the home button three times turns it on. Particularly useful for dimly lit restaurants in my experience.

Simon

 

I've been watching as well. The arrival of the 0950 BL was flagged in after the crossing was operated manually. This suggests to me that there is a problem with the locking on those points which means the signals cannot be cleared.

 

S&T now manually moving the points and clipping them for operation.

 

All seems to be working again, but trains up to an hour late.

 

Great show, thanks to all who were involved !

 

Points failure was bad luck. Great gala otherwise.

What a sight double headed 4Fs are.

 

We enjoyed the Gala as usual, attached is a shot of the 4f's at Norton Fitzwarren on Saturday.

 

Another good gala from the WSR, which never disappoints (well, it doesn't disappoint me anyway). Favourite bits - catching the two 4F's from BA to WN on the Friday morning and then later that day catching the two 7Fs from MD to WD, two storming ascents of Washford bank, lots of noise - absolutely marvellous; the two 4 coach rakes on Friday shuttling to / from WN was an interesting angle - shows some though going into how to structure a varied offering of services; the Freight, of course, given my tastes was marvellous. A nice mix of wagons and nicely jumbled up. I just wish I had known a bit more about where it was running to / from ahead of the event, I knew it was running but not when or where until I arrived. (Should have just ordered the programme ahead of time really.)

I also discovered the joy of walking that stretch from Crowcombe to Stogumber, always my favourite scenic stretch of this line, definitely scope for some amateur photting next year. PS do I get a prize for reporting the first Cuckoo of Spring (in Crowcombe Heathfield woods on BH Monday)?

As for the timing, I confess I'm a fan of earlier in the year. The prospect of a trip to Somerset always helps me get through the dead days of Jan and early Feb. That said I can see the attractions of a Bank Holiday Gala in May, especially since the NYMR seems to have given up on their Gala at this time of year. On balance I still prefer a bit earlier rather than a bit later.

It's obvious that a good deal of thought has gone into this gala including the mix of locos, the 4 coach services and the freight well done to the planners and those who made it happen.

 

The stations at Crowcombe and Stogumber joined forces a few years back to produce a leaflet describing the walks between the two stations. They commissioned a map from me too: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-map-ce-sr.htm



and a while later, the folks at Minehead, Dunster and Blue Anchor followed suit: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-map-md-dr-ba.htm



Maybe these maps might help/inspire folks to step out into the Somerset countryside/seaside close by the Railway.

Steve

 

While I was riding the trains on Friday my wife did the walks between Minehead station and Williton station.

She thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think Williton station to Bishops Lydeard station is on her itinerary for the Autumn Steam Gala.

Stef.

 

Great video.

 

My footage from the Saturday. A personal highlight for me was 5199 at Roebuck Woods. A BR Black Prairie on a rake of chocolate & cream Mk1s, in absolutely gorgeous weather; what more could you ask for?

 

A great 2 days at WSR Spring Gala. Well done to all involved!