West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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Availability of Bullhead Rail: I have been told that the 1,100 tons of it that were shipped from Rotterdam to Thurso
for rerailing to Georgemas Junction came from VoestAlpine. So presumably not totally a very obscure speciality
to roll.

Could I ask roughly how often one would reckon to probably replace an odd rail in a mileage?

I remember c. 2ooo remarking no end to find quite appreciable distances of bullhead - rather well kept and often resleepered
- on minor lines in France. And it did occur to me to wonder where on earth they they would have got an odd
replacement rail which I assumed were by then not current in on the Continent and not standard with London Transport.
One stretch in particular was thirty miles with a sizeable seasonal traffic. (This we traversed in full main stock double headed with a 141R
and a Pacific, causeing consternation bearing smokily down on some archers who were using a straight to shoot at a target they had set up.
Sadly it was beside the metals where the line had been singled and not in the four foot, so we did not go on our way in triumph
- carrying the target on the front draw hook.)

 

Yellow timetable starts Tuesday with D6575 and stock substituting for the DMU all week.
Presumably the 1330 Minehead-Doniford will be extended to Williton to allow the 33 to run round.

44422 has now move inside at Minehead, so hopefully the new springs have arrived.

 

The 1330 MD - DD will still run only to DD, but will be top/tailed with the steam engine used on the 1105 BL/ 1530 MD on the up end. The 33 was out of action at the end of last week with the 47 substituting. There's a good chance that the 33 has been fixed over the weekend, but expect either of the diesels.

 

Does anyone know where & when the first CWR was installed in the UK?

 

At a guess somewhere near Derby Research centre.

 

What is DD? - too much insiders chat with all these abbreviations

 

Some on here refer to me as DD, I hope my name isn't being taken in vain.........

 

Double Diamond?

A suitably Heritage product

 

Yuk! I think I'm the railway context DD might mean Doniford.

 

DD = Doniford Halt

 

WSR station codes.

MD Minehead
DR Dunster
BA Blue Anchor
WD Washford
WT Watchet
DD Doniford (Halt)
WN Williton
SR Stogumber
CH Crowcombe Heathfield
BL Bishops Lydeard
NF Norton Fitzwarren
TN Taunton

Hope this helps. TN is not on the WSR strictly speaking but features weekly in the operating notices due to the regular passenger and ballast trains that operate over the mainline connection. Conductor drivers and guards have to join through trains at either Taunton station or Fairwater sidings and authorise the Exeter signaller to set the route off the mainline to the branch before a train can leave Taunton.

Andy.

 

You might call it that but no self respecting CAMRA member would

 

And it was as recently as 1960 when we used to drink it, along with Watneys Draught Red Barrel, with apparent enjoyment - in the station buffet at Coventry, before they demolished the old LNWR buildings.

How times change.

 

Someone has started brewing under the Whatneys name again, have to say the Pale Ale is rather drinkable. Though this has nothing to do with the WSR!

 

Cue the Monty Python Travel Agent sketch.

 

And of course we "oldies" remember having Taunton on the Fares Tables and many a ticket (anyone have one of the Edmondson examples?) was sold for a journey between a WSR station and Taunton when the WSR ran its connecting bus service

Steve

 

We 'oldies' also tend to render 'CH' as 'CE'

Robin

 

Which goes along with the common theme of first and last letter of first word, rather than first letter of each word. Although on that basis I suppose Blue Anchor would be BE?

 

When I was planning my trip to the railway on Saturday I noticed that the national railway abbreviation for Bishops Lydeard is BIB and, of course, Taunton is TAU. Since we are hoping to have a regular shuttle to Taunton in the near future shouldn't we be using BIB and TAU for these stations?

Incidently. Does anyone know who the station announcer at Bishops Lydeard was on Saturday?