West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Crowcombe - lovely quiet country station
Stogumber - as above
Williton - B&ER buildings, DEPG base
Doniford Halt - well, a halt!
Watchet - no railway stuff but lovely harbour town
Washford - SDRT base
Blue Anchor - seaside station
Dunster - PW base - lovely station
Minehead - railway stuff, loco shed, c&w works etc

http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-stations.htm give more info

Steve

 

We always find time to break our journeys at Stogumber Station to take tea and cakes in the gardens.
On a summers day there cannot be a better place to sit and watch the world go by.
I hope you have a wonderful day on our wonderful railway.
Stef.

 

Could not sit and watch the webcam but did see 15.30 ready in platform at Minehead. When I next looked it had gone so a train appears to be running.

Two tanks are waiting the road at Crowcomb Heathfield. Signal cleared for a train in the other direction

1602 train just arived off the single line
1607 two tankies away

 

Just wondering if this mis information eminated from a bedsit in Taunton

 

Thanks so much, Stefan!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks Steve!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

While I was at the WSR on Sunday, service trains were disrupted by the failure of 6960. It had suffered two broken springs. The loco limped from BL to Minehead light engine in the path of the cancelled 11:50 service train. <BJ>

 

What diesels are running tomorrow - it looks as though the DMU isn't running

 

Unless the DMU has failed since arriving back at BL this evening, then it should be running tomorrow. However, D1661 should be working the 1105 BL - MD.

 

Thank you

 

How far off the original track is the current track on the part of Taunton to Barnstaple line that forms Norton triangle please. brilliant steam fayre.

 

The new track (from Allerford Bridge to the WSR main line at Barnstaple Junction) closely follows the former Up line alignment. There is room on the Down side to lay another track or siding(s), if ever needed.

Steve

 

If you only have five locomotives in ticket maintaining 3 in use every day is a really big ask. Credit where it is due to the WSR that they are managing most of the time to maintain the advertised schedule because it cannot be easy. Boiler washouts alone will effectively mean there will rarely be more than one "spare", and it doesnt take much for one spare to become a request to the diesel department.

 

Many moons ago when I was a lot younger I remember one holiday in Kent there was an SRN6 giving pleasure rides and my parents took me on it.
Great fun, but yes it did make a lot of noise. I wish I'd seen an SRN4, I once made an Airfix kit of one, 144th scale I think- huge model even at that scale so I had problems finding somewhere to display it.

 

West Somerset Railway - Then and Now

Minehead Station 1906 and 2017. Back to Broad Gauge tomorrow but it is useful to take a moment to show how the main building was extended towards the sea in 1923.

In original form, the building shared a great deal with Dunster station building but was plainly becoming inadequate to serve the growing resort. The reference points are the chimneys and the porch. There has been tecent talk of bringing more of the building back into public use, rather than use as offices following the move of the Railway's Commercial Department to an adjacent industrial unit. This can only be to the good.

Much of the Railway is built from the local red sandstone which adds much to the character. Fortunately, this is hard, high quality building stone and in many cases the quarry or hillside from which the stone came can be identified. Today's (bonus!) third shot shows the clear difference between the original 1874 building to the right and the 1923 extension to the left.

IMHO much, much more could be made of the lines' heritage than we presently do.

1906


2017


Join between original station and 1923 extension.

 

I think you're right about that. Perhaps some display boards showing some of these old photos & maps along with some explanatory text.

 

Folks come to our Railway (and other Railwsys) for 'fun' not 'education'. We need to find ways for our heritage to contribute to that 'fun'. It is perfectly possible to do -witness the popularity of TV shows like Fiwnton Abbey, Poldark, Miss Marple, Foyle's War, Endeavour, etc etc.

We just have to be bright enough to make Heritage attractive 'fun'.

Robin

 

Cancel all Police Leave & evacuate the town, I am bringing my two youngest sons today (Tuesday)

 

I have cancelled my planned visit!

 

Yes, but my 'fun' is looking at things and understanding 'why'. Information boards can help tremendously in explaining that 'why'.