West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Yes, it is frustrating when you see so many brilliant train in snow photos on line, and the branch line you live near has had its own services suspended due to weather.

John

 

The WSR boxes were open in anticipation of this train. I was at Blue Anchor. I had driven over from Sherborne the night before (temperature around minus fourteen) in my open WW2 Jeep and stayed at my Blue Anchor chalet.

The photo below shows the view towards Minehead at 09:00 in heavy snow.

We were informed the train was cancelled about 10:00 and I plodded back in my 4WD jeep, passing many motorists with ‘ordinary’ Cars who had been caught out by the conditions and were abandoning their cars and being rescued by the police, or me and other 4WD drivers.

Robin

 

If you can make it up to Kiddy, the SVR seem to be running trains today. Their website says the dining car trains are cancelled though.

 

The thought of a top of the range modern vehicle and associated numpty being rescued by your WW2 Jeep is amusing to say the least.

I hope you never picked up that well known WW2 complaint of Jeep Drivers Bottom..................

 

Both my jeeps suffer from that ailment common to 70 year old vehicles that have both the driver and the petrol tank on the same side of ‘lean to the left’ and have the appropriate correction links added into the suspension.

‘Jeep drivers bottom’ strikes after about 3 hours given the thinness of the upholstery. Those of us who are reasonably well upholstered personally last a bit longer.

Open vehicles do have one advantage in sub-zero temperatures as on 20-12-10. The inside temperature is always precisely the same as the outside temperature and so the windscreen never mists up...

Robin

 

Thanks for the story Andy. You'll have to excuse my naivety in main line signalling matters but it seems to me that 40mins was crucial ! Was there really no path you could have got across to WSR metals?

 

The ailment is known as "jeep jacksie". I doubt that question will come up in the forthcoming WSRA quiz night, but you never know !

 

retro pic of Crowcombe Heathfield 18th December 2010. Sorry about the SR seat!

 

I have a problem with this splendid picture, Tim. Did you arrive by parachute, OR had you been waiting to take the photograph since before the snow started falling OR are you a figment of my imagination? (There appear to be no footprints from the station entrance to the point where you are standing.)
Frank

 

All I can admit to, Frank, is that photoshop was not used at all!

 

Perhaps he arrived by train....



(Another great shot by Tim, this time of the Santa on 24 Dec 2010, IIRC.)

The Southern Bench is now at Okehampton, BTW.

 

Through the opposite gate and along the 'four foot??

 

Round the back of the lamp hut and along the fence line .... ?

 

With the candlestick in the conservatory? Oh sorry, wrong game ...

Tom

 

Thinking about it a bit more, in the late 80's I did wonder about buying a DUKW. When I asked my father if he could teach me to drive it, his response with a number of words not commonly used in the workplace by staff of The Midland Bank followed by off led me to suspect that WW2 vehicles are not that easy to drive and your tri t=from Sherbourne to Blue Anchor shows great dedication.

 

Frank, Tim probably reached the platform via the small gate from the road halfway between the station building and the Up end of the Up platform, or perhaps he did fly in

Good to hear from you Tim. Viewed from the Peak District this must all seem "more of those in the South worrying about a little snow !"

Michael Rowe

 

Jeeps. A pig to start unless you have ‘the knack’. 6v electrics and best to use Starting handle on a cold day. Steering slack by modern standards, brakes, pretty useless, especially dashboard cable handbrake. And no acceleration beyond 0-25 mph. High centre of gravity and no roll cage or safety belts, so easy to turn over and will kill you if you do. Driver sits on the petrol tank which has an open filler, ideal for catching a stray cigarette and demonstrating the lethal power of fuel-air explosives. Easy to forget to turn brake lights on and so be run into from behalf nd when braking. First and reverse gears reversed from where you would expect them to be, so easy to reverse into car behind when attempting to pull away at traffic lights Pulling power in low res and first gear pretty impressive.

I love ‘em.

Robin

 

Sounds a deal better than the Dingo scout car which, according to my late Father, demanded a higher standard of maintenance than the British Army could provide and had some particularly nasty "party pieces". Supposed to have killed more of its users than enemy action!

PH

 

I see that and raise you a dried corn cob minus the kernels.

 

But there are footprints from the station entrance to the end of the platform and there appear to be footprints on the other platform. Assuming the ability to cross back over at the other end of the platform the need for wings is removed.