West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Thanks for the kind comments. We hope for up to three fitted vans plus a MK1 BCK/BSO/BSK. Certainly the Crimson PMV and Fruit C will feature. It will be a passenger carrying train (people travel in the MK1 Brake) although will be limited capacity, hence it will only run on the quieter days Friday and Monday in the 'local' train paths.

With regard to private owner wagons, we as a group would love to, perhaps one day. We currently don't have any plans to though.

 

In answer to your question over the period of time that the locomotive (7828) had been in service prior to the photographs being taken is:-

Miles in service 27,130.
Days in service 426.

The plate work is original BR(W) as far as I am aware so any scale deposits on it can date can be from any time. The stay in the photograph was new at the start of the service period above in December 2018. Since then it has been out of service for nearly all of 2020 when the WSR didn't run any services until December due to COVID, but used regularly every other year.

Andy.

 

I have been looking through the WSR Wagon Restoration page on FB. I am very impressed. I have another question though. If you finish the vanwide in time for the Gala, will it run in the goods or the parcels train?

 

Thankyou. Our work would not be possible without volunteer help, if anyone is interested in getting involved do let me know!

If the Vanwide is finished in time, as a BR design it'll go with the BR 'Parcels' set. As usual with us, now we have started it, we've realised it is worse than originally expected! We are trying to keep the 'Goods' to a full early 1940s era affair so BR design vehicles don't fit in. The Gala Goods will match nicely with 2807 and 6695, and Gala Parcels with 7828, 9351 and 9466.

For many years, Goods Trains at the WSR had been very mixed, with BR, early GW, WD etc all mixed together not portraying any one era. We have been aiming to stick to the early 40s era for the Goods because it regularly runs at the Railway's Forties Weekend amongst other reasons.

When we did PMV no.S1464, as this runs a lot with our coaching stock, we went with a BR livery to match the MK1s. This then went a little further and the side project of the Branch Parcels set was born using some vehicles that don't fit into the 40s era Goods.

 

6990 'Witherslack Hall' will be hauling the 10:15 departure from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead this morning. <BJ>

 

The Midland Pullman's visit to the WSR on 18th May has been cancelled due to late notice engineering works.

 

Took a ride behind Witherslack Hall yesterday: splendid Blue bells trackside above Williton, huge teddy bear at Teddy Bear crossing, and most significant of all lots of tree planting in the "potato field" above Trible bridge. hopefully the latter will end the mudslides onto the track and road at this point. oh, and Witherslack looked and sounded great!

 

Hi, Seb.

How is the vanwide going?

(Hope you enjoyed the SVR Gala).

 

Hi Colin,
The Vanwide won't be complete in time to feature at the Gala. It will be somewhere at Minehead, possibly available for viewing in it's half stripped form.

Yes the SVR gala was most enjoyable thank you! Always good to visit elsewhere to support other railway's events.

 

7812 has now arrived on the WSR for service through the summer & autumn. The current WSR steam motive power line up is impressive including:
7828, 9351 (away this weekend), 9466, 6685, 699o, 7812 with 6880 expected in July. LSL also stable locos at the WSR Bishops Lydeard depot througout th summer for use on Network Rail.
Also on site are 6435 at Minehead & 80064 + 4561 at Williton together with 1466 under contract repair for the GWS.

 

Is 6990 staying for a while? Similarly, when is 6695 staying until?

 

6990 isn’t due back to the GCR until the end of July and I don’t believe is heading anywhere else.

 

When you see the line-up listed like that, you realise that even a normal mid-week running day on the WSR is likely to be excellent this summer. Well, if - like me - you're basically delighted with any GWR steam on your train.

 

Brilliant stuff. The recent steam gala was first class. I have been a WSR volunteer for 40 years and the railway is in the best shape I have ever seen it in.
If you are visiting, don't expect to see 4561. Although it is at Williton, it is still very much still a kit of parts.
Ian Coleby

 

As the longest heritage railway steam ride with plenty of hill climbing action (GW locos don't disappoint for noise) and delightful countryside, with a sea side destination, the WSR takes a lot of beating. But those are not my words, they are the sentiments of a first time visitor who first visited the line last Sunday and engaged us in conversation....

 

Well it appears that a team, that are singing from the same song sheet, can achieve good results.

 

I know that on this forum JJP is a ‘Marmite’ character, but he knew what needed to be done and he’s done it. The WSR is much stronger for that and is in the best shape I’ve ever seen it. Well done Jonathan and his team.

 

One of the key reasons is that not only are the management team business people who know how to run things, but crucially that are also keen railway enthusiasts. I remember JJP as a youngster on the line working on the heritage buses and several of the team started as trackers or on the BL model railway. Railways that are solely run by businessmen with no railway enthusiasm or lines that are run solely by enthusiasts with no business acumen risk failure. Now that we have a cohesive team, the railway is challenging for the top spot in the railway heritage world, if not already there.

 

I'm sorry to drop a lump of concrete into this rather rebarbative self-congratulatory pond but there are a number of serious questions to be asked in Somerset.

Given that I am back from the dead (literally, given my spell at Papworth Hospital last year) and my permanent exclusion from the WSR for asking awkward questions and suggesting better ways, I thought a question a week might help the true picture be understood.

Q1. It isn't difficult to spot the rolling stock crisis on the WSR at the moment if one counts the number of coaches in traffic and those in the restoration queue. I'm sure others will have accurate numbers and be able to set out the plan that will put matters right?

Another question next Thursday.

I am reassuringly busy in legal and other work (including elsewhere in heritage) but those who have been missing their weekly portion of the Roostery will shortly be able to follow the second half of the WSR story - the disciplinary process to which I was exposed and the more recent involvement of the HRA. I will be presenting an entirely factual account with supporting documents and allow others to form their own view of the persons and organisations involved.

Nite Nite