West Somerset Railway Spring Steam Gala, 27-30 March 2014

Rebuilt Bulleid Light Pacifics were regular performers on the line through Okehampton to Plymouth right up to September 1964. They weren't allowed in North Devon or North Cornwall.

 

Yes as that was the Southern main line to Plymouth.

Looking at the notes from my 1962 rail rover the following locos would be appropriate for the withered arm proper.

Unrebuilt Bulleid pacific. (34007/34070/34067)
N class Mogul (31874)
BR class 3 2-6-2 tank (82045???)
Beattie well tank (30585/30587)
LM class 3 2-6-2 tank (41241/41298/41312/41313)
BR class 4 2-6-4 tank (numerous)

In parenthesis are locos that exist today and would be appropriate.

Its a nice idea but I suspect that the WSR will struggle to get the right engines together for the event.

Don

 

Think people are taking this waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too seriously. Who cares tbh as long as there's some steam locos running up and down the WSR.

The last gala was a bit of a let down imo, such an impressive line up, other than that it was pretty naff as they did nothing special with them really.

 

You are joking right!?!

• all chimney first (except final sunday working) - where else does that happen?
• double heading & single heading
• appropriate sized power for the line rather than "overkill" 4-6-2's better seen on the mainline
• goods trains

What else did you expect to be (or would like to see) done? - in practical terms.

 

There was no double heading on the main day of the event, Saturday, nor goods trains. In fact the goods train only really ran on Thursday. No non stop through Stogumber either except the full line non stop. The photocharter at Minehead Saturday night also meant after the 1345 departure from Minehead no more Manors ran towards Bishops Lydeard, meaning they were following each other around all day. This makes the lack of double heading Saturday even worse. The double headers always had the same engines. A trick was missed with 7827 & 7828 being the two manors to haul a Royal train together not doubling up either.

 

I think the rebuilt pacifics only ventured west of Exeter right at the end; they weren't allowed before about 1962 or thereabouts, and even then only on the Plymouth line. I think U boats were slightly more common, but it is the smaller-wheeled N class moguls that are most associated with the area. But I suspect, even if there was an N running, most people wouldn't instantly tell the difference...

Of course, what you really need to do to do an accurate recreation of steam west of Exeter in that era is get rid of nearly all the Mark 1s and replace with Maunsells and Bulleids…

Tom

 

This is the problem with theme galas, id of been happy with some first time visitors and old friends returning, but looks like themes are here to stay

 

I think you'll find that the rebuilds were only allowed west of Exeter quite late in the day of steam on the Withered Arm. Jamesquared has suggested 1962 and I reckon he's about right.

 

In my view if you are going to do it, you do it right.

I thought the Cambrian Gala was pretty good and usually WSR do things well IMHO

Don

 

Just looked up in Nicholson and Reeve "The Okehampton Line" (Irwell Press). They say the rebuilt locos were allowed after 1960, following strengthening work on Meldon viaduct. A quick trawl for photos gives the earliest photos of rebuilds west of Exeter that I can find (but I am sure there are earlier ones if you looked hard) of 9 May 1961, 34024 on the up Tavy Goods, 10 May 1961 34024 on the up Plymouth to Brighton, and 12 May 1961, 34032 on the up Plymouth to Brighton service. So I rather suspect they were technically allowed from some point in 1960 but probably not introduced in regular service until the summer 1961 timetable.

Tom

 

I thought the Cambrian Gala was superb, as a first time visitor to the WSR I thought it was great. By the looks of their timetable I don't think they could have fit anything else in as all passing loops were used all day and they had the matter of getting paying customers up and down the line.

Really enjoyed it.

 

Plymouth line only I think - i.e. turn left after Okehampton, but not right… So they didn't get to any of the North Devon or North Cornwall lines - Padstow, Wadebridge, Bude, Barnstaple/Ilfracombe.

Tom

 

I suspect you may have answered your own question - no point sending an engine that can't do the last ten miles of the journey! So there were very few services requiring a pacific that went to Wadebridge but didn't continue on to Padstow etc.

I also suspect that, given limited numbers, it made sense to concentrate the rebuilds on lines east of Exeter (including a long way east, i.e. Kent) and concentrate the originals west of Exeter.

Tom

 

There was a few non-stops all 4 days. Agree about the lack of variety on Doubleheaders, but that still didn't prevent the event from being thoroughly enjoyable. OK I'm slightly biased being a member of 7822, but it did capture the Cambrian atmosphere brilliantly and there was lots going on each station. The use of RA&FC's various headboards to recreate trains from the area added something extra, and the Saturday line-up was fantastic. The only thing that was really missing was a Dukedog and 43XX...

 

Yes I agree. For those who missed the Gala see my article in HR 182, Oct 24th, page 70 et seq. I think I said it was their best yet

Don

 

And they get a 43xx for the next gala! However with 5322 going to Llangollen that'll be nice. 9351 represented the Moguls though so that was nice. Is 7822 being repainted?

 

Don't think they'll ever beat the SSG from 2007, Summer in the South West, what a gala that was.