West Somerset Express

The unofficial on line newsletter of the West Somerset Railway

Issue 38 – September 2005

Issue 33 - April 2005  Issue 34 - May 2005  Issue 35 - June 2005

Issue 36 - July 2005  Issue 37 - August 2005

West Somerset Express homepage

 

The West Somerset Railway - Independent Railway of the Year 2004

 

Dates for your diary

2 September:- Murder Mystery Special from Bishops Lydeard

5 September:- WSRA Taunton Group meeting

17 September:- Jazz Special from Bishops Lydeard

17 - 18 September:- CAMRA Real Ale Festival at Minehead station

24 September:- Fish & Chip Special from Bishops Lydeard

30 September - 2 October:- Autumn Steam Gala

Note: the above special trains need to be booked in advance.

 

Regular services are running daily until 2 October then Saturdays, Sundays, Tues, Weds, Thurs until 30 October.  Train Timetables and other Services on www.wsr.org.uk has full details for the year.

 

 

Autumn Steam Gala

A superb line-up of engines is promised for the Railway’s Autumn Steam Gala, which runs from Thursday 29 September to Sunday 2 October. The LNWR Class G2 ‘Super D’ No 49395 – part of the National Collection which has recently received a comprehensive overhaul at LNWR Crewe after many years out of service – will be in action hauling trains, which will almost certainly be its first visit to Somerset! Making a very welcome return visit to the WSR for the Gala will be the unique BR Standard 4-6-2 No 71000 Duke of Gloucester, which is now back in action after overhaul, and a regular performer on main line charter trains. At the other end of the size scale, the third ‘guest’ engine is Beattie well tank No 30587 – also part of the National Collection but normally based at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway. The well tank will haul a number of two-coach passenger trains between Minehead and Blue Anchor on the Thursday and Friday of the event, and be used on the “Dunster shunt” turn the following two days.
The Railway is also hoping that both GWR 2-8-0 No 3850 and S&DJR 7F 2-8-0 No 53808 will be in action at the Gala.

This impressive line-up will be supported by several members of the ‘home fleet’ – No's 5542, 5553, 6412, 9351 & 80136 – whilst Peckett 0-4-0ST No 1788 Kilmersdon will be in action giving shunting demonstrations around the yard at Washford.  Details from www.wsra.org.uk

 

CAMRA Real Ale Festival

The Somerset Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) will be holding their annual Beer Festival on the platform at Minehead Station over the weekend of Saturday 17 September (11am to 11pm) and Sunday 18 September (12noon to 4pm). It is anticipated that there will be up to 90 beers on sale, many from the award-winning independent brewers of Somerset, including the full range from Cotleigh of Wiveliscombe, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and are one of the main sponsors of the event. Live music is also promised.
On the Saturday, Hertfordshire Railtours are running a special charter train from the Home Counties to Minehead in conjunction with the Beer Festival. Just a few seats remain – please contact HR direct on 01438 718125. The same evening, the WSR are running a “Jazz Special” from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and return – details from 01643 704996.

Festival T-shirts, featuring the S&DJR 7F 2-8-0 on the front, and the Cotleigh brewery 25th anniversary logo on the back, can be purchased from The Buffer Stop Shop at Minehead Station – priced £8.50, or £9 by post (telephone orders to 01643 700387). Details from www.wsra.org.uk

 

 Minehead Meander
The Minehead Meander is a two mile wander along the seafront, the harbour and around the streets of Minehead and is currently featured on the BBC Somerset website. As the Man from Auntie says "Take the Minehead Meander and discover things you might not have known about the Somerset coastal resort". The walk starts and ends at the Railway Station and is one of many walks featured by the BBC's excellent "Coast" programme. Details from BBC Somerset
 

Advance News...

Former Southern Railway ‘LN’ Class 4-6-0 No 850 Lord Nelson is still expected to visit the WSR for running-in following completion of its current overhaul. The express passenger engine, which is part of the National Collection, is nearing completion at Eastleigh Works, and will in due course haul charter trains on the main line. There are no firm plans as yet, but a period of running-in is expected on the WSR.  Details from www.wsra.org.uk

 

Volunteers

The line is always looking for new volunteers for just about any task you can think of, from gardener to guard via firemen, signalmen, ticket inspectors, buffet staff, station staff, p-way, S&T...

 

You can join us at any time of year, if you would like to know more please write to: The Volunteer Co-ordinator, The Railway Station, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 3BX, visit www.wsra.org.uk, e-mail the West Somerset Railway Association or Tel: 01823 433856.  There's more about volunteering on a new site, WSR Volunteers .

If you can't give the time but would still like to support the WSR then you can still join the association.  Details from www.wsra.org.uk

 

Visiting Locos

The visitors at present are:

80136 BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T which is on the line for a long stay.

5553 Pete Waterman's ex GW 2-6-2T small prairie

 

Resident Locos

The lines resident steam locos currently operational are:

5542 ex GW 2-6-2T small prairie

6412 ex GW 0-6-0PT the WSRA's pannier tank - is spending the summer on the Swanage Railway

9351 WSR rebuild as a 2-6-0 mogul of 5101 class prairie tank 5193.

 

The overhaul of S&DJR 7F 2-8-0 No 53808 – which last ran in service on the WSR in 1996 – continues in the workshop at Minehead. After considerable debate and discussion over whether the engine will be turned out in S&D Prussian Blue or BR unlined black, the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust have confirmed that the 2-8-0 will be painted in the former, as No 88. It will be interesting to see how the 7F will look in Prussian Blue – a livery never carried by that company’s freight engines, which were always black – particularly at the head of a rake of chocolate-and-cream coaches!

 

Large prairie 4160: The overhaul continues to progress well and is running close to budget so far. No predictions of a steaming date yet, but it can't be too far away (late 2005 maybe ?). New livery will be BR lined green with late style crest.

 

7828 Odney Manor is in Minehead Works for her overhaul, there is an appeal for funds for this, see below for more details.  Small prairie 4561 is on display in the Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard while she awaits her turn in Williton Works - which it is hoped will be early 2006.  7820 Dinmore Manor, ex GW Manor Class 4-6-0, is also now awaiting overhaul as her boiler ticket has expired.

 

3850 - Work is nearing completion on the extensive restoration of GWR ‘2884’ Class 2-8-0 No 3850 at Tyseley Locomotive Works. After a successful hydraulic test, the boiler was returned to the frames on 21 June, and the newly-fabricated smokebox riveted to the boiler barrel and secured in position. On Sunday 4 July a fire was lit to gently warm the boiler through for its steam test the following day, when the boiler pressure was raised to 235psi – almost 40 years since No 3850 was last in steam. Many other tasks have been completed over recent weeks – with Dinmore Manor Locomotive Limited volunteers supporting the Tyseley full-time staff – and it should not be too long now before the engine returns to the WSR.
No 3850 will run with the same 3,500 gallon tender restored by DMLL to run behind the Group’s other engine, No 7820 Dinmore Manor. The tender has recently been repainted at Williton

The road trailer that is used to deliver the engine to Bishops Lydeard will return to Tyseley with 7820 Dinmore Manor, which requires as ten-year overhaul after a very successful period in use on the WSR.
 

Details from www.wsra.org.uk

 

Diesel Locos

The line's resident operational mainline diesel locos are:

Class 52 D1010 Western Campaigner - currently stopped for repairs

Class 35 Hymek D7017

Class 25 D7523 / 25 173

Class 33 D6566 / 33 048

Class 14 D9526

The other resident Hymek, D7018, is undergoing a major overhaul at Williton.

There's plenty of opportunities if you'd like to be involved with the DEPG's fleet, see their new web site at DEPG

 

The Preserved Diesels website has recently reported: “The final Class 33 of the five made available by HNRC earlier in the year has been sold and will be moving to the West Somerset Railway – 33057 is expected to arrive at Williton at the end of the month and is to be used as a source of spares for 33048.”

 

Auto trailer 169 Project

The group who own 5542 have launched a new project, the restoration of ex GWR auto trailer 169.  See their web site www.loco5542.co.uk for further details of of this exciting development.  169 is a year older than 178 (which has recently been back on the WSR), slightly shorter but otherwise pretty much the same.  Restoration work on 169 has now started in earnest at Williton.

 

This Month's Photos...

...are a quick look back over the first half of the year starting with 5542 crossing 5051 Earl Bathurst at Crowcombe Heathfield in early March.

 

Next a busy Easter weekend scene at Bishops Lydeard with 6024 King Edward I waiting to leave for Minehead while the Class 117 DMU waits in the other platform before shunting across.

 

On the same day 3440 City of Truro and 6412 double heading an Up train at Williton with D1010 Western Campaigner visible in the yard behind them.

 

In mid April small boilered mogul 9351 crosses with the auto trailer worked by 6412 on a special working at Crowcombe Heathfield.

 

Into May and the Diesel Gala, again at Crowcombe, a pair of Class 73s, 73204 and 73205, arrive with an Up train.

 

On to June and the two small prairies, 5542 and 5553, receiving attention on Minehead shed.

 

Small boilered mogul arriving at Minehead on the same June day.

 

These photos and many more are on West Somerset Railway and West Somerset Railway on the Web..

Note: you need to be connected to the Internet to view these photos. 

 

Funding Appeal for Odney Manor
The WSR Plc have launched an appeal to raise funds to help bring No 7828 Odney Manor back to "active steaming life" on the West Somerset Railway. Cash donations are required and for subscribers, a number of benefits are available. All donations of at least £20 will receive a commemorative Odney Manor certificate; for donations of £200 and £1,000, the certificate plus two tickets for the "Odney Manor Return to Steam Celebration Train" awaits, whilst for £1,000 donations the two tickets are First Class Dining seats plus a trip round the workshops. Top treatment for donations of £10,000 who receive four First Class Dining tickets on the Celebration Train, plus a full day Steam Engineman course driving and firing Odney Manor and arrangements to visit the loco during overhaul. For full details and conditions, look out for the leaflet or ring 01643 704996 for more details.

 

West Somerset Railway Association

Area Group Meetings:

Taunton Group:

In 2005, meetings will be held on the first MONDAY of the month (July & August excepted) at the usual venue – the Great Western Staff Association Club (at the north east corner of Taunton station) – starting at 7.45pm.

 

Meetings will resume after the summer break with:-

5 September:- "Over 30 Years with Steam" - Richard Jones (WSR driver)

3 October:- “Main Line Steam – the return of Preserved Steam on Video” with big screen and big sounds!

 

For the full programme for 2005 see West Somerset Railway Association, for further details e-mail

peter.darke@virgin.net .

 

Bristol Group:

The Bristol group meets on the last Tuesday of the month between September and May at the BAWA, Southmead Road, Filton, Bristol starting at 7.30pm for 7.45pm:-

 

The next meeting will be in September - details will be on www.wsra.org.uk

 

For the full programme for 2005 see West Somerset Railway Association, for further details email.

 

Events for 2005

September 17-18:- CAMRA Real Ale Festival

Sept. 30, Oct. 1-2:- Autumn Steam Gala

October 22-23:- Grand Trains Extravaganza

November 27, December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24:- Santa Steam Specials

December 2-3:- Dunster by Candlelight

December 29:- Winter Steam Festival

 

Further details on these will be in future issues of West Somerset Express.

 

Groups on the line which would welcome support include:

West Somerset Railway Association

5542 Limited
Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust
Diesel & Electric Preservation Group
Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd
4160 Limited
Friends of Minehead Station
Friends of Blue Anchor Railway Museum

West Somerset Steam Railway Trust - icoleby@tiscali.co.uk
 

Telephone the West Somerset Railway on 01643 704996 for contact details of these groups.

 

WSR Links:

West Somerset Railway - an unofficial site full of information and photos of the West Somerset

West Somerset Railway Association - the Association is the main support group on the line.

The Official West Somerset Railway Web Site - for trains times and fares etc.

WSR Volunteers - a new site with lots of info for those thinking of volunteering

West Somerset Railway, heritage steam and diesel trains - pages of photos of the WSR.

Diesel & Electric Preservation Group Ltd (DEPG) - the diesel group on the line.

West Somerset Express Archive

West Somerset Railway Gallery @ fotopic.net has some high quality photos of the WSR

wizzer.me.uk is a new site about the West Somerset Railway by a fellow volunteer, Jon Tooke.

 

The next issue is due 27 September 2005.

 

© 2005 Steve Huddy.  This newsletter is independent of, and is not officially supported by, the West Somerset Railway plc or any of the affiliated organisations, unless specifically mentioned in the appropriate article. All information is believed correct but neither the publisher nor the Railway can be held responsible for any errors.