The Rally Team are busy organising the Steam & Vintage Rally event at Norton Fitzwarren over the weekend of 6 and 7 August 2022. Here is their recent update:

We are delighted to confirm that the ever-popular Rally will be held at Norton Fitzwarren this August.

The organising team are now sending out invitations to exhibitors who have joined us in previous years, and are happy to hear from new exhibitors who would like to come and join us.

We have sections for full size and miniature steam locomotives, vintage cars, landrovers and motorbikes, commercial and military vehicles, tractors and working exhibits and models.

We are also keen to hear of commercial traders who would like to exhibit in our trade section, craft tent, catering area and artisan food tent.

Exhibitors have free camping, and there is an evening bar, catering and entertainment, including our popular steam train visit to historic Watchet on Friday evening

Please get in touch by email to: info@steamrally.org
or contact on Facebook
or ring 01823 433856

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Rally Team

The dates and times of trains for the 2022 main season are now available on the official WSR website (see link below).

News from the Signal & Telegraph (S&T) Team.

On 17 January 2022 at Williton, the S&T team replaced the wooden box housing the Annett's Key Instrument for the North Yard Ground Frame. The original housing had been in use for nearly 25 years, it had been rotting for some time and the floor of the box had fallen out altogether. Mike Harvey of RAMS organised the making of a new box for us and the job on site was to carefully remove the Annett's Key apparatus and associated telephone, demolish the old box, install the new box and then Graham King reconnected the apparatus and phone. A successful test proved that everything worked first time. All in an S&T day's work.

Prolonged negotiations over the future of the Washford Station site between the West Somerset Railway Plc and the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust have now ended. The Trust has given up both the station and signal box but will continue to occupy the rest of the site, including the buildings and yard, until November 2023.

WSR Plc Chairman Jon Jones-Pratt commented:

We are pleased and hugely relieved that the negotiations regarding the immediate future of the Washford site have been concluded. We are now recruiting a team for the WSR Plc to manage the station, and hope it will be up and running again as soon as possible but certainly by the start of the coming season and first public trains on Saturday 19 March.

Volunteers to work on the station will always be welcome, and anyone interested is invited to contact our volunteer co-ordinator at volunteers@wsrail.net

We have not yet made a final decision regarding future use of the whole site, but there is a range of important demands on future accommodation which will now be reviewed in detail to allow the best use of the site in the best interests of the WSR. 

We will also discuss the asset removal with the Trust, such as track, buildings and so on, and will explore if there are any purchase opportunities.

The details are also included in a letter to Trust members. Trust Chairman Ian Young's message starts with these lines:

On the evening of Thursday 20 January, solicitors acting for respectively, the West Somerset Railway Plc and the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust Ltd, concluded negotiations which had been in progress for well over a year. On Thursday, we officially relinquished our occupation of the station building and signal box at Washford. A new arrangement for the yard at Washford came into play which means that we will continue using the site up until November 2023.

This is in order to completely evacuate the site, removing the remainder of any museum items, track, the shed, and all that is within it.

Alan Smithers, Minehead Station Master and Stations Lead explains:

With the new season fast approaching, many of our stations along the line are looking for volunteers in various departments. The West Somerset Railway is operated mostly by volunteers, many of whom have no previous experience in railway operations.

Aside from running trains, we have nine stations, all of which require regular care and attention to keep them looking beautiful and welcoming to our visitors. There are plenty of opportunities to practice gardening skills or to keep your hand in with a little DIY if you prefer.

As almost everyone you work with is a volunteer, they are there because they enjoy what they are doing, which means the welcome is always a warm one. When you are done, you can sit back and watch the smiles of our passengers as they admire the stations along the route.

There are similar opportunities up and down the railway, so your local station may also be looking for staff. Some jobs are customer facing, some are not, but they are all equally as important to the appearance and smooth running of the railway.

Training is available where required, and some jobs require Personal Track Safety training to allow you to go near to the running line, which requires a couple of hours once every three years.

There are some immediate specific needs at Bishops Lydeard Station, who are looking for gardening staff on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you would like some fresh country air in some stunning countryside, the team at Bishops Lydeard would give you a warm welcome.

If you are thinking of getting involved but do not think you have the skills, why not visit your local station, and have a chat to the staff.

For more information you can contact me, alan.smithers@wsrail.net at Minehead Station, or volunteers@wsrail.net Alternatively, you can visit https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk

The West Somerset Railway Association have published a useful synopsis of the main discussion points and decisions at the charity's recent Trustee Board meeting held on 11 January 2022. Please click or tap the button below for more. In the Members area of the Association website, members can also read the published minutes of the previous Board meeting.

A great opportunity to help tend the wonderful and much-admired gardens at Crowcombe Heathfield Station. Rodney Greenway writes:

Crowcombe Heathfield Station is looking for Gardeners for the coming season. Can you help? If you can help, contact volunteers@wsrail.net Other positions are available.

The Diesel and Electric Preservation Group (DEPG) have produced the latest release by WSRTV. The West Somerset Railway Association say:

Just published on the WSRTV channel is a superb video by the DEPG, showing the loading and departure of Class 47 no 47077 North Star on its long journey north to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. A must see!

The West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust were pleased to welcome 15 year old Mackenzie Lee as a short term volunteer, working alongside Trust steward volunteer Mel Hillman, in the Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard Station, as part of Mackenzie's Duke of Edinburgh (D of E) Bronze award. The Trust explain:

Mackenzie, a student of Bishop Fox's School in Taunton, was encouraged by teacher and D of E award manager, Miss Matthews, to take part in the scheme, and Mackenzie chose to volunteer on the West Somerset Railway, following in the steps of his grandparents and father, all of whom are long standing supporters of the WSR.

Asked if he would like to progress to the silver award once his bronze is complete, Mackenzie said 'I would like to, but it depends on time as I am starting at Richard Huish 6th Form College next year'.

We wish Mackenzie every success as he completes his bronze award.

The photo above shows Mackenzie leaning out of the window of the restored 1897 GWR Sleeping Car no 9038, one of only three ever built and proudly exhibited at the Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard Station.

The West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust have published two documents along with news of improved weatherproofing for three heritage coaches.

Documents relating to the Heritage Trust's AGM on 18 September 2021 can be found on the Trust's website - see button below for the link.

And the minutes of the recent Heritage Trust Board Meeting on 18 November 2021 can also be found on the Trust website - again see the button below for the link.

Meanwhile, half a dozen of the Heritage Carriages Project restorers went to Dunster on Thursday 13 January 2022 to repair damage to the coach covers done by 'Storm Arwen', replacing one coach cover and pulling other covers back into position. Additional ratchet straps have also been used to prevent any further movement.

Jeff Price, a Trustee of the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA), has provided an update on the Station Signs Project:

The first replica GWR (Bristol & Exeter Railway) station sign has been cast in iron by the Northfield Foundry, Brixham.

Two signs have been ordered for Dunster and a further three signs will be cast for Watchet following a reset of the pattern equipment.

The signs are eight feet long, eighteen inches deep and cast with a tee section border.

There are original signs of the same style at Williton, Washford and Dunster, and on that basis these new signs should last at least 145 years!

Once all signs have been cast and fettled, they will be sent to WSR's Minehead workshops for preparation to mount them on posts re-cycled from scrap bull head rail and painting by workshop volunteers.

When ready, the WSR Infrastructure Team will arrange installation with the volunteer station groups.

The new heritage signs are expected to speed up station work as passengers will be more informed as to where they are (they are mostly visitors after all) and de-train promptly at their intended destination.

The Station Signs Project has been managed by the WSRA who have sought funding for the pattern equipment plus 1 off Dunster and 1 off Watchet sign, further funding is being sought the additional signs plus the preparation and installation costs.

West Somerset Railway Association
The Railway Station, Bishops Lydeard TA4 3BX
01823 433856
info@wsra.org.uk
www.wsra.org.uk

The West Somerset Railway have provided an upbeat report to the Somerset County Gazette.

The West Somerset Railway, Britain’s longest heritage line, had a far better year in 2021 than forecast despite the ravages of Covid, and now looks to be on track for a full service this year.

Due to lockdowns and a late start to its timetable, officials had budgeted for a loss for last season of well over a quarter-of-a-million pounds which was reduced to £55,000.

A record-breaking month of Santa Specials and new Winterlights trains brought in around £271,000 and £204,000 was clear profit.

Company chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt said:

An incredible success. I must say a big thank you to all of our wonderful staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly for the railway during the past season.

Overall the income over the Christmas season has provided a lifeline for the WSR and should mean we can re-open for a full season this year with confidence. This has been achieved by an extremely hard-working team and means the business is healthy.

The company and its two supporting charities - the West Somerset Railway Association and the Heritage Trust - had agreed to put past difficulties aside to work much more closely together, he also said.

With the end of work on the new level crossing in Seaward Way, Minehead, training was underway for staff, and services should be back to normal in the Spring.

Mr Jones-Pratt also said they all are really looking forward to an exciting 2022.

The draft minutes of the Partnership Development Group meeting held via Zoom on Wednesday 8 December 2021 are now available. Click or tap the button below to download and read.

The West Somerset Steam Express series of trains from London Paddington to Minehead features haulage by two steam locomotives in one day. One steam locomotive will haul the train from London Paddington to the West Somerset Railway at Bishops Lydeard. The heritage railway will then provide a steam locomotive to haul the train to Minehead and back to Bishops Lydeard.

The Railway Touring Company will run the West Somerset Steam Express between London and Minehead on two dates - Saturday 23 July 2022 and Saturday 13 August 2022 - and both are expected to be hauled on the main line, and between Norton Fitzwarren Junction and Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway, by LMS 'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0 no 45596 Bahamas.

For more information and online booking on the Railway Touring Compnay website, please use the buttons below...

The folks from West Somerset Railway's Infrastructure Engineering posted the following report on their Facebook page:

For the first week of 2022 the Permanent Way Gang set their focus on the 20 panel relay at Marsh Commin, Alcombe, Minehead. Materials had already been placed at the site before Christmas.

Tuesday 4 January 2022 saw the Gang make a start, once the empty coaching stock moves had reached Minehead, possession of the line was taken and the breather switch at the Minehead end of the relay was cut and removed, it was then taken to the Dunster end of the site where it will be installed later.

Wednesday and Thursday saw the remaining track cut into six-sleeper panels, lifted out and placed onto a waiting engineers train then taken to Dunster to be sent away for scrap.

Friday saw the Gang remove any remaining scrap metal from the site and continue with any remaining prep work, ready for the ground work to start on Monday 10 January 2022 .

More pictures can be viewed on the Topical pictures page on this website or the Infrastructure Engineering's Facebook page.

The West Somerset Railway Plc have issued the following to staff:

We have been asked by the daughter of Derek Head to inform colleagues of his passing.

Derek was a Quantity Surveyor who assisted the Infrastructure department on various building projects and also volunteered on the cutting back gang. More recently Derek had been helping with the Station House project prior to Covid.

A card has been sent to Derek's family.

The Plc have kindly given permission to publish the above.