Some very good news to update last week’s post as James Pearson has passed through the preliminary rounds in the HRA competition and is now going forward to the final round to be held in Birmingham on February 8th, 2020. Tracker Tom Shaw who volunteers in the shop and café at Bishops Lydeard has also…

The Trust has just published issue No 13 of the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust Newsletter for December 2019. Available as a PDF document here and of course on the Newsletters page.

The Steam Trust is delighted to be able to recognise the generosity of Jeremy Hooper who has donated £20,000 through the Trust to this year’s WSR Track Appeal. With Gift Aid, this takes the donation to £25,000. Mr Hooper, who lives in West Sussex, has been thanked by Chris Austin, Trust Chairman, for his contribution….

Jon Jones-Pratt, Chairman of WSR Plc, has issued an end of season message: It is the time of the year when we start looking forward to the winter festivities. For many of us that means a few days pause between the end of our main scheduled services and the Christmas Programme. But not forall, and…

The Minutes of the Trust’s Board Meeting of 14 November 2019 have been published. Click here to open the document. A link can also be found on the Documents page.

James Pearson has been nominated by the Steam Trust Board as our young representative for this year’s Lord Faulkner Award hosted by the HRA for ‘significant achievement’ to Heritage Railways by a young person under the age of 26. Joining the Gauge Junction team in January 2016, James quickly discovered his talent for scenic creation…

Another fascinating acquisition for the Gauge Museum, provided by our friends at Taunton station. A set of GWR letter boxes from Taunton station is now safely preserved in the Gauge Museum.  Beautifully made, they were part of the internal mail system run by GWR and later BR, which closed on completion of privatisation in 1997.

Work on museum refurbishment has revealed the two goods shed doors at the Minehead end of the shed.  These allowed unloaded wagons to be staged through to a short holding siding (where the Taunton Model Railway Group is today) to allow other wagons to be brought into the shed The doors will be a feature…

On 19 November 2019, during a meeting of the Museum HLF Project Group, our Trust Chairman Chris Austin presented a certificate awarded by the British Museum, Marsh Award to Trust member Matthew Sutton for his ‘highly commended voluntary contribution to ‘Museum Learning’. Matthew is a Senior operator and Training Officer at Gauge Junction as well…

Would you like to help the Steam Trust to develop its education and learning programme through our National Lottery Heritage Fund Project? If so, come and be a Learning Assistant! The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust was successful in 2018 in obtaining a £40,000 grant from the Heritage Fund with two main objectives: firstly, to…

The West Somerset Railway Association and West Somerset Steam Railway Trust’s ‘Rail Renewal’ appeal is now over the £75,000 mark and so 30% of the hoped-for total of £250,000 by 31 December for the next round of infrastructure works, so it could easily achieve a figure close to that target with gift aid by then,…

In the Gauge Museum we put together and labelled some parcels and loaded them on the train to recreate the railway scene of the 1950s and 60s during the Gala. Here, Leading Porter Blazdell take a break from his duties as museum steward to load luggage in advance, newspapers and a parcel onto the 14.45…

This weekend come along to the Gauge Museum on Platform One at Bishops Lydeard and try out our brand-new Gala Goods Trail. The museum is in the old goods shed and we tell its story with a secret code to crack as you go around. Successful code breakers win a certificate. Taunton – Bishops Lydeard…

News of a ‘Steam and Scream Spooktacular’ at Watchet – a community event at Watchet Station and Watchet Esplanade – wickedly wonderful Halloween fun during half term week at the West Somerset Railway! The event runs from Tuesday 29 October to Thursday 31 October 2019 from 6pm to 10pm with the Steam and Scream Ghost…

The Draft Minutes of the meeting of the Trustees held on 3 September 2019 are now available to download.

The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust (Steam Trust) is looking for a Curator to look after it’s Museum at Blue Anchor. The person would be responsible for the overseeing, direction, co operation and management of the Museum at Blue Anchor. The Museum is usually open on Sundays, Bank Holidays and Galas between April and October….

Chris Austin, Chairman of the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust, who has been leading the Taunton shuttle project on behalf of WSR Plc, has provided a summary of the latest data collected on Saturday 31 August. Shuttle passengers returned 100 survey forms – an even bigger sample of forms than received on previous weekends. Analysis…

The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Williams as its first Vice Chairman. Steve will combine this role with his existing responsibilities as Company Secretary, in leading on implementation of the Trust’s Business Plan and as project lead for the Gauge Museum project with its £40,000 contribution from…

The WSRA Steam & Vintage Rally 2019 was held at Norton Fitzwarren over the weekend of 03/04 August. The Trust exhibited its Sleeping Car 9038 and Toplight Carriage no. 6705, both vehicles looking resplendent in the summer sunshine. 9038 was one of three Sleeping Cars introduced by the GWR in 1897 to carry First Class…

23 July 2019 This coming weekend, the new Saturdays-only GWR Summer shuttle service trains starts on Saturday July 27 and will then continue through August and into the autumn on selected dates forming a timetabled link between the national rail network at Taunton station and the West Somerset Railway (WSR), one of Somerset’s top tourist…

The Draft Minutes of the meeting of the Trustees held on 11 July 2019 are now available to download.

The Trust have published Newsletter no 12

GWR Shuttles to West Somerset Railway details are announced on 08 July 2019 Saturday trains starting on July 27 and through August and into the autumn form the basis of the new GWR summer shuttle service linking the national rail network at Taunton station and the West Somerset Railway, one of Somerset’s top tourist attractions….

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People still wishing to order the Trust’s new 40th anniversary ‘Tales of the WSR’ book by mail order from either the Minehead or Bishops Lydeard shops are advised that the earlier postage rate was incorrect and the new rate to purchase the book including postage and packaging is £11.50.

The Minutes of the Board Meeting held on 22 May 2019 have been published. See the Documents page or follow this link. These were approved as a correct record with one amendment to Minute 311: “The railway will be closed for possession purposes between Watchet and Minehead from October 2019 until March 2020 to undertake…

The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust (WSSRT) has published a new 40th Anniversary book chronicling some personal memories and momentous events of the last four decades. The WSSRT hosted a book signing to launch the new book on the evening of Friday 7 June in the Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard. Despite the pouring rain…

Over the weekend of 8th and 9th June, the West Somerset Railway (WSR) will be holding a special 40th anniversary Event to mark it becoming England’s longest heritage railway forty years ago in 1979.  As Quantock Brewery is one of the closest businesses to Bishops Lydeard station, Quantock have brewed an exclusive new beer to mark this special occasion….

A letter to WSR shareholders invites purchase of new shares for the Rail Renewal Project and also invites donations via the Association or the Trust. Unfortunately the e-mail address given for the Trust Treasurer is wrong and should read fraserdon1@live.co.uk Thanks.

New book launched by West Somerset Steam Railway Trust recounting personal recollections from some of those stalwarts who helped rebuild the railway over the last 40 years. When the former British Rail closed the once-bustling former Great Western Railway 25-mile branch line to Minehead from Taunton in 1971, a local businessman and railway enthusiasts simply…

The West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) and West Somerset Steam Railway Trust (WSSRT) has just launched an ambitious £250,000 fundraising campaign to assist the West Somerset Railway plc (WSR plc) in urgently raising funds for the WSR’s planned track relays over the winter months of 2019. All of the WSR’s track is currently in the…

How would you like to be a Trustee for a small, friendly and vibrant Charity? The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust (Steam Trust) is looking to co-opt to additional Trustees to its Board. One of the Trustee positions will take a lead on volunteer development whilst the other will initially be a generic Trustee role…

The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust is a small charity working in support of the West Somerset Railway. The Trust currently has 83 members and around 40 volunteers with a regular annual income of around £20,000. It is principally dependent on subscriptions and donations (many paid by standing order) to support the work of the…

The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust were involved in the ‘Somerset Day’ celebrations at Bishops Lydeard Station on 11 May 2019. Don Fraser took a few pictures…

The Trust have published the Minutes of the meeting of Board of Trustees held on Wednesday 24th April 2019 at 10am in the Meeting Room, Bishops Lydeard Station. The document includes a full note of a session with the PLC Chairman, Jon Jones Pratt.

Directors of the WSR, WSSRT and WSRA gather together following a meeting on Saturday 4 May 2019 at Bishops Lydeard Village Hall where they discussed future fundraising and volunteering.

During a very productive meeting between the WSSRT Trustees and the WSR PLC chairman on 24 April, the Trust Chairman, Chris Austin handed the PLC chairman, Jon Jones-Pratt, a cheque for £5,000 as a contribution from the Trust towards the rail replacements at Blue Anchor.

The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust’s Museum at Blue Anchor will not be open during the present period as all trains and passengers are currently using the Up line through Blue Anchor Station. This is due to the ongoing repairs to the down line. Further information on the museums opening times will be made available…

Are you perhaps a young railway modeller who is looking forward to enjoying the hobby with others? If so, why not come and join our operating team at Gauge Junction. Our medium sized 00-gauge analogue controlled model railway can be located on the upper floor of the Gauge Museum on platform 1 at Bishops Lydeard…

If you are visiting Bishops Lydeard on Somerset Day this year, don’t forget to join us in the Gauge Museum on Platform One for some family fun! Based around the concept of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) we are planning to offer a range of exciting activities to help you learn more about…

Regular train services on the West Somerset Railway are a step closer after a scheme to trial weekend shuttles between Taunton and Bishops Lydeard has been awarded funding from Great Western Railway. Designed to help boost the local economy, GWR invited bids from its Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF) last Summer, and on 16…

Easter holiday weekend will soon be here and if you plan to visit the railway at the weekend, why not pay us a visit at Gauge Junction?  We are situated on the upper floor of the Gauge museum on platform 1 at Bishops Lydeard station and will be open every day from Wednesday 17th until…

The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust is moving forward with the planning of the Gauge Museum Project and is starting to look at the various tasks that are to be carried out during this coming November and the beginning of next year. It is the first time for many years there is an opportunity to…

The trains aren’t the only thing up and running on the West Somerset Railway. This week local schools were sent their first look at the new learning offer due to launch at the Gauge Museum, Bishops Lydeard later this year. Providing opportunities to explore local and national History, the programme also includes exciting links to…

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Trust Recruits New Learning Assistants As part of our development of the Learning Offer for the Gauge Museum Project, the Trust is recruiting to the new role of Learning Assistant. Learning Assistants will work with Helen Anson in the implementation of the Learning Offer to schools, children and family visitors. We are looking for people…