West Somerset Railway Latest News

West Somerset Railway Latest News
New Stationmasters at Crowcombe Heathfield and Dunster
		The West Somerset Railway is pleased to annouce the appointment of two new stationmasters at Crowcombe Heathfield and Dunster. At Crowcombe Heathfield the joint stationmasters, Walter Harris and Mike Hodge, have decided to retire after thirty five years at the station and they will be replaced by Ted Cubbitt who has been volunteering at the station for almost as long. At Dunster Chris Dowrick has stepped down along with his twin brother Colin and they will be succeeded by Roy Dunglison. We wish both stationmaster all the best in their new posts.
Added 2nd February 2010
Volunteer Liaison Meeting
A volunteer liaison meeting has been scheduled for Saturday 13th March 2010 at Bishops Lydeard Primary School at 15:00. This meeting has been organised to allow the volunteers of the railway to come along and talk to the managers of both the Railway company and and the the Association. Parking for the event will be in the school playground accessed via Quantock Road Primary School. Added 25th January 2010
Valentines Day Cream Tea
		Come and celebrate Valentine’s Day with your loved one on the West Somerset Railway. On 14th January the Railway is running an all steam service and on the 1605 service from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard, cream teas will be served to travellers who have pre-booked the £4.40 tea. This is in addition to the normal fare which is £14.80 for an adult rover, £13.60 for anyone 60 or over and £7.40 for a child aged 5 to 15.
Book early as the number of cream teas available has to be limited and will be sold on a first come – first served basis. Contact 01643 704996 to pre-book your combined ticket. The Combined fares are: Adult £19.20 Senior £18.00 Child £11.80 You can download the booking form by clicking here. Added 14th January 2010
92212 to Visit at Spring Steam Gala
		British Railways Standard class 9F number 92212 is the latest engine to be confirm as attending the Spring Steam Gala, on the 20th and 21st and the 25th to the 28th March, courtesy of the Mid Hants Railway. This will mean that for the first time two 9F's will be in operation over the line. 92212 was one of the last 9Fs to be built at Swindon in September 1959 and was allocated to the Somerset and Dorset route meaning the locomotive has a strong local connection.
Tickets for the Spring Steam Gala are already on sale and you can call 01643 704996 and as of the 15th January tickets will be available online via ticketsweb and this can be accessed by clicking the link below Added 14th January 2010
A Chance To See The West Somerset Mineral Lines Displays In Watchet Museum During The Spring Gala
		If you have an interest in the former West Somerset Mineral Railway and are coming to the Spring Steam Gala there is some good news. The Town Museum in Watchet has some interesting pictures, displays and models relating to the WSMR and it will be opening specially for the weekends of the Spring Gala on the 20th and 21st and the 27th and 28th between 10.30 and 16.30.
The Museum is approximately five minutes walk from the station at the edge of the harbour and conveniently close to pubs and cafes. Worth a visit if you are interested in the Mineral Line and in the history of this ancient harbour town generally. And don’t forget our own guided coach tour along the route of the WSMR on March 22nd. For more information o these services please click here Added 13th January 2010
2009 Was the Record Year for Passenger Figures in WSR’s History
		2009 concluded on a happy note for the volunteers and staff of the West Somerset Railway as the WSR was able to confirm that the previous 12 months had been the busiest in the 33 year history of the line. “We had already inched ahead of the previous record of 213,000 set in 2007 by the end of November” said WSR General Manager Paul Conibeare, “and our pre-Christmas festive trains such as the Santa ones were also very successful
despite our passengers and workforce being confronted with some less than wonderful weather from the start of the second half of the month. The poor conditions continued also for our operations between December 27th and December 31st but we were still able to welcome a good number of travellers and visitors and overall our final total reached 226,737. Not merely does that beat our 2008 total by almost 23,000 but to put it into a longer term perspective means we are carrying 70,000 passengers per annum more that was the case a decade ago.” The Railway will next be running passenger trains in February during the half-term holidays but in the few weeks in between there will be much engineering activity along the line and in the workshops whilst the office staff will be sending out mailshots and other information as the WSR looks to further build on its success into the future. Mr Conibeare explained. “Although we are delighted to have set a new record trading conditions for the year ahead look likely to remain difficult and we will have to work hard to maintain progress for the future. Our Commercial Department attends its first Travel Trade Show of the Year at Alexandra Palace in a couple of week’s time and we are also looking forward to another successful Spring Steam Gala over the two weekends at the end of March. We are very much a 12 months a year business and activity along the Railway never stops.” Added 12th January 2010