53809 and the Winter Steam Festival.

Ex-S&D class 7F no. 53809 has sadly failed with a valve problem and will not be able to participate in the Winter Steam Festival (WSF).

The repairs required are more than can be achieved in the time available before the WSF considering limited staff and material availability in the run up to Christmas and the New Year.

But luckily the DMU will be on hand to substitute, so the advertised WSF timetable remains unaffected. The DMU will take over the 0930 and 1330 Minehead departures, and the 1130 and 1530 Bishops Lydeard departures.

We apologise for any disappointment caused by the non-availability of 53809.