13. West Somerset Railway-12.08.80

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-1980 > 13. West Somerset Railway-12.08.80
As a Venture Scout helper on the 1st Bradford-on-Avon Scouts' camp, I spent a week in North Somerset near to Porlock. As one of our days out, we were taken to Minehead to enjoy the amusements, fish and chips followed by a walk on the prom. However, I opted for a trip on the West Somerset Railway to Crowcombe and back!
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Images 1-7 of 7 displayed.

2996, 11.05 Blue Anchor-Minehead, Blue Anchor station Bagnall 0-6-0 number 2996 'Victor' departs from Blue Anchor station with the return 11.05 to Minehead. I had just travelled to Blue Anchor on the outward working as the 10.35 ex Minehead. 2996 was built in 1951 (only twenty-nine years before this picture was taken) for the Steel Company of Wales plant at Port Talbot and looks a little out of place in an otherwise classically GW scene. Keywords: 2996 11.05 Blue Anchor-Minehead Blue Anchor station
Blue Anchor signal box (GWR, 1904) Blue Anchor signal box was closed by BR in 1971 when the closed the Minehead branch from Taunton in its entirety. However, like much of the line's infrastructure, it remained intact and is now part of the West Somerset Railway. The GW Type 7B box controls the signals and operations around the station including the manual wheel operated level crossing gates. It is not clear in this photograph but the seafront is directly behind the box with just a road separating them. Keywords: Blue Anchor signal box
Running-in sign, Blue Anchor station I am not sure if this rather grand and typically styled Great Western running-in sign is the genuine article or if it is a reproduction. Given that the station was only closed by BR nine years prior to this photograph was taken it could well be original. Can anybody advise? Keywords: Running-in sign Blue Anchor station
Class 103 DMU, W56169 & W50414, 11.55 Watchet-Minehead, Watchet station A Park Royal Class 103 DMU made up of DTCL W56169 and DMBS W50414 pauses at Watchet station. I have just alighted from this train that had worked the 11.25 from Minehead and had terminated here at Watchet. Once the crew have changed ends it will then work the 11.55 return working. Of the two cars making up this DMU W50414 remains in operation on the West Somerset Railway whilst the other is currently undergoing a long restoration at the Helston Railway in Cornwall. There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see..https://youtu.be/eCT7OtEH7mc Keywords: Class 103 DMU W56169 W50414 11.55 Watchet-Minehead Watchet station
Class 103 DMU, W56169 & W50414, 12.30 Minehead-Crowcombe & ex Pullman E329 Crowcombe station The crowds alight on Crowcombe station from the terminating 12.30 service from Minehead. The train has been worked by a two-car Park Royal DMU made up of M56169 and M50414 that I had travelled on from Watchet. Sitting on the adjacent platform here at Crowcombe is former BR Pullman First class parlour car number E329. This Metro-Cammell coach was built in 1962 and arrived on the WSM a year prior to this photograph being taken in 1979 staying until 1983. I am not sure of it whereabouts now or even if it still exists; advice anybody? There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see..https://youtu.be/eCT7OtEH7mc Keywords: Class 103 DMU W56169 W50414 12.30 Minehead-Crowcombe & ex Pullman E329 Crowcombe station WSR West Somerset Railway
2996, 14.35 Minehead-Wiliton, Blue Anchor ST024433 Bagnall 0-6-0 2996 'Victor' leaves Blue Anchor with the 14.35 Minehead to Williton service. To get to this position I left the station and entered the Hoburne holiday park to then clamber over their fence. 2996 arrived on the WSR in 1976 after completing its commercial working life in SouthnWales and at Austin's Longbridge car plant in Birmingham. After covering twenty-four thousand miles it left the WSR in 1988 moving to various heritage lines including the Strathspey Railway, GCR(N), the Battlefield Line and now resides at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway after receiving an overhaul in 2015. There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/b54VtmJG-W8 Keywords: 2996 14.35 Minehead-Williton Blue Anchor ST024433 Victor WSR West Somerset Railway
Ticket My rover ticket for the day on the WSR. I am not at all sure if these were the trains that I had to travel on if I had more free-range. My notes indicate that things went a little wrong as the Class 108 DMU failed near to Crowcombe with an overheated engine on one of the power cars. It had to continue the rest of the journey with just one engine in operation. Keywords: WSR West Somerset Railway

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