West Somerset Railway General Discussion

The pump was housed in the windowed building created by the brick tank support structure.

Robin

 

Perhaps not the Doniford Stream, though. The stream next to the former water tower, and also bridged by the railway at that point, comes down from Monksilver. Geographer's pedantry ;-)

Steve

 

At Robin White's suggestion I have scanned and uploaded a file, for general information. [Taunton Ril Link pdf]
I had to take the poster down, take it home, scan it, and take it back. [Having a conscience of sorts.]
The local Chamber of Commerce in Minehead are touting for support in their wish to re-open the WSR to commuter a timetables through traffic. Not sure who they think is going to pick up the bill !

David Beach

 

At Robin's suggestion I have scanned in and posted a file, being the A4 poster placed locally in Minehead advertising the COC campaign to re-open the WSR to timetabled services off the main network. Its on the NP WSR [general gossip] site.
David Beach

 

OK, I guess my question should have been "what powered the pump?" It's probably a question that 100 years ago would have semed so trivial as not to even be worth asking, but it made me think that (generically) I don't know the answer. I can think of one water tower (drawing from a very deep well) that had a separate boiler house and chimney to provide steam to a steam pump; but several others I know that don't have a separate chimney. So did they have steam pumps or some other motive power; and if steam, did they have on-site boilers, or draw a supply of steam periodically from a locomotive sent out forthat purpose? Or would they have had some other form of engine, for example, a gas-producer engine?

At a large MPD or station I can imagine the resource of having a boiler (which requires regular attendance) would be worth it given the demand, but I was wondering what went on at smaller wayside-stations with water towers, which may have had a demand of only a few thousand gallons per day.

Tom

 

I have taken a look at Ian Coleby's line history. The tower was built in 1883, was there in 1961 but gone by 1968. Its capacity was 14601 gallons but the history does not identify the pump power. I would assume that it was steam in 1883 but became electric before closure.

Robin

 

However, it is a tributary of the Donniford Stream and it seems to be known locally, albeit wrongly, as that. Local knowledge pedantry!

 

Actually it isn't 'cos I can't find the WSR [general gossip] site and ended up posting it somewhere totally different. So I'll post it here anyway.

David B

 

Does it actually need a pump? If you took a reasonable diameter pipe out of the Doniford Stream (I do mean the Doniford Stream) at Doniford Stream Bridge (mileage 177-3) or possibly a bit further up, you would have enough fall in the pipe to keep the tank replenished.

Frank

 

The land is far too flat around there for this to work, so the pipe will have to be very long to make this work. Might likely work if the pipe ran all the way to Doniford Stream Bridge along the side of the track bed.

 

The arrangement at Williton was a circular well the London side of the tower (the well is still there) and a pump.

Robin

 

ROTFLOL! Thanks for that. How exactly does he think a Minehead-Taunton Journey time of "Well under an hour" will be achieved?

The link you wanted is this


https://www.national-preservation.c...bility-of-extending-to-taunton.541153/page-10

 

Thanks. Thats a 'site' i was unaware of! Duly re-posted thereupon.

 

The stream that runs next to the signal box at Williton, which the new turnout is crossing via the new bridge, is the Monksilver Stream. It is refered to as such in any flood warnings and is on the local flood plan. It joins the Doniford Stream a few hundred yards further on.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

 

hydraulic ram?

 

The WSRA Company Secretary's husband knows a thing or two about those cunning bits of kit, I understand.

 

That is the system the VoR used successfully at Aberffrwd for many years.

 

Thanks for confirming my earlier post. I've since heard from a (very) local resident who also confirms my earlier post.

Steve

 

Now is the time, with the loop extension to make sure we get the name of the new bridge right.