West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Sorry to dig up an old post, but It'd seem to have been a Roper hot air engine, (arguably an internal combustion engine).Roper the Inventor was also possibly the first ever person to die on a motorbike!

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co208033/hot-air-engine this possibly be an identical one taken from Weston Old Junction. Built by Fox, Walker and Co of Bristol. It was displayed on the platform at Newton Abbot after being replaced. Although given how little information there is about the item on the webpage, it could be unrelated, but it seems to fit what was mentioned in the GWR magazine in the 1920s.

 

I don't think the water was ever taken directly from the steam. There is a well under where the water tower was and I am sure the water was pumped from the well.
Ian

 

Flying Scotsman and support coach have safely arrived at the WSR from Didcot. [BJ]

 

The farmer who blocked the line with a mudslide has been prosecuted

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/david-mitchell-convicted-for-covering-road-with-potatoes-and-silt

https://www.somersetcountygazette.c...-james-mitchell-sentenced-pollution-offences/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2j5njy81zo

 

I note that he was charged with polluting the river. There was also much mention of the blockage of the road. Yet I can see little if any mention of damage to, and blockage of, the railway.

 

These reports are of a criminal case. If there are also civil cases, e.g. compensation claims for the damage & disruption, these might've been or might yet be settled out of court.

 

I noted that the farmer was said to have already paid out for remediation and compensation, prior to the court case.

 

Indeed, the report is primarily of what the EA have said, and where the criminal liability lay - note the emphasis on the soil in the river. What's slightly disappointing, given that the timing of this hearing was probably known and the reporting is a cut & paste of press releases, is that the WSR seemingly didn't have their own release available, with a useful picture, welcoming the enforcement action and making clear that the impacts go wider than just the criminal liability.

 

I see mention of the son, also involved.

"Reading between the lines" it appears that the son may have been in charge on the ground, and cocked up.
But the father accepted responsibility because he was in overall charge.

 

Then again, the railway might currently have good relationship with the farmer or the landowner, and wish to remain on good terms.

 

Does anyone know how well the passenger loadings are going for the Flying Scotsman visit? From the webcam the weekend was busy.

 

I went on Monday 30 June as w/e trains sold out on WSR website.

FS chimney first on the 15.00 Bishops Lydeard - Minehead, with Erlestoke Manor on the 17.00 return. About third-half full.

14.30 from Bishops Lydeard with the Manor out and FS back was noticeably busier.

When will FS get turned, i.e. will there be some chimney-first runs out of Minehead?

 

Interesting to see the WSR have hired security stewards for some crossings along the line!

 

It will be a condition of the contract. If you host FS you have to do a security review and decide where it is needed before you can host. Any public level crossings would be high up the risk register, especially the unmanned ones.

 

I don't think so, unless it gets turned on the Norton Fitzwarren triangle, as it won't fit on the turntable at Minehead.

Dave B

 

Let's hope that they understand what a crossing is and how they should be operated, unlike last time around.

 

Disappointingly the evening service today has a class 33 on the back doing almost all the work, Scotsman relegated to whistling & blowing off

Daytime trains with same stock were unassisted, so any argument that this is a fire risk measure doesn't hold up

Railway should have offered a ticket swap to the half empty daytime trains knowing the evening train would be diesel assisted

I could have come on a normal day for much less cost if I'd wanted 33 haulage

I like the WSR and visit 5 or 6 days a year but this leaves a bad taste and a feeling of being ripped off, I doubt I will visit again this year because of this

 

That will be your loss when you consider the reintroduced Autumn Steam Event in mid October (guests to be announced) or any of the steam worked services once the countyside is no longer tinder dry. I get your frustration and hope that you will reconsider but I hope you will agree that multiple lineside fires do not endear the railway to adjacent landowners or the over stretched fire brigade.
Extra means of reducing the fire risk but working a steam services are being actively investigated.

 

It could simply be that it's risker for the last train of the day to be steam hauled than any others, because most of the day something will be along later on to spot a fire before it gets totally out of hand.

 

Plausible, but the railway should have informed the passengers that was to be the case, and offered either a trip on one of the unassisted trains or a refund

£70 for a round trip on a Class 33 is an unacceptable ripoff

Even worse, for the return the locos are together at the front of the train, no chance of hearing the slightest noise from Scotsman