"Welcome ye friends of progress!"   The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust History • Education • Preservation   The Trust • The Sleeping Car • Heritage Carriages Project • The Museum • Publications • More... Latest News Tuesday 12 January 2010 GWR Toplight no 3639 Claire Sheppy writes: Chris Van den Arend is convening a meeting of interested parties to be held at the Williton Refreshment Room, at 2.30 pm on Sunday 24th January, (weather permitting, we will contact everyone again by email if the meeting has to be postponed due to the weather) to discuss how to make further progress with Toplight 3639. We now have a joiner interested in helping us to take this project forward, and the purpose of the meeting will be mainly to explore how further progress can be made. Several people have already confirmed that they will endeavour to be at the meeting, at which we shall voice our own, and listen to and debate other suggestions as to how best to proceed. Thus we have a small nucleus of volunteers, but would like to hear from anyone who would be prepared to come along and assist, even on an occasional basis. And if you can come to the meeting too, we will be pleased to welcome you." Latest News Saturday 28 November 2009 News about No 6705 Claire Sheppy writes: The job, as is the way with these things, is getting bigger in that the main timbers above the solebars are in worse condition than was thought and one will have to be replaced completely, and the other for most of its length. Walt Denning reports that the metal brackets that hold the solebar to the uprights are currently being cut away. The two photographs (taken by Walt Denning) show the coach end with corridor connection removed (same at both ends) and the corridor side with main solebar removed." © Walt Denning © Walt Denning Latest News Thursday 12 November 2009 Heritage Carriages Project update Claire Sheppy writes: More than most people will realise, has happened at the Williton former concrete works site, since we first took delivery of the drawing board, donated courtesy of IBM at Hursley, Hants, Steve Richardson, who co-ordinated things, and the Hawkins family who arranged to transport the board, last March. For a start, all of the three manholes, (two for foul sewers and one for a water main, ) have been raised to allow for the raising of the dip in the ground to the North West of the Swindon shed, right where it is hoped to bring in the two new sidings. Secondly, the far (North Western ) corner of the site has been cleared of grass, scrub and topsoil and the area topped off with scalpings, which tidied up that corner considerably and presented a more suitable base for the arrival of another coach. Thirdly, all of the Statutory Bodies (ie gas, electricity, telephones, water mains and sewers) have been approached and have supplied records of their various services either across or on the edge of the site, this information has been transferred to one drawing , which also contained all of the spot levels around the site. (I say contained because some of these levels are already out of date due the raising of the level in the North East corner of the site.) The relevance of all of this was that it was all necessary preparation work for the fact that for the time being (other than the work being caried out at Crewe), the Williton concrete works site will be the centre for such renovation work as can be carried out at present, further work depends very much on more volunteers coming forward, to assist in the work. Fourthly, a further coach has now arrived at Williton. This coach has come from Tintern, in the Wye Valley. It is a Collett era Gangwayed flat ended Third, built to diagram C67, lot 1509, completed on 28-2-35, and numbered 5856. This coach is by all early inspections, in a considerably better condition than some of the coaches already at Williton. And finally….. Wanted: One or more Joiners who are interested in Railway restoration and would like to become an essential part of this fascinating project. Bear in mind that these coaches are either already or are approaching 100 years old, and that if they are left to disintegrate, a very essential part of our railway heritage will have gone for ever. "  © West Somerset Steam Railway Trust  • No 6705  • Previous News    From 2009    From 2008    From 2006 and 2007  • Pictures    Proposed Museum/Carriage Shed    Artists impression of the future...    No 6705 moves from USA to UK...    GWR Toplight CK No 7740...  • The Project Team Ian Coleby Chairman and Project Leader Chris Dowrick Trust rep David Holmes WSRA rep Don Bishop WSRA rep Mark Smith WSR Plc rep Roger Lizars WSR Plc rep