"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... Heritage Carriages Project News Monday 8 December 2008 Claire Sheppy writes... Sponsored Walk First of all, a reminder that if you walked on the sponsored walk on November 16th, and you have not already done so, you need to send your sponsorship money to either Mike Wheeler or John Pearce by the 30th of January 2009. Williton Work Parties December 20th at Williton from 10:30am till 4:30pm. January 17th at Williton from 10:30am until 4:30pm. January 31st at Williton from 10:30am until 4:30pm. I would also like to thank several of you who travel some considerable distance to attend work parties. Currently we have people travelling in from the Salisbury area and also from the Okehampton area from time to time as and when they are able to make it. We do appreciate that this makes a round trip of 150 miles or more for you, and it is with this in mind that we have targeted the work parties for the dates that we have chosen, in order to tie in with the two events mentioned above. With regard to the work party on December 20th, although both David Stockwell and I intend to be there that day, if you have to choose between coming on December 20th and one of the January ones, can I please suggest that you opt for one of the January dates for two reasons, (1) the fact that it is only five days before Christmas Day and (2) that December 20th is only one day off the shortest day of the year, and even by January 17th we shall see a significantly longer amount of daylight. Trip to Swindon & Cricklade Subject to the agreement of The Toplight Group team we hope to make a visit to the Swindon and Cricklade Railway on Sunday January 18th, 2009, in order to have a look at the work that they have carried out on their Toplight carriage, which Carriage is very similar to the Toplight coach No. 3639 that we are currently working on in Williton works. Reminder about the Update Meeting... I will also take this opportunity to remind you about the Heritage carriages project update meeting to be held om the 31st January at the Ruishton Inn at 6:30pm. You can find further information about this important meeting elsewhere on this website and also on the WSR org website. This is an opportunity for people to voice any thoughts that anyone may have as to the way the work is to be progressed from here. And thanks to the Dowricks... Finally, Many thanks to the Dowrick family for once more organising the WSSRT Heritage Carriages Group Christmas dinner, held on 7th December 2008. This was once again a very pleasant occasion, emphasising that there is a social side to the Heritage Carriages project, and that it is not all just work. This just leaves me to wish everyone who has supported the Heritage coaches project, both in the past and currently in any way, a very happy Christmas, and that we look forward to seeing some of you at least on and around the railway during the Winter Steam Festival to be held on 28th and 29th December. Please note however that Williton Works will NOT be open to visitors on either of these two days, so 3639 will not be available to be seen by visitors during them." Heritage Carriages Project News Monday 24 November 2008 Heritage Carriages Project Update Meeting The Heritage Carriages Project is making great progress, and all interested folks are cordially invited to an Update meeting at the Ruishton Inn, Ruishton near Taunton on Saturday 31 January 2009, starting at 6.30pm. There will be a presentation by Project Leader Robin White and other members of the team, followed by a discussion of the next steps. A cold buffet will be available, price £5, for those who would like to eat as well as listen. If you require food, please e-mail the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust at mailto:info@wssrt.co.uk or write to the Trust at Williton Station by a week before. A Date for your Diary On Saturday 28 March 2009 (the second Saturday of the Spring Gala) the West Somerset Steam Trust will be holding a film night at Crowcombe village hall in aid of the Heritage Carriages Project. The Bar will be open from 6.30 and at 7.30 we will be showing the classic film "The Train" with Burt Lancaster. Made in 1964 with full co-operation of French Railways, the film shows the theft of France’s art treasures being foiled by French Railwaymen, led by Burt Lancaster. It includes unforgettable sequences including a train being driven through an air raid and a real train crash including several SNCF locomotives. It does also include Burt Lancaster, Jeanne Moreau, Paul Scofield and Wolfgang Preiss Tickets will be available from Blue Anchor Station House, Blue Anchor, Somerset TA24 6LB from 1st January 2009 at £7.50 for adults and £5 for children (aged 14 and under). Cheques payable to "WSSRT". Please include an SAE for return of your tickets. Please note, there are ONLY 120 tickets available, so book early to avoid disappointment. It should be a great evening. Remember, all proceeds will go to the Heritage Carriages Project! Heritage Carriages Project News Tuesday 18 November 2008 Claire Sheppy writes... News on Nos 3631, 3639 and 5929 Working party dates scheduled for December will be: 6th December from 10.30am to 4.30pm, and 20th December from 10.30am until 4.30pm. Also as a reminder, there will also be a working party on November 29th.(All at Williton) We can ALWAYS make use of volunteer assistance. The project is starting to get really interesting now. Many of the coaches for the two sets are now somewhere or other along the line of the West Somerset Railway. But, other than to try to protect the other coaches from deteriorating any further than they have so far, we intend to concentrate our energies on 3639 for the time being. If you would like to get involved but have to travel any distance, please get in touch with me via the WSSRT email address info@wssrt.co.uk because I might be able to put you in contact with someone with whom you could share transport. News on the coaches at Williton is as follows... Toplight coach No 3631 Currently sitting in the former concrete works at Williton, where it remains in a very wet condition. It still contains quite a large amount of cutlery and crockery, much of it not matching anything else within the coach, (that is they are mostly oddments); if anyone could make use of these to provide even a small source of income for the W S S R T, I would like to hear from you. Otherwise it will just have to be thrown out. Toplight coach No 3639 The shaped timber for both of the corner posts, (which I am reliably informed the Great Western Railway called corner pillars) and the first pair of door posts, plus two long lengths of timber for the new sole plates have now arrived on site, and are currently sitting on one of the work benches in the Swindon shed awaiting preparation of the joints. Additionally, Andy Forster in his role as CME of the West Somerset Railway plc has now examined the underframe of 3639, and has made a number of recommendations. Collett coach No 5929 Currently sitting in the former concrete works at Williton: Whilst he was visiting Williton, I took the opportunity of asking Andy Forster to have a look at the underframe of 5929 as well. Those of you who follow the news on the websites will be aware that the coach has been cut in half at some stage, and that has included cutting the underframe in two. It has consequently had to be rejoined, and Andy Forster has advised me that a more permanent repair of the underframe should not pose too great a problem. I have also started to take measurements of this coach in order to prepare some working drawings to assist with its restoration, and will start drawing up the survey shortly. Heritage Carriages Project News Tuesday 28 October 2008 Claire Sheppy writes... Toplight no 3639 Dates for the next three Toplight 3639 working parties are as follows: Saturday 1st November 10:30am until 4:30pm Saturday 15th November, 10:30am until 4:30pm Saturday 29th November 10:30am until 4:30pm On Saturday 15th November we hope to have Andrew Forster of the West Somerset Railway plc come to visit us, to give us some advice on what is required next to be done with regard to the underframe. Toplight no 3631 Now currently standing in the former concrete works adjacent to the Swindon (Tarmac) shed at Williton, it has seen its first work party, held on Saturday 25th October. The work, which was carried out by Mike and Jennie Dunse, Simon Tandy and myself, and assisted for a short while by Robin White, fresh from his Watchet station presentations, consisted entirely of stripping out all of the interior fittings that had been installed either as part of its life as a camping coach, or of its life as volunteer accommodation whilst at the South Devon Railway. In fact the coach had become seriously wet, especially on the floor areas, and the most important work carried out has been the removal of all of the carpeting from within the coach. [pictures] However to get at this it was first necessary to remove a fair amount of furniture, with much good burnable wood being placed on the woodpile, to be used no doubt for lighting up locomotives. This leaves the coach with a much better chance of drying out considerably before it is tarpaulined over, however there is just one more job that needs to be carried out before this happens, which is to board up the two windows which are currently without glass in them. In the meantime I hope to be able to open the coach up for a few hours on the Saturdays when the weather is dry and when I am at Williton on a 3639 working party, in order to let some air circulate through the coach to aid the drying process. This work is fairly urgent as the coach is going to be tarpaulined over, which once done, will assist the coach to dry out more completely. Heritage Carriages Project News Monday 20 October 2008 Help needed to clear out Toplight no 3631 Claire Sheppy writes... As you may be aware, Toplight No 3631 has now arrived at Williton and is currently sitting in the former concrete works area. At present it is filled with a certain amount of furniture and carpeting, all of which in due course needs to be removed. The most urgent items are the items which are causing damage as a result of being wet themselves, such as the carpet. As a result I am asking for some volunteers to give an hour or so of your time on the Saturday of the Somerset in Autumn weekend, (this coming Saturday 25th October) in order for us to empty the coach of these items before they cause any further damage to the woodwork of the coach. The plan is to remove and dispose of some of these items. Please contact me via the WSSRT email address (info @wssrt.co.uk) if you can give an hour of your time during your visit Somerset in Autumn. (or are prepared to come especially to do this.) Ideally I would like us to start this at about 11 am. This work is fairly urgent as the coach is going to be tarpaulined over, which once done, will assist the coach to dry out more completely. Heritage Carriages Project News Saturday 18 October 2008 A long day at Williton working on No 3639. Claire Sheppy writes... Toplight no 3631 has arrived at Williton from the South Devon Railway - [Picture]. Known to some as Florence, and others as 9880, she is a former Camping coach and is very similar to Toplight no 3639. No 3631 is currently parked in the former concrete works yard. Meantime on Toplight no 3639 work continues on removal of floor and windows on the first quarter of the coach, tidying and sorting materials for the project, and rubbing down and cleaning of reuseable timber sections. The next working parties are Saturday 25th October, and Saturday 1st November, both from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Heritage Carriages Project News Saturday 30 August 2008 A long day at Williton working on No 3639. Claire Sheppy writes... The next work party of the Toplight 3639 working group will be on Saturday 13th September. Our normal working times are from 10-30 am to 4-30 pm. The coach is currently in the Tarmac shed at Williton. New volunteers are most welcome and there is much to do, whether you are a skilled joiner or just keen to try a new challenge. So previous experience is NOT a pre-requisite, just a will to work and to be prepared to get rather dusty at the same time. In the meantime removal of the first of the life expired timber work by David Stockwell, assisted by new recruit Richard, has well and truly started and Claire Sheppy has been hard at work measuring up the coach and preparing records and working drawings for the manufacture of the new timber members. [Pictures] With a total of 14 (or possibly 16) coaches, this type of record is going to be rather important! Toplight coach 3639 is the first coach for the project to create two trains of genuine GWR coaches, so now is a great time to start, and so to be involved from almost the very beginning. Additionally, if you cannot get to Williton, but could get to Buckfastleigh, or to Crewe or to Leeds, each of these places have a small team of volunteers working on some of the other coaches which now belong to the WSSRT. You would however need to contact them via the WSSRT website to get dates and times. Heritage Carriages Project News Monday 18 August 2008 A couple of days at Crewe working on Collett BCK 6705... Steve Lord and Walt Denning have spent a couple of days at Crewe working on Collett BCK 6705 between the showers. Walt explains "We have removed the cracked sealant around the water tank covers on the roof and re-made the joints so that they are water-tight. One of the refurbished ventilators has been reattached and this proved to be a more difficult job than anticipated so the others will be left pending more urgent work. Our next job is to dismantle some of the gutter and remake the joints so that water does not stream down the sides of the coach. Hopefully this will avoid the need to cover the coach with a tarpaulin this winter. One of the water tank covers does not have a filler cap or hinge so we have plated over the hole for the time being. If anyone knows of a filler cap assembly that is available then we would be very pleased to know about it. The picture shows the tank covers and ventilator. The plates put on by the Americans to cover the ventilator holes can also be seen. The roof appears to be in very good condition and will not require very much treatment beyond removal of surface rust and some paint. " A recent view of the roof of Collett BCK no 6705 at Crewe in August 2008. © Walt Denning Heritage Carriages Project News Sunday 17 August 2008 Steam Railway sponsors Heritage Carriage Project launch Steam Railway is sponsoring The Heritage Carriages Project at the West Somerset Railway by supporting the Benefit Launch Train on Wednesday September 24 2008. The West Somerset Railway, now part of the preservation "premier league" is set to expand over the next few years with a new turntable at Minehead, the triangle at Norton Fitzwarren and the prospect of a main line interchange service into Taunton. The next major building project will be a new museum, carriage shed and sidings at Bishops Lydeard. This part of the project took a great leap forward in May when the local Planning Committee voted unanimously to grant planning permission. This paves the way for the rolling stock element of the project to get underway. The WSR Heritage Carriages Project aims to restore two seven-coach rakes of genuine GWR carriages for use on the line and display in the museum. One rake will consist of Edwardian Toplight coaches which have survived as Camping Coaches. The other will be made up of Collett coaches from the 1930s. Heritage Carriages Project Director, Robin White, told Steam Railway why these rakes will be important to the line: "The railway struggled in its early years and its coaching stock is almost exclusively ex-British Railways Mark Is. They are fine, but a bit utilitarian." The Project has been successfully gathering unrestored carriages from all over the UK and abroad. Robin continues: "Now we have enough carriages to form both trains the next step is to ensure that they are all safely stored and protected from further deterioration until the restoration can begin. A heavyweight carriage tarpaulin and the necessary straps and ropes to fit it firmly to the carriage costs close to £1,000. Several more are needed before the coming winter and that is where the Special Train sponsored by Steam Railway comes in." The Train In aid of the WSR Heritage Carriages Project, Steam Railway is sponsoring a special train on the WSR on September 24 2008. This will run from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and return. The Train will have a dining portion formed of the WSR's famous Quantock Belle dining carriages and requested motive power is Jeremy Hosking's newly restored pacific No 34046 Braunton, on one of its first outings since restoration. A vintage bus connection will leave Taunton railway station at 12.10pm, allowing good connections from London and the north. Earlier bus connections from Taunton are available by normal bus operators. From 11am at Bishops Lydeard, the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust's magnificent 1897 Sleeping Car will be on display along with a member of the restoration team to answer questions. Robin White will be on hand to explain the current state of the project. Trust Archivist and Bishops Lydeard Railway Museum Curator, Ian Coleby will also be giving a presentation on the Toplight and Collett coaches which the project aims to restore. The special train will then leave Bishops Lydeard (near Taunton) at 1pm, running non-stop to Minehead, arriving at 2.45pm. Members of the Steam Railway team will be travelling on the train and there will be competition and raffle with great prizes including a WSR footplate pass and annual subscriptions to Steam Railway. At Minehead it will be possible to inspect (and operate) the newly installed Turntable, and take a tour of Minehead Loco works. A signal box visit can be arranged for those who are interested. Members of the party can return from Minehead on the 4pm service train to Williton where Toplight Coach 3639 is under restoration and will be on display with members of the restoration team on hand. Alternatively, members of the party can enjoy the delights of Minehead until 4.50pm when the special train will depart, calling at Williton to collect members who have elected to visit the restoration site there. The Special train is timed to arrive back at Bishops Lydeard at 6.07pm, with a vintage bus connection back to Taunton Railway Station by 6.25pm, allowing a return to London and other destinations at a sensible time. Tickets Dining Tickets are available at £50. This includes your travel, first class dining seats, a three-course lunch on the outward journey and afternoon tea on the return. Non-dining tickets are available at £20. A cold luncheon box can be pre-booked for £10. Bookings should be made to the West Somerset Railway Association Office at Bishops Lydeard by post to "HCP Train", The Railway Station, Bishops Lydeard, Somerset TA4 3BX. Please enclose an SAE for return of tickets and a cheque made out to "WSRA". Closing date for postal applications 17 September 2008. Alternatively book by phone 01823 433 856. A £1 charge to cover credit card charges and postage will be made for telephone bookings. Dining seats are limited. Please telephone to confirm availability before booking. Please indicate when booking whether you expect to make use of the vintage bus connection from Taunton railway station. All proceeds from this train will go to the WSR Heritage Carriages Project. Do join us ­ it should be a grand day out! Heritage Carriages Project News Saturday 19 July 2008 Report on Working Party on TK no 5929 at Leeds on 19th July 2008 Steve Lord and Walt Denning went to finish tidying up Collett TK coach no 5929 - located on a private site outside Leeds - prior to its possible imminent move. The coach was originally bought for use as a summerhouse - a project which was never realised. It was literally cut into two and the underframe will need to be welded back together at some point. One bogie is on a short section of rail but the other is sunk in mud and the coach body is detached from it such that the underframe has to be supported on timbers. This will make the removal very difficult. Currently the coach is hemmed in by a fence at one end and one side and containers on the other side. The coach body (also in two halves) was clearly built that way. A recent visit to see Collett BTK no 5102 at Llangollen established that it has the same sort of construction. Perhaps Swindon had standard arrangements that enabled TKs and BTKs to be made up from half bodies bolted together. Walt Denning Heritage Carriages Project News Saturday 12 July 2008 Report on First Working Party on Toplight 3639 at Williton 5th July 2008 Saturday 5th July 2008 was an important day for the West Somerset Railway as it marked the start of the restoration to full running order of the first coach of our proposed rake of Great Western Railway Toplight coaches. I was joined by Paul Goodge, Clare Sheppy and Chris van den Arend. Chris was there to show me all the tools and materials that belong to the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust and to give us words of encouragement at the start of the project. We were very fortunate in being joined by James Faulkner and four of his team from the Swindon & Cricklade Railway who spent a few hours talking to us on the way forward with 3639. James and his friends are making a fantastic job of restoring their own Toplight coach and I am keen to learn from their experience. A big ‘thank you’ to James, Andrew and the others. I am sure that we will be in contact on a regular basis. Our first task (apart from a good old clear up and reorganisation) is to jack up the roof of the coach with acro props to get everything in line. We then need to make repairs to the 9 inch by 3 inch sole plate timber, corner posts and door posts to produce a sound framework. That should keep us busy for a while! There is a long way to go with 3639 but in the end a worthwhile task. Anyone who doubts that need only go to the Severn Valley and ride in their two Toplights. And we will have a whole train! Why not get involved in this great challenge right at its beginning! Contact me now on 01275 877 979. David Stockwell Heritage Carriages Project News Sunday 1 June 2008 Walkers aid historic carriages restoration on West Somerset Railway Keen walkers and railway enthusiasts will literally be able to get their fitness training “On Track” later this year when the West Somerset Railway holds a 10-mile sponsored walk from Williton to Minehead along the route of the popular heritage railway on Sunday 16th November 2008. And it’ll be a sponsored walk with a difference as this part of the line enjoys some fine coastal views, giving people the rare opportunity to safely walk on the railway lines when there are no trains running. The walk aims to raise money in aid of the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust’s (WSSRT) ambitious Heritage Carriages Project which is seeking to restore recreate a fleet of 1920’s and 1930’s vintage GWR coaches for use on the line. Special arrangements have been made to get people to the start of the walk with a diesel train picking people up from Minehead at 9.00am,calling at all stations to Williton, before going straight on to Bishops Lydeard to collect walkers from the line’s Southern terminus and departing at 10.30 am and then calling at all stations to Williton. After a complementary hot drink at Minehead station’s Brunel Buffet at the end of the day, the train will then collect all the walkers from Minehead and return them to their starting station on the line. Participants need to be relatively fit and come equipped with walking boots or strong shoes and be over 12 years of age. Walkers aged under 16 will need to be accompanied by an adult. Mike Webber, a fitness instructor and personal trainer, who is organising the event comments: "The walk promises to be not only a great fun day out but also a brilliant way to keep fit and burn off some of those calories as well as raising money for a worthy cause to make the West Somerset Railway even better. “We need at least fifty or sixty people to come forward to make the walk worthwhile and it will be a challenging, strenuous walk in places over the track, all of which adds to the fun of course.” Anyone who is interested in going on the walk on Sunday 18 November should send a cheque for £5.00 to cover operating expenses made payable to the ‘West Somerset Steam Railway Trust’ to: Mike Webber at 21 Underhill Road, Charfield, Wotton-Under Edge, GL12 8TQ. Walkers should also enclose a stamped addressed envelope and a note of which station they are starting from in order to receive the official WSSRT sponsorship forms. Further details of the WSSRT’s Heritage Carriages project, including plans and drawings for a new museum and carriage shed at Bishops Lydeard, can be seen on this website. Download the above poster as a PDF file Heritage Carriages Project News Friday 30 May 2008 First Working Party on Toplight 3639 at Williton 5th July 2008 On Saturday 10th May 2008 thirty four WSR members travelled to Kidderminster by coach for a private tour of the carriage works and their lottery-funded carriage storage shed. The tour was conducted by Nigel Hanson and Hugh McWade who are in charge of maintaining the SVR fleet of vintage coaches. Everyone found it extremely interesting and our thanks go to them for taking time out to show us around. During the afternoon members were free to sample the delights of the SVR, many stopping off at Highley to view the recently opened ‘Engine House’. Much favourable comment on its content was received and it is hoped that we can do similar things at Bishops Lydeard with our proposed carriage shed and museum. We were also able to ride in and view the SVR’s two GWR Toplight coaches, one sporting a ‘Paddington – Minehead’ destination board. These two coaches are in wonderful condition. Seven members expressed an interest in getting involved with the restoration of Toplight No 3639 so our first working party has been arranged for Saturday 5th July 2008, from 10.30 until 4.30. It is hoped that James Faulckner from the Swindon & Cricklade Railway will attend our first working party to talk to us on the way forward with 3639. James and his colleagues are making a fantastic job of restoring their own Toplight and we plan to arrange a visit to the S&C for our own would-be coach restoration gang. If you would like to get involved with the restoration of 3639 come along on 5th July or ring me on 01275 877 979. No special skills are required, just keenness and the ability to see beyond the present state of the coach to the fantastic heritage coach that it can become. David Stockwell Heritage Carriages Project News Thursday 22 May 2008 Green light for the development at Bishops Lydeard. Local planners have given the green light for an ambitious heritage railway-related development at Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway which will provide much needed new visitor facilities on the 20-mile line. Taunton Deane Borough Council’s planning committee met on Wednesday 21 May and councillors voted to GRANT planning permission for the West Somerset Railway’s proposed Museum, Carriage Display building, other tourist facilities and associated developments adjacent to Bishops Lydeard station. Local councillors voted unanimously in favour of all but one aspect of the scheme, for the inn or restaurant, and on that issue the vote was still 13 to 1 in favour and carried. One councillor commented at the time that the scheme "ticked all the boxes". West Somerset Steam Railway Trust Project Director Robin White, said: "This is a great vote of confidence in the West Somerset Railway by Taunton Deane Borough Council and will help us provide some much needed, top class facilities at Bishops Lydeard. "This planning permission, along with the arrangements this makes possible with local developers Gadds of Taunton, will now allow us to provide 21st century standard visitor facilities at our busy southern terminus. "Within 18 months, we should have a new cafe and other tourist facilities to be proud of, and serious fundraising can now start in earnest for our new Museum and Carriage Display Building. The West Somerset Railway is going from strength to strength." As well as the Museum and Carriage Display Building the planning permission allows for: a cafe; courtyard with picnic and children’s play area; cycle hire shop; microbrewery; creative industry units; an office building for a local carbon-offsetting business; some road safety improvements, including a much needed roundabout at the A358 junction; plus open-market and affordable housing. Further details of the project, including plans and drawings can be seen on this website Heritage Carriages Project News Thursday 15 May 2008 Promising news for plans for the Heritage Carriages museum. The Bishops Lydeard Station Farm planning application - which includes the plans for a Railway Museum alongside the Station - gets favourable recommendations from the Planning Officer, as revealed in the papers submitted to the forthcoming meeting of the Planning Committee of Taunton Deane Borough Council. The recommended application, which includes housing and tourist facilities, will be considered to the meeting on 21 May. Read the recommendations in full here. Heritage Carriages Project News Sunday 12 May 2008 First working party at Buckfastleigh... Sunday 11th May 2008 saw the first working party on the three coaches from Buckfastleigh which are to join the Heritage Carriages project. Led by Clive Fairchild the working party included Clive's wife Kathy, Mike and Jennie Dunse and Ali Parsons. Collett coach 4546 was the subject of the working party's attention. The secuirely stowed a number of loose body parts of the vehicle and carried out a general tidy up of this vehicle which is stored in a rather inaccessible area. Further work will involve installing timber bracing to stabilise the structure of this vehicle. Finally, all three vehicles at buckfastleigh will require sheeting over to make them fit for the trip up the motorway to the WSR. If you would like to assist with the next working party, Clive can be contacted via info@wssrt.co.uk Collett coach no 4546 at Buckfastleigh with WSSRT volunteers (from left) Jennie Dunse, Ali Parsons, Clive Fairchild, Mike Dunse and Cathy Fairchild on 11 May 2008. © Mike Dunse No 3660 at Buckfastleigh on 11 May 2008. © Mike Dunse No 3665 at Buckfastleigh on 11 May 2008. © Mike Dunse Heritage Carriages Project News Wednesday 30 April 2008 John Wood, Heritage Carriages Project Vehicle Care, writes... On Saturday last (26 April) 4 members of the Heritage Carriages Project (aka Auto 169 restoration team) visited Minehead to fit the recently purchased 'experimental' design tarpaulin sheet to Ex Williton toplight 2578. The carriage is yet another WSR vehicle that had received unwanted attention of the local stone throwing youths so was urgently in need of some extra protection. The job was successfully completed in about 4 1/2 hours but not without its 'testing' moments. Hopefully this will prove a good learning experience for the future. The sheets were 'made to measure' and supplied in 2 sections sufficiently long to allow an overlap of about 5ft and possibly allow re use on other length vehicles at some future date. Previous experience of a single piece cover proved difficult to 'man' handle due to weight but on that occasion the use of a fork lift truck allowed the sheet to be placed on the roof, a luxury not available on this occasion. The other notable difference with the first carriage was the lack of any roof furniture by way of ventilators. The first half of the sheet was hauled to roof level by a system of ropes passed over the roof and the sheet in an unfolded format pulled onto the roof and subsequently manoeuvred into position. Believing there is always a 'better' way the second half was pulled onto the roof having rolled the sheet, believing it would slide easily on the already positioned first sheet, we would then be able to unroll it along the roof of the carriage. This proved not to be an ideal method, but put it down to a valuable 'learning experience'. With 3 of the HCP stock now afforded some protection from the worst elements of the British weather and a further 2 or 3 carriages urgently requiring covering for protection and transport, the design will now be suitably modified to make future fitting exercises a little easier particularly where space and mechanical assistance is limited. Heritage Carriages Project News Saturday 19 April 2008 Wanted - volunteers required to assist with coast walk along the WSR on Sunday 16 November 2008 Volunteers are required to be marshalls to supervise the walkers, and sweepers to ensure that the line is clear after the last walker. A meeting to get the team together will be held on Friday 20th June in Brunel House, Bishops Lydeard at 7.45pm. Alternatively ring Mike Webber on 07795 95 88 18. A poster giving full details is available for download... Heritage Carriages Project News Saturday 5 April 2008 Bishops Lydeard Parish Council offers strong support to West Somerset Railway's Plans Exciting proposals for a new museum and carriage shed at Bishops Lydeard station on the West Somerset Railway have just been boosted with strong support from Bishops Lydeard Parish Council. At a meeting on Wednesday 2nd April 2008, the Council voted by a resounding 10 votes to 2 to support the West Somerset Railway's planning application for new facilities adjacent to Bishops Lydeard station. The proposed new facilities centre on a Museum and Display Building for heritage railway carriages dating from the 1920's and 30's. The proposals also involve much needed tourist facilities such as a cafe, and inn or restaurant; some road safety improvements, including a much needed roundabout at the A358 junction, plus some enabling development in the form of housing, including affordable housing for local people. West Somerset Steam Railway Trust’s (WSSRT) Heritage Carriages Project Director, Robin White said: "This vote is a great boost to the project. It shows the depth of feeling of local people in favour of the West Somerset Railway's plans for top class facilities for our visitors and local people alike. “The Parish Council wanted to see closer ties between the railway and the village, and we will be delighted to work with them to see how that might be achieved. We look forward to working with respected local builders Gadds of Taunton to put the plan into effect. “All of these proposed facilities will also help bring jobs, affordable homes and greater prosperity to the village, but without damaging its essentially rural nature." The next stage will be for the plans to be considered by Taunton Deane Borough Council in the next few months, and further details, including plans and drawings can be seen at www.wssrt.co.uk. Heritage Carriages Project News Tuesday 15 January 2008 Project Director Robin White writes: Coach trip to the Severn Valley Railway – Saturday 10th May 2008 At the invitation of the Severn Valley Carriage & Wagon Department at Kidderminster, we have arranged a visit to the SVR on this date. A coach will leave Minehead station at 7 am sharp, picking up at Williton station, Bridgwater station and Gordano M5 Services near Bristol. We should be at Kidderminster by 11 am and are privileged to have been invited to a private tour of the Kidderminster Carriage Works, which is not normally open to the public. The tour will take about an hour. Kidderminster Carriage Works is very well set up for the maintenance of vintage carriages and their lottery-funded carriage storage shed is a striking building. Several equivalents of the carriages which will be part of the WSR Heritage fleet will be available for inspection. It should be an inspiring visit for prospective Heritage Carriage Project volunteers and supporters. The usual delights of the SVR will then be available for the rest of the day, including the newly-opened ‘Engine House’ at Highley. This will be a cracking day out to the only other GWR Heritage railway that comes close to the WSR in character. Our return coach will leave Kidderminster at 6.15 pm (5 minutes after the last train of the day). The coach fare will be £12. Cheques payable to ‘WSSRT’ to David Stockwell, 20 Castlewood Close, Clevedon BS21 7HS and please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Please note that SVR travel is not included. Working WSR Volunteers can obtain an HRA pass valid for SVR travel from Minehead Office. Book early as this is bound to be a popular trip! Heritage Carriages Project News Saturday 12 January 2008 Project Director Robin White writes: Bishops Lydeard Station Farm Meetings, meetings, meetings In recent days West Somerset Railway Officers and the Developers have been involved in a series of meetings and visits about the proposals for the Station Farm Site. On Friday 4th January Taunton MP was shown the site and the plans. On Sunday 6th January Parish and District Councillors visited the site and were given a presentation and a tour explaining why the railway supports the development and the considerable benefits which accrue from it. Copies of the documents given out to Councillors are available - the Main Briefing document and a document describing the View from the Up Platform. It will be seen that the series of photographs taken along the UP (London) platform show that the effect of the new buildings on the old and any loss of view is much less dramatic than objectors have been suggesting. On Wednesday 10th representatives of the railway and Gadds, the developers met Steve Kendall, Taunton Deane Council's Economic Development Officer. He had previously written a letter only expressing 'lukewarm' support for the proposals. The railway and Gadds thought that he would be assisted by being talked through the proposals in more depth and he expressed himself much more satisfied with the proposals at the end of the meeting. A much more supportive letter is expected. On Thursday 11th, Gadds and the railway met the planning officer, John Hamer, and his boss the Head of Planning at Taunton Deane, Tim Burton. We examined the work to be done to get the applications fit for consideration by the Parish Council and then the District Council. A target was set to get the applications before the Taunton Deane Planning Committee on 26th March 2008. Two significant areas remain. Firstly the economic report being prepared by external consultants which shows whether the 'enabling development' (the housing) is justified. A further meeting to move this aspect along has been planned for early February. The second aspect is the Conservation Officer's report, which is rather negative. Unfortunately, this report was compliled by a temporary member of staff, without apparent reference to the discussions between the architects and the previous permanent Conservation Officer. The report makes a number of mistakes of fact, including calling Norton Fitzwarren a 'semi-urban site' and plainly has ignored significant parts of what the proposals will achieve in heritage terms. Credit is due to the Chief Conservation Officer at Taunton Deane who, when these difficulties were explained to her, immediately scheduled....... yes a meeting!........ to take a fresh look at the Conservation aspects. It is anticipated that a fresh report would become available in the first half of February. All the above has absorbed a considerable amount of time form Chris Austin, Paul Conibeare and myself, in preparing for and attending the meetings and is part of the work not always seen by members. The planning process would continue to be assisted by e-mails of support to the planning officer from anyone who has not yet sent such an e-mail. Just follow the following link and the Taunton Deane website has a facility for you to register your comments on line. Taunton Deane website.  © West Somerset Steam Railway Trust  • No 6705  • Previous News    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...