Along the Line

A round-up of news from the stations.

Bishops Lydeard

Welcome to the final report for this year on Life at Lydeard as we draw to a close of the formal running season. After pausing for a quick draw of breath, we get into the swing of planning and preparation for what we hope will be a very successful period of not only Santa Expresses but also the new Winterlight trains. In fact, much of this is already under way – we know we will be once again be having marquee facilities in the lower car park for shelter, check in and refreshments, Christmas lights have started going up, plans are in place to decorate the Winterlight train (not us!). Also, a sure sign that Christmas is not too far off, is that the snowman and his elf cohort have risen from their summer lockdown in Blackmore House ready to assume Position A on the entry fence when required – not forgetting Santa and his reindeer. Our season has continued to be quite busy, with expanded capacity on the trains, a second set of carriages in use, and we were glad to see the end of one-

WSR Mogul No. 9351 waiting departure time at Bishops Lydeard on 4 September 2021. Photo: Don Bishop

14 August 2021 saw an excursion from Paddington hauled by LMS Jubilee Bahamas. At Bishops Lydyeard No. 7822 Foxcote Manor and No. 7828 Odney Manor took over for the onward journey along the branch. Photo Cliff Woodhead.

way Covid restrictions for the shop and ticket office, giving a much better feeling of normality. All social distancing notices remain in place, as do the sanitizing stations and mask wearing notices, although these now seem to be more advisory than mandatory. Station staff continue to set an example in mask wearing, even if customers do not follow suit. However, with rising Covid infection rates, we might be glad everything is still in place – you never know what the future holds. Our waiting room has been restocked with books for sale for some time, which at long last has given a trickle of income for station funds which, with no income for more than a year, was desperately needed. Our thanks to Suzy Bulley for helping restock, and Allan Stanistreet for counting the cash under the watchful eye of Keith Sandford, plus of course Junior the cat! Mainline charter locos have started to reappear in the form of Jubilee class locos Bahamas and Leander either hauling mainline charters from Paddington or stabling to take Royal Duchy charters onwards from Taunton. While the incoming charters only went as far as Watchet after loco change at BL, many positive comments were received as to how well the WSR worked around the problem of not having the originally planned destination of Minehead for well-known reasons. Hopefully we will see more mainline activity next year. Our gardening team have been as busy as ever, with mixed flower displays around the station bringing much colour right through to the season end, with many appreciative comments from our visitors. With winter pansies and wallflowers now ready to plant out, shrubs pruned where required, the whole team has done us proud in keeping all beds, banks and troughs around the station looking their

best. Plants and seeds for next year are in the planning stage, with a special colour scheme being considered for the Queen's Platinum jubilee, and hopefully the garden train will return after a long overhaul absence. As we headed towards Autumn, we had the 1940s weekend, Mixed Traction Gala, and Autumn Steam Gala, producing a steady flow of visitors, but at least this didn't cause too many parking problems. Roger and his “road gang” - Matt Brewer and Richard Woollen - have been giving further attention to the car park, with Matt utilising the permanent way digger with the aim of re-discovering the internal car park verges, giving a better impression and hopefully more of a clue to visitors of how to park when the car park is unmanned, as this is becoming ever more difficult to staff with diminishing number of station volunteers on some days. Once the road gang have finished local superhero “Strimmerman” Martin Trott will be requested to clear brambles and vegetation to create even more space. RAMS continue the mammoth project of getting our station back into some sort of respectability, mainly painting, and we are pleased to see that the gap in pickets on the shop canopy is now completed and the whole section realigned. Further large-scale painting has taken place in the lower car park on the Guard/TTI signingon cabin, and latterly RAMS painters have moved to the station building on Platform 1 to give the windows and doors some attention. Much renovation and painting is taking place on the timetable and fares boards formerly on display at our main entrance, so that they are available next year, subject to any required changes for next year's plans. The main notice board/display board at the station entrance has been removed for a long dry-out and attention before next season. For a couple of days our peaceful life was disturbed by much banging and crashing emanating from the cattle dock area. This turned out to be a team from the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust (WSRHT) demolishing the long-standing multi-purpose portacabin that was timeexpired, and with the help of RAMS - and sledgehammers! - it was flat-packed into a large skip. All the activity was hidden from public view by the BG and sleeping car in the cattle dock siding, where we await news of any further development of this area. Finally, as thoughts turned to the reality of lack of BL station staff next season, plans were made for an open day for potential volunteers on Saturday 30 October. Once other departments heard of this plan and deciding that they themselves were short of volunteers, this became a railway-wide project, involving a huge amount of planning. So, a big thank you to Andy Mayson who normally works with our station team undertaking the far from easy task of rostering station staff to cover each running day, for shouldering the bulk of this. It is also thanks to Dick Wood for his help with publicity for the event, and to Rodney Greenway, the WSR volunteer coordinator. It is much appreciated how hard everyone has worked this year at BL to get us up and running again from a standing start, and working through all the permutations brought about by Covid. Things can only get better, as the song goes, and we hope that will come true next year. It only remains to wish all our readers a merry Christmas and happy New Year from all who continue to form part of “Life at Lydeard.” Norman Barker

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Crowcombe Heathfield

We managed to get through the Summer and the Autumn Gala without too many problems. However, some of our regular volunteers are still nervous about attending the station, especially with the large increase in Covid cases locally, so staffing has caused issues from time to time. One of the saddest moments recently was the sudden death of one of the station's most hard-working and popular volunteers, Carole Darwent. It was not Covid related. Carole was a stalwart of the station and for several years was in charge of catering. She was a cheery soul and a pleasure to work with. The large turnout of Crowcombe volunteers at her funeral said everything. We pass condolences to husband Peter and family. There is a plaque to her memory on the memorial board at the station. One of the innovations introduced at the station this summer has been the ability to take card payments for our retail and catering business. This is a major step forward, as we've experienced more and more visitors with no cash in their pockets! We had no idea, when we decided to obtain a card reader, just how difficult it was going to be to open a bank account in the station's name, bearing in mind there is no friends group here. However, thanks mainly to volunteer Diane Leek, we persevered and we finally managed to open an account with NatWest, and we were off. Already we are seeing around 30% of catering sales paid for by card. In fact, footfall at the station has been significantly reduced since we came out of lockdown and the galas were quiet compared with previous years. We will just about break even on income/expenditure for 2021, which is better than I expected bearing in mind several large expenses for station maintenance during the year. Regretfully in September we said goodbye to Brian Rayner, who retired from the Crowcombe Heathfield volunteer staff, but we have said hello to Bryan Groves who has transferred from Bishops Lydeard Station: looking for a quieter life, eh Bryan? Gardens and grounds maintenance continues and carried on after the end of the season as usual. Some great news is that Penny Gardener will still be with us as head of gardening for the time being. Many thanks Penny. However, we are still looking for her replacement: come on you keen gardeners, Crowcombe Heathfield needs you. In the summer we hosted a visit by the Wellington Gardening Club, a tour and presentation were given by Penny and myself, and a hard sell was tried, but no takers so far. There were to be work parties on Fridays through November, mainly for tidying up, bonfires, and the staging of the station Christmas lights over and above the tableaux being installed by

1940s weekend at Crowcombe. Photo: Gill Cross

the Winterlights contractors on the platforms. Crowcombe Heathfield station was to remain locked shut during the Winterlights programme, and spectators were discouraged from using Station Lane and Bakers Orchard as observation points. These are private roads and the West Somerset Railway is keen to respect the residents’ privacy. There will be no Christmas lunch for volunteers again this year as our favourite venue is currently still not providing a carvery due to Covid restrictions. This is normally a very popular event and it is a shame we can't round off the year with what has always been a very enjoyable gathering. Some might be surprised that I am still contributing to the Journal as station master after my last submission when I reminded everyone of my impending retirement in September! A replacement seems as far away as ever so I've been “persuaded” to carry on for a short while longer (well, into the 2022 season, anyway) while “the powers that be” look for a replacement. My intention will then be to step down from the station master’s role and continue as a volunteer on the Crowcombe Heathfield platforms, if the new incumbent allows it. In the meantime, I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Geoff Cross

Stogumber

When the reduced train service started running in the Spring without stopping at intermediate stations, we thought the impact on our

visitor numbers would be profound. While they haven’t been as good as the season immediately before the Covid epidemic, it has nevertheless been very successful with a steady flow of visitors, increasing as the year progressed. After much debate, we decided to open the station seven days a week, even when trains weren’t running, which proved to be very popular. We also benefited from a number of advance bookings, which included the Wellington Gardening Club, the Wellington Camera Club and a wedding vow renewal ceremony, which had to be a first for the station. On at least one of these occasions some 30 cream teas were served in about 20 minutes, although not

Progress on the cattle dock at Stogumber is good. Railings and new wooden gates have been installed. Photo: Bob Preston

by me! I think I was told: “The most useful thing you can do is keep out of the way.” In anticipation of the bookings we acquired a large gazebo, which proved to be a very sound investment. The 1940s Weekend was truly memorable. Jean Hilton took responsibility for decorating the station and there was a choice of wartime offerings on the menu such as spam sandwiches, bread pudding and so forth, as well as our normal fare. An eclectic mix of 40's music was played through a sound amplification system loaned to us by the Cannington Brownies Group, interspersed with live music provided by Paul Haine playing the piano accordion, and Kim Rew reading stories dating from the 40s to groups of small children. On both days of the week-end we were invaded by what seemed to be half of the U.S army, and the car park was bursting at the seams. One of the many enthusiasts driving a canvas-topped truck kindly gave a ride to a number of the volunteers to Crowcombe Heathfield and back. The ladies are very much looking forward to next year's event. Both the volunteers staffing the booking office and the Wednesday maintenance team were kept busy throughout the season, with the garden to be kept up to scratch, painting, and a whole host of repairs. Many of the larger jobs can only be carried out when no trains are running, such as painting areas to which the public have access and restoring floor finishes, all of which will be tackled before the start of next season. One large project which has been started is the renewal of much of the timber decking and some of the supporting joists which

Large Prairie No. 5199 heads a Williton to Bishops Lydeard local train past Leigh Woods on 3 October 2021. Photo: Don Bishop

Double headed diesels! DEPG class 33 D6656 and Hymek D7018 roll into Williton with a light engine movement on 21 August 2021. Photo: Brenden Hill

surround the rear of the workshop under the platform waiting room. Although the joists are tanalised, while they are exposed the opportunity will be taken to paint the tops with a bitumastic paint before putting the decking back. It is an important job as the decking is required to access the rear and one end of the building for maintenance. Unfortunately, because the painted weather board cladding takes the full force of the weather from the South and South-west it suffers from extremes of temperature and needs repainting much more frequently than is normal. RAMS, as always, have been very helpful. They completely rebuilt the Dreadnought parcel trolley which is being stored in the BL workshop until next year when some thought will need to be given to returning it to the station, owing to its weight. The large pair of white-painted wicket gates which separate the garden from the access drive will be ready and re-hung before the start of next season. The gates to the cattle dock pens have recently been made and installed. We have almost finished restoring the brick paving to the cattle dock, which leaves the rebuilding of the stone retaining wall beside the ramp leading up to the pens, and a general tidy-up. This will allow us to make the dock accessible to the public for the first time in about 50 years and is planned to coincide with the Spring Steam Gala next year. Finally a special “thank you” to all our dedicated volunteers who, through their hard work and enthusiasm, continue to make Stogumber a special station. Bob Preston

Williton

As I write this we are in the last week of scheduled running, and although it has been a shorter season, we feel glad that we are going to have a rest for a few weeks before the Santa Expresses start arriving at Williton. Having had the red timetable for most of the season, it has made the days seem longer as we have had breaks of two hours or more between each arrival and there are only so many tidying-up jobs you can find to do while

you wait. The first up train of the day did not arrive until after 1pm. Obviously, there is no point in running more trains with the same number of passengers, but I wonder if there had been the DMU service included, whether more local people may have used the facility to go into Minehead – perhaps next season? We have been able to carry out some maintenance during the summer and the front elevation of the waiting room on Platform 2 has had a repaint thanks to John Byfield, and hopefully more can be done to this little building before next year. A winter schedule of works is being drawn up, with the exterior of the shop being the main focal point. Work should start immediately after the Christmas and the New Year break. It's hoped WSR Restorations will be able to carry out some treatment to minor rust areas on the footbridge this year with a view to its full repaint over the closed season at the end of next year. As ever, the long hedge along Platform 2 continues to grow apace and is due another trim – which reminds me that all the summer bedding plants and hanging baskets have been removed and preparations are in progress for next year's displays. While the book stall has continued to be available from my home in Williton, we have extended it on to Platform 1 beside the produce stall, and both have had very good takings, for which we are thankful. Due to Covid, we have had some staffing difficulties, but in the main have been able to keep the station staffed on all running days and even for several of the late evening specials. Because of the prebooking only early on we weren't able to sell tickets, which meant we didn't need booking staff, but later that was the area we were short of staff and on several days weren't able to open the booking office. However, I'm glad to report that there have been two or three new volunteers for the post, and they are getting well trained into the system and should be ready for 2022.

Newly repainted up platform waiting room at Williton. Photo: John Parsons.

John Parsons

Watchet

Watchet has remained a busy and popular destination during this season, with visitors from across the UK. Not surprisingly, we have seen very, very few international visitors. There have been some notable events since May, including visits by two charter trains from Paddington on separate Saturdays, each requiring six road coaches to take passengers onwards to Dunster and Minehead. It is pleasing to note that through successful coordination between WSR, West Coast Railways, Ridlers

coaches, Watchet Tourist Information Centre and Watchet station, everyone got to where they needed to be safely and on time; and both trains departed on time on their return to London. The Autumn Steam Gala and Mixed Traffic Weekend were supported with our pre-loved model railway sale weekends in the station's pagoda and in support of station funds. Watchet town and the station have become the epicentre of the 1940s Weekend, and this September was once again popular with visitors, residents and local businesses all entering into the spirit through costume, decorations and re-enactment. The station currently has almost 50 volunteers, all members of the Friends of Watchet Station (FOWS) working across retail, platform, gardening, maintenance and booking office duties. Since the railway reopened in May, five volunteers have joined but sadly we lost two colleagues to cancer: Mike Gray and Steve Farr. Mike had been with the railway since March 2015 and was a regular on Sunday platform duty. The Friends of Watchet Station are very sad to announce that after a short illness, our friend and colleague Steve Farr passed away on Saturday 16 October. He joined Watchet in 2007 and had a long history in volunteering and supporting along the West Somerset line. Along with regular duties at Watchet station, he also volunteered at Blue Anchor and helped the railway on several projects. Steve was a military re-enactment enthusiast and regularly took part in English Civil War weapon demonstrations at Dunster Castle. He was also widely known for his technical and electrical expertise, dealing with lighting and electrical matters for special occasions such as Christmas and the 1940s Weekends, and he took charge of the entire electrical workings for WSR on the very successful Halloween Train of 2019. Steve recently sold his bungalow and moved to Walton-on-Thames, where he was involved with local theatres in the Kingston-upon-Thames area for many years as their chief lighting and electrical engineer. This involved him in frequently driving between Watchet and Kingston, and when visiting Watchet, he would stay in his caravan at Warren Bay. He showed no signs of illness and indeed joined our regular “swift pint” after-duty sessions. His last shift here was on 25 August, but in two months, our dear friend had passed, much to everyone's shock and dismay. Steve had a reputation for always being among the first to volunteer for any special events and to cover a duty for an absent colleague. Not only did he volunteer for extra shifts but he did it with a smile; he had such a lovely, homely nature and he was an

Steve Farr, sadly missed at Watchet. Seen here at the 1940s weekend in 2021.

During the Mixed Traction Weekend, D7018 approaches Kentsford Farm Crossing with the 09.35 Bishops Lydeard to Blue Anchor service on 17 September 2021. Photo: Tim Edmonds.

absolute pleasure to share a shift with. It was a running joke that he preferred diesels to the more popular steam locos. He always laughed and never took it seriously. He was so proud that he had driven a Class 33 diesel, and many of us can now appreciate why. Gentle Steve will be sorely missed Public services to Watchet have now ceased until next Spring, although our winter maintenance programme has already commenced. A committed group of volunteers meet each Thursday to undertake the necessary tlc which our heritage facilities demand. We are pleased that a small team of students from Taunton and Bridgwater College will be undertaking projects as part of their educational programme. They will have the opportunity to work alongside our own group of retired and skilled exprofessionals when they will witness experience in action and hopefully refine their own skills and ambitions. Kevin Smith

Blue Anchor

It has all turned out to be a good season at Blue Anchor where the station was initially opened for the limited service provided through to Blue Anchor - Sunset Specials from Bishops Lydeard rather than Minehead as of old. After that it wasn't clear at first just what the customer demand would be, with the trains terminating at Dunster. However, as we now know, plenty of customers did turn up and enjoyed the trains and the station. Unfortunately we weren't able to staff the station on as many days as we would have wished and we thank the on-train TTIs for their understanding and support. We are always looking for new volunteers to help at Blue Anchor, particularly with the

booking office, and you will always receive a warm welcome. Even if you can only commit to a limited number of days, it all helps to give the friendly face and welcome to the customers and build their enjoyment of travelling on the line. For anyone feeling daunted about issuing the tickets, fear not: while issuing the oldstyle Edmondson cards was a pleasure in itself, it did involve a bit of paperwork and adding up and the new ticketing system is far easier, simpler and quicker. Maintenance and gardening at the station has continued, with more still to do. It was certainly very good growing conditions for all the vegetation this year! It will be nice for people to be able to enjoy the station gardens in full bloom next Spring. A big “thank you” from Gill Baulch and Steve Griffiths to all those who have helped at Blue Anchor this year. We look forward to seeing you in 2022, with hopefully a more normal train service in place and with trains running through to Minehead once more. John Lightfoot

The crew of No. 7828 Odney Manor in conversation with members of the Infrastructure Team at Dunster Station during a light engine move from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead on 16 August 2021. Photo: Tim Edmonds.

Dunster

Our time as a terminus station has been exciting and after initial adjustments, proved to be a very successful. Customers enjoyed the vintage buses, and in particular the open-top ride into Minehead – except during a shower or two! The London Transport Routemaster proved very popular and was much photographed, even on one occasion with a wedding party. Our biggest problem lay in lack of car parking space to accommodate the turning of buses, and despite “car park closed” signs, cars still kept appearing in the way. I would like to thank the TTIs, cleaners, bus drivers and train staff for all their help and generous support to make this a successful operation. The Dunster staff made a supreme effort and managed to

No. 9351 approaches Dunster over Sea Lane Crossing with the 14.45 from Bishops Lydeard on 27 August 2021. Photo: Tim Edmonds.

keep the station fully staffed for the whole period, and received much praise for their actions in keeping everyone as happy as possible. The tea pot was never cold... On the maintenance side, the dagger boards and guttering to the canopy are now complete and working fine. Apart from the normal painting and cleaning, we hope to attempt further improvements to our men’s toilets, plus some work, if only a new coat of paint, to the cycle shed. We will soon have two new running- in boards to improve our platform. Thanks to all at Dunster Station and those who supported us for a very successful season. We wish you a Happy Christmas and hope for a great New Year, looking forward to a more normal 2022. Dave Billings.

Minehead

For the time being we have said “Farewell” to the marvellous staff who have run the Turntable Café, which has been really busy and has kept the station alive. It is planned to have the shop open a couple of days a week in the lead-up to Christmas, and Readers Halt will experiment with opening on the same days. The big news from this end of the line is, of course, the fact that Seaward Way Crossing is complete and it has been handed back to the railway. The very necessary training of staff who will be operating a very different piece of kit has started. While we at Minehead had hoped we might see Christmas and New Year trains, this will not happen and so we look forward to a grand reopening in March 2022. It will have been 26 months since passenger trains have operated in and out of Minehead, so you can understand the excitement for staff here.

Already, though, the sound of steam and whistle has been heard as training proceeds. Work on the second water tower near the engine shed is nearing completion and we will see matching towers looking very smart, both with a “parachute” top keeping birds and other invaders clear of the water. (Eds Note: the work is now completed, see the photo below). The next few months will be busy ones preparing the station for next spring. White-lining the platform edge will take time, the flower beds and pots will be prepared with numerous other smaller jobs being undertaken by the station's work party. Hopefully, a major task will be installing a large canopy outside the café so that many more customers will be able to sit comfortably in the shade when the sun shines or sheltered from any rain that falls. Towards the end of November, a Christmas Market was planned on the platform. Due to Covid, the 2020 market was cancelled so we were really looking forward to hearing the Watchet Town band and catching a glimpse of Father Christmas at the event. Sadly no trains but great fun with the funds of the Friends of Minehead Station being improved. All at Minehead send all their railway friends best wishes for a safe Christmas and New Year. The last two years have been long and hard but, Covid permitting, we hope for a better 2022. Martyn Snell

Autumn sunshine highlights the beautifully-restored and repainted water tank between the turntable and bay platform at Minehead on 9 October 2021. Photo: Tim Edmonds.