‘LAST DAY’ STANDARD TANK CO AT WSR’S SOMERSET & DORS
A BR Standard 2-6-4T that achieved enthusiast fame during the last hours of the Somerset & Dorset is to be reincarnated at the West Somerset Railway’s ‘S&D 50’ gala in March.
Precisely 50 years after it was active on the final day of S&D service trains on March 5 1966, and double-headed the Stephenson Locomotive Society special with ‘8F’ No. 48706 the following day, ‘4MT’ tank No. 80043 will be seen again for the WSR gala on March 5/6 and 10-13 - courtesy of Llangollen-based visitor No. 80072. The identity changes will continue with the changing No. 34070 Manston No. 44422 No. 44871 No. 53808 No. 53809 No. 80072 No. 92214 W/No. 1788 ‘Kilmersdon’ of a rebuilt ‘Battle of Britain’ into a ‘West Country’, with Southern Locomotives’ No. 34053 Sir Keith Park masquerading as No. 34098 Templecombe for the second weekend, while all 11 of the WSR’s stations will be renamed as S&D locations (see panel, right). Sadly, the National Railway Museum has refused to grant permission for BR green ‘9F’ No. 92214 to run as No. 92220 Evening Star, which hauled the last ‘Pines Express’ over the S&D on September 8 1962. A total of eight locomotives appropriate to the S&D are booked to HOME RAILWAY Severn Valley Swanage West Somerset East Lancs West Somerset Midland Rly - Butterley Llangollen Great Central West Somerset RUNNING AS appear (see panel, below), including the first steaming of two ‘7F’ 2-8-0s in BR black since 1964. Final reassembly and painting of No. 53808 is under way at Minehead following its fasttrack ‘ten-yearly’ overhaul, while No. 53809 is also nearing completion at the Midland Railway - Butterley. A third Fowler engine, the WSR’s new resident ‘4F’ 0-6-0 No. 44422, underwent its steam test following overhaul at Crewe on February 9, and arrived on WSR metals on February 16. Ian Riley’s ‘Black Five’ No. 44871 replaces the MidHants Railway’s No. 45379. No. 34098 Templecombe (2nd weekend only) No. 80043 A ninth locomotive in steam will be Prussian Blue Peckett 0-4-0ST ‘Kilmersdon’, which will be paired with S&DJR six-wheel First carriage No. 4 on short shuttle runs out of Minehead station. Withdrawn from S&D service in 1930 and subsequently used as a cricket pavilion, it is making its passengercarrying debut. Discounted tickets for the event can be booked on 01643 704996 or at www. west-somerset-railway.co.uk Operations at Bishops Lydeard during the weekend will be arranged to re-create the famous manoeuvres undertaken at Templecombe, where S&D trains had to shunt up the spur to serve the Southern station, before reversing back out onto the main line to continue their journey. In the WSR’s version, trains leaving for Minehead will first be hauled southwards onto the Norton Fitzwarren line before starting their northbound run. Another small piece of history will be re-created at Washford, where ‘7F’ No. 53808 will demonstrate the S&D Trust’s surviving Whitaker tablet exchange apparatus.