‘Jinty’ back at Midsomer Norton

A last-minute offer of an LMS ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T has pumped new life into the S&D ‘50’ gala being staged at Midsomer Norton, the location of the only operational standard gauge fragment of the old BathBournemouth main line. No. 47406 from the Great Central Railway will be hauling passenger trains over the weekends of February 27/28 and March 5/6 in the guise of No. 47506, which was a Bath Green Park engine from late 1963 until the shed’s closure. If there is potential demand to cover the steaming fee, there may be an extra day’s running. March 5 is also the date of the official commissioning of the signal box by the leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Tim Warren. Newly restored ex-industrial Sentinel 0-4-0VBT No. 7109, the prototype for the LMS’s Nos. 7190 and 7191 which worked collieries near Radstock, may be in light steam, but the completion of full restoration by owners Andy Chapman and Nigel Dickinson is still a few months away. The next major event at Midsomer Norton should take place on September 10/11 if a BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T can be borrowed. As reported in SR450, the narrow gauge Gartell Light Railway near Templecombe will be running two ninecoach trains on March 6, steam-hauled and doubleheaded, to replicate, as far as possible, the last two farewell specials over the S&D, and running as closely as possible to the same times. Former S&D fireman Mike Baker will be on one of the footplates.