‘halls’ REsTRICTED ON WsR as passENgER TRaINs RETuRN
Ageing track means that Raveningham Hall is likely to spend 2019 at another railway.
if you doN’t likE What WE’rE doiNg, thErE’S thE door
Paul Conibeare, wsr general manager
The West Somerset Railway has resumed passenger services, following its prolonged winter shutdown to repair its infrastructure and satisfy Office of Rail & Road concerns.
The line’s General Manager, Paul Conibeare, said: “There was a mountain to climb and we climbed it,” after passenger trains ran over a truncated section of the WSR on March 30 for the first time since January 2.
Initially, the line reopened between Bishops Lydeard and Watchet – with steam running from the railway’s southern terminus to the seaside town and a Class 33 diesel locomotive hauling return journeys – owing to more work being required at Blue Anchor, although Mr Conibeare was hopeful the line would reopen over its full length to Minehead by Easter.
However, the WSR has since imposed a temporary 17½-ton axle loading limit, down from its previous ‘Red Route’ restriction of 20 tons, on the 23-mile line between Minehead and the railway’s boundary with Network Rail at Norton Fitzwarren, because of concerns about the condition of the track, much of which is GWR-era.
WSR plc Vice-Chairman Mark Smith told Steam Railway that the WSR board decided to implement the restriction, following verification of its own detailed infrastructure report, which had taken over a year to compile.
It means that Jeremy Hosking’s Raveningham Hall is expected to move elsewhere to earn its keep, at least on a temporary basis. The
‘Modified Hall’s’ axle loading is above the ‘Blue’ route restriction, which also precludes other big locomotives, such as ‘Castles’, from running over the branch.
However, No. 7828 Odney Manor and ‘7F’ No. 53808 are both safely within the new loading restriction, and will continue to run during 2019.
Mr Smith said that he “won’t speculate” on when the current limit could be lifted, but added: “If we can maintain the current progress of repairs and funding, then it won’t be long before we’re back up to ‘Red’.”
The decision coincided with the hire of Tyseley’s pannier tank No. L94 until March 2020, but he said that its April 9 arrival was “pure serendipity”.
As part of the hire agreement, the locomotive is being painted into GWR green as No. 7752, having run in London Transport maroon livery since its 2012 overhaul.
Mr Conibeare added: “It is another locomotive that can help the railway. I’ve been overwhelmed by the level of support from other heritage railways and we must put on record how grateful we are.
“We’ve done work on coaches, we’ve done work on locomotives, we’ve done a lot of rail-turning, we’ve changed a lot of rails, we’ve changed sleepers… the list goes on,” the WSR GM continued. “We’ve spent £170,000 on the track in a short period of time and that’s a big chunk of money for a company that is short of cash. We know why we sold [No.] 4110 – we needed the cash – and we’ve had to take out a loan to get us to the reopening.”
Mr Conibeare said he wants to put the line’s struggles in recent years behind him and explained part of the plan is to ensure there is stability within the line’s senior management team under the guidance of chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt. As part of the turnaround plan, he also said he is hopeful various supporting bodies will work with him to support his vision and added: “The nastiness on social media is history – we’ve got to work together now.”
“It has been made perfectly clear: if you don’t like what we’re doing, there’s the door. We’re on a journey – join us on it because now we’ve got to raise funds,” he added.
●● Pannier tank No. 6412 will star at the WSR’s event on June 8/9, marking 40 years since the line reopened to Bishops Lydeard.
The Collett ‘64XX’ was the WSR’s first operational ex-BR locomotive when the line reopened from Minehead to Blue Anchor in 1976, but is now based at the South Devon Railway following its sale by the WSR Association in 2007.