The first time I came across this fascinating line I was about 13 years old, I was on holiday with my family and I’d asked the catch a train to Minehead so my parents took me to Taunton where I boarded a long train made up of Western Region Intercity DMS, the train was already full to standing room only as it was a Saturdays only through train from Paddington, most of the passengers were destined for Butlins Holiday Camp. Being young I don’t remember much about the Journey, just the surprisingly long platforms at Minehead. By 1968 I’d subscribed to “Modern Railways” where I read about the impending closure of the line which surprised me as the train I had traveled on had been so busy, apparently most of the weekday trains, especially in Winter were lightly loaded. The line closed in 1971 and the magazines of the day contained photos of the last train followed each month with more photos showing nature reclaiming the tracks, there was some mention of enthusiasts hoping to save part of the line. I visited the line again in 1976 to ride a train to Williton the limit of passenger trains at that time operated by the West Somerset Railway. As the years went by I continued to visit periodically as operations extended back to Bishops Lydeard and on to Norton Fitzwarren on special event days. Today the stations look smart and well cared for as do the locomotives and trains. This railway is a wonderful recreation of a Western Region Branch line serving a busy seaside resort. In this video a camera was mounted on steam locomotive No 9351 to allow viewers to see the line from a view point normally only available to the driver of a diesel locomotive or multiple unit.
The railway is a standard gauge line, (1,435 mm - 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) located in the South, West of England, easily accessible by car or by bus from Taunton BR station served by regular GWR trains from London and the West Country, along with CrossCountry trains services from the North and Midlands.
To learn more or maybe plan your own visit, please click on this link -
www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/
Thank you to the staff and volunteers of the West Somerset Railway for their kind assistance in making this video.