OLDEST WORKING STEAM LOCO celebrates WEST SOMERSET 150th! + TROUBLESOME TURNTABLE & MIDLAND PULLMAN!

A good day of action in the South West today, kicked off with Locomotive Services Blue Pullman HST set which was out on the mainline working 1Z43 ‘The Torbay Rivera Midland Pullman’ from Holyhead - Paignton and return and we see 43049 ‘Neville Hill’ and 43046 'Geoff Drury 1930-1999 Steam Preservation and Computerised Track Recording Pioneer' speeding past Bridgwater on their way to Devon

We then head up to Minehead station on the West Somerset Railway, where this week, England's longest preserved railway is proudly celebrating the 150th anniversary of the opening of the line between Watchet and Minehead. The then new section of the line between Watchet and Minehead was opened on 16th July 1874, 150 years to the day today!

There were alot of activities going on to celebrate this historic milestone, including a special shuttle service between Minehead Station and Seaward Way Crossing top and tailed by visiting locomotives Furness No 20 from the Ribble Steam Railway, and Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST no.3581 ‘Marston, Thompson and Evershed no.3’ from the Foxfield Railway, Victorian reenactors and horse drawn coaches in the Station and lots more, with 6990 ‘Witherslack Hall’ and WSR Mogul 9351 in charge of regular services.

We were also treated to turntable demonstrations, some of which proved troublesome with the release leaver not wanting to budge! But the crew soon had it working and we get to see the mighty GWR Hall and Furness 20 take a full 360° spin at Minehead.

6880 ‘Betton Grange’ who failed previously, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf73MtQCr74&t=19s has now been moved inside the sheds at Minehead to allow more thorough investigations and repairs to take place, and progress certainly looked like it was being made today, so watch this space... | 16.07.2024

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