Steam at Shepton

SHEPTON MALLET CHARLTON ROAD

(All copyright 31.8.2009 Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

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A really special treat back in 2009 was the opportunity to travel by train and behind steam over Charlton Road viaduct in Shepton Mallet. This is one of the most spectacular pieces of infrastructure on the line, and normally it is not even possible to walk across it as it is gated at both ends.

As part of the Kilver Court Gardens Open Day a 7¼" gauge miniature railway was laid across the viaduct and, for just a day, you could recapture, in a small way, the thrill of crossing this magnificent structure.

Hopefully in the future similar set ups can be created up and down the line to celebrate events! (Prior to the line being reopened for standard gauge trains of course!)

7F at Midsomer Norton!

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The first 7F to appear on track at Midsomer Norton will be over the weekend of 13th/14th December 2014.  No, not the full size version but a live steam 5 inch gauge model which will be providing train rides on both days from 11.30 to 13.00 and 13.30 to 16.00, so do come along and take a ride.  53808 and 53809 will eventually steam at our station but we need to get the next section to Chilcompton open first.

more rails close to the New S&D

This is the Hunters Rest Miniature Railway near Pensford. It may well be the only pub miniature railway in the UK! It's a mile or two from Pensford, which had (and will of course have again) a station on the Radstock to Bristol line. The line runs for about a third of a mile through woods and alongside the pub car park.

We went to the pub today but only photographed the line - I think my riding days of lines this small are over! It has combined track for both 7 1/4" and 5" guage trains. There are a couple of steam locos used on this line but today they were using this Hymek-style freelance diesel, pulling a single carriage.

The Bristol to Radstock route (which of course continues to Frome) closed in 1968 after damage to the magnificent (and still extant) Pensford viaduct in the massive July 1968 flood. The New S&D plans to reopen this route to ease capacity limits on the Radstock to Bath section of the S&D. Part of this route is now a cycleway between Radstock and Midsomer Norton, there is also the (moribund?) Clutton station revival with (at least a few years ago) a mark one standard gauge coach and a narrow gauge diesel alongside but unconnected to the Clutton scheme, plus this tiny line about a mile from the route between Pensford and Clutton. All worth a visit of course!

midford in 1991

This is a fantastic shot from Brian Clarke showing the miniature railway that operated along the platform at Midford in 1991. (Photo © Brian Clarke)

The picture shows the little steam train Bob Bullock brought to run along platform on iron track I made joined with ali track (like is in your garden) to get the length. This operated for insurance reasons as "Weston Miniature Rly" with scaled down replica "Pines Express" headboard & was the first steam train operation there since closure.

easy tracklaying!

My afternoon involved laying a panel of track on my garden railway - the weather was too good not to do it! The line is only 7 1/4" gauge and just four track panels long (my previous garden was a lot larger!) but now it's complete I'm thinking about getting an electric loco charged via a solar panel. As always with me the line will serve a purpose helping to move stuff around the garden and giving it a focal point.

This took just an hour to do!

do them a favour

I was brought up in Littlehampton in Sussex and amazingly we had a steam railway until the late 1970s. Okay, it was in the (then) unique 12¼" gauge, but it was genuine working steam.

I remember walking along late at night it in an inebriated state in the early 70s!

There were plans to extend the line all the way along the prom to the pier end of town in the 1980s, and the line was actually extended about 50 metres around this time (extension shown in bottom pic, the station was formerly in the trees in the background).

Now the line is under threat due to the very short-sighted and backwards-looking council. There's an excellent facebook group set up to preserve the line - if you believe in railways (even the miniature variety!) please join.

back from torbay

Back from an almost rail-less weekend! We did manage to see the above - the 10¼" gauge Paignton Zoo Miniature Railway - but nothing was running.

Some very nice donations came into the New S&D whilst I was away for which I thank you very much!

Back to the grindstone tomorrow ...

shepton update

(Photo Andy Lunness)

Info on the Shepton Mallet steam runs is hardening up!

Sadly it is not going to be a real narrow gauge train but rather a 7 1/4" gauge narrow gauge outline loco running across the viaduct. I've got 7 1/4" gauge in my garden so am quite fond of the gauge!

Bottom shot is almost certainly the loco that will be used, Tinkerbell no 3, which is used on the miniature railway at the East Somerset Railway, which opened in June this year. It's a pretty serious engine for such a small gauge.

I'd still recommend going as this may be the only chance to travel across the viaduct in the next ten years or so, although I suspect if successful this may become an annual event or, dare I suggest, a permanent miniature or narrow gauge railway may be installed, at least until standard gauge trains return.