About West Somerset Railway
20 miles of heritage railway through stunning Somerset countryside and coast between Bishops Lydeard (nr. Taunton) and Minehead. .
West Somerset Railway Description
Let us take you on a 20 mile journey between Bishops Lydeard (near Taunton) and Minehead, perhaps stopping off at one of the other 8 stations (all individually different) in between. Take in the sights, sounds and smells of the railway.
Notice the constantly changing views of the countryside, whether a seasonal change or simply moving through the Quantock Hills, The Brendon Hills, farmland or coastline (and its massive tidal range) or view Exmoor National Park.
Look out for wildlife, count the buzzards! And then look out across the Bristol Channel - see the islands and south Wales.
Book online at www. west-somerset-railway. co. uk or call us on 01643 704996.
Reviews
Last minute space available for this Saturdays Diesel Engineman Course, we can offer this space for a special price of ┬Ż250, this course will start from Bishops Lydeard at 9am, for more information or to book please call us on 01643 704996.
The West Somerset Railway are pleased to announce that GWR 0-6-0 pannier tank No 7752 from Tyseley Locomotive Works will be joining our WSR steam fleet for the 2019 season. 7752 arrived earlier today (09 April) and has been placed into the shed for repainting into Great western Railway livery before entering traffic later on in the season. Further announcements and information regarding 7752 will be placed on our website as and when they are available. We are very grateful to our friends at 7029 Clun Castle Limited at Tyseley Locomotive works for the loan of this locomotive, and are looking forward to having the pannier tank forming part of our regular steam fleet of locomotives in 2019.
The Easter holidays are here, and the Easter Bunny has hidden letters at some of our stations, can you find the letters whilst looking out of the window to figure out what Easter word he has hidden?
The Easter Trail is free to all Young Persons travelling on the railway, and can be carried out whilst travelling between Bishops Lydeard and Watchet.
Pick up your activity sheet from any booking office to take part.
... A small prize is awarded to those that find the word and collect from the either the Watchet Station building or Bishops Lydeard shop.
https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/Ō Ć”/bishops-lydeard-tŌĆ”
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Sadly we have to confirm that owing to the lower weight restrictions now applied to the WSR we will be unable to host a Class 50 loco for the Diesel Gala.
Continue reading here for further information on the Diesel Gala, including new visiting locos here.
https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/Ō Ć”/diesel-gala-update
https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/Ō Ć”/safety-and-compliŌĆ”
Its competition time!!
In partnership with our friends at Quantock Brewery Name That Beer is back!
... Pop your name suggestions in the comments, to be in with a chance of winning a case of our new commemorative beer. Winner will be selected and notified after 19th April.
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Our first day of running services on 30th March 2019, captured on video by JG Productions what a great video!
https://www.youtube.com/watchŌĆ”
We have loved being back in action today.
Same again tomorrow!
The first service has left Bishops Lydeard!
We are so proud of all the work that has been carried out over the past few months by volunteers and staff.
Pictured our chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt, General Manager Paul Conibeare and Ray Lee our driver.
The first service left at 10.15 this morning.
We are so proud of all the hard work that has been carried out over the past few months from volunteers and staff.
Pictured our Chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt, General Manager Paul Conibeare and driver Ray Lee
Good morning!!!
Our first day of running is here!!
Who is going to come and join us for services between Bishops Lydeard and Watchet?
Its the day before we start running, and we can not wait!
We are so looking forward to welcoming passengers onto our services between Bishops Lydeard and Watchet.
We have a vintage bus connection between Watchet and Minehead where rover tickets and Minehead returns will be valid. Full information on the bus services can be found here https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/Ō Ć”/bus-connections-tŌĆ”
... Full information on our timetable can be found here https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/t imetables/view/101
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The West Somerset Railway (WSR) was both pleased and honoured to host the Royal Train for an overnight stay by Her Majesty the Queen ahead of her visit to Somerset yesterday (Thursday 28 March).
read more here
https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/Ō Ć”/west-somerset-raiŌĆ”... West Somerset Railway Association West Somerset Steam Railway Trust wsr.org.uk
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https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/Ō Ć”/bus-connections-tŌĆ”
https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/Ō Ć”/west-somerset-raiŌĆ”
this is an excellent opportunity for a day out, get the Rover ticket and hop on and off.Very good shop and caf├® at Minehead. Get off at Watchet and explore this attractive ancient port'.Children' of 'all' ages will enjoy both the Steam and Diesel trains. Not cheap but worth every penny as it is mighty expensive running these old and beautiful engines and trains.
Wonderful day out from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead . Would like to thank the lovely staff for reuniting me with my car key which I dropped on the train going to Minehead not realizing it was missing until our return to Bishops Lydeard . The guard who rang Minehead , key in lost property , the manager who drove the key back to us and the signalman who allowed us to wait in the warmth of the signalbox .Well done all of you .
We visited here to see Chase from Paw Patrol. We were not disappointed. Excellent viewing, plenty of time for photo's and free face painting for little one. Lovely station with the great smell of locomotives wafting around. Lovely snack and drink from the caf├®, plenty of seating too. A great time was had by our little girl with great memories. Thank you for putting this on :)
We have had an amazing day out a Steam Train which trundled its way through picture postcard countryside and along to the coast to Dunster Castle. Everything was perfect, with the stations along the way being authentically restored to an age gone by and the staff who were dressed in original costumes could not do enough for us. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone. Eloise and Ethan were very impressed and as for Alvaro , well, he thought he was in Harry Potter land. It was a day we will all remember for a long time. Thank you West Somerset Railway
This is another one crossed off my list. I've got to say the staff and the business itself was amazing. They were great with my boxer dog too, he got spoilt and his very own ROVER ticket. The weather was great as well being May 10th 2017.
Definitely one for the diary if you've not done it and one to do again if you have.
The freedom of the line ticket is great value, the staff are always friendly and knowledgeable. The stations are lovingly cared for and each one has its own character
Lovely ’┐Į really friendly staff and gorgeous scenery. Perfect day .
Lovely day out!! Stopped off at Watchet (little harbour town) and then travelled to Minehead for the day!! Steam train was lovely. My family loved travelling back, sitting in our own beautiful carriage. Great day out! Well worth it!! Don't forget to use your Tesco club card vouchers! The tickets would have cost my family ┬Ż50, however we used ┬Ż12.50 of Tesco club card vouchers as it 4x boosts!!
Loved it my twins loved it we travelled on Tuesday 18th april the lady at the ticket office at minehead was really sweet and patient with my 2 she explained everything to me and what was the best option for us a family.The guards on the train were really friendly especially on the way back as kids were getting restless as there were a few delays they came and spoke to us and the snacks and drinks availability was top notch boys loved the sandwiches really good value for money ideal family trip out thank you xxx
Love this steam rail way visited here last September while on holiday saw flying Scotsman it was brilliant lovely gift shop brought a flying Scotsman mug and other goodies fantastic store on Minehead station that sells train magazines and post cards well done volunteers keep up the good work will be back Vanessa postings
Just want to say that I had a fantastic day on the Railway today. The highlight of the day was of course: seeing Flying Scotsman and riding behind her. It was the most wonderful and fantastic journey. One that will always the most romanable. So two big thumbs up to the Flying Scotsman and the West Somerset Railway. Thank you for making this a fantastic day for me.
Just completed the 2 day Engineman Course. It was fantastic and lived up to all my expectations. First day of some theory about signalling and the workings of steam engines plus a tour of the yard, workshops and the Minehead signal box. Second day preparing the engine for the day and then hands on driving, coaling and off down the line with 6 coaches. Only 6 of us on the course so lots of hands on and getting stuck in. Stuart our tutor was exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced and really made the two days very special. If you have any level of interest in steam railways then this is a must. Thank you WSR!!!!!
Ivan and I were married on 28 March 2018 in the morning. We then took our wedding party on the steam railway from Williton to Bishops Lydeard and then back via Minehead. We had fish and chips on one leg and then a cream tea on the return. Brilliant! The staff were superb and special mention for Dave Noble. Thanks guys a truly memorable and different wedding day x
Had a thoroughly enjoyable day. The day rover was excellent value, we did the full journey to Minehead and then did lovely coast walk back to Blue Anchor, back on train for a while and off again for a visit to Watchet before train back to Bishops Lydeard - perfect! Was in awe of the work and dedication of all the brilliant volunteers who make this possible and the friendliness of everyone we met.
Had a lovely time. Family of 11 on holiday we made this a full day out and it was a brilliant day. The guards on our train were wonderful even giving my youngest daughter two infant tickets for her twin dolls. Made her day. Made such wonderful memories. If a train was a bit delayed we was kept informed. Thank you for a lovely day.
Came to Minehead in 2016 and promised myself that if we came back we'd go on the steam train....well, we have and we did and I can honestly say that it lived up to all our expectations!
Staff were friendly, helpful and great with my four year old granddaughter ...telling her about the train and explaining what they do. One of the guards even played hide and seek through the window when we stopped at a station much to her delight!
The train journey itself brought back wonderful childhood memories ....and we absolutely loved it.
Great service, great value and woukd highly recommend.
Amazing night on the run to Dunster by candlelight. The volunteers and staff are second to none and couldn't be more accommodating. Even when the loco lost half an hour to due wheel spin they delayed all return trips so we didn't loose any time in Dunster. Highly recommended.
Mike and I enjoyed a great Murder Mystery evening last night with friends.
The service and food were excellent and the play was good fun and so was the opportunity to dress up
The Diesel Gala on Saturday 9th June was a complete disaster with no information available to enable us to plan some sort of journey. We made the mistake of alighting at Washford and never did reach Minehead...
this is an excellent opportunity for a day out, get the Rover ticket and hop on and off.Very good shop and caf├® at Minehead. Get off at Watchet and explore this attractive ancient port'.Children' of 'all' ages will enjoy both the Steam and Diesel trains. Not cheap but worth every penny as it is mighty expensive running these old and beautiful engines and trains.
Wonderful day out from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead . Would like to thank the lovely staff for reuniting me with my car key which I dropped on the train going to Minehead not realizing it was missing until our return to Bishops Lydeard . The guard who rang Minehead , key in lost property , the manager who drove the key back to us and the signalman who allowed us to wait in the warmth of the signalbox .Well done all of you .
We visited here to see Chase from Paw Patrol. We were not disappointed. Excellent viewing, plenty of time for photo's and free face painting for little one. Lovely station with the great smell of locomotives wafting around. Lovely snack and drink from the caf├®, plenty of seating too. A great time was had by our little girl with great memories. Thank you for putting this on :)
We have had an amazing day out a Steam Train which trundled its way through picture postcard countryside and along to the coast to Dunster Castle. Everything was perfect, with the stations along the way being authentically restored to an age gone by and the staff who were dressed in original costumes could not do enough for us. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone. Eloise and Ethan were very impressed and as for Alvaro , well, he thought he was in Harry Potter land. It was a day we will all remember for a long time. Thank you West Somerset Railway
This is another one crossed off my list. I've got to say the staff and the business itself was amazing. They were great with my boxer dog too, he got spoilt and his very own ROVER ticket. The weather was great as well being May 10th 2017.
Definitely one for the diary if you've not done it and one to do again if you have.
The freedom of the line ticket is great value, the staff are always friendly and knowledgeable. The stations are lovingly cared for and each one has its own character
Lovely ’┐Į really friendly staff and gorgeous scenery. Perfect day .
Lovely day out!! Stopped off at Watchet (little harbour town) and then travelled to Minehead for the day!! Steam train was lovely. My family loved travelling back, sitting in our own beautiful carriage. Great day out! Well worth it!! Don't forget to use your Tesco club card vouchers! The tickets would have cost my family ┬Ż50, however we used ┬Ż12.50 of Tesco club card vouchers as it 4x boosts!!
Loved it my twins loved it we travelled on Tuesday 18th april the lady at the ticket office at minehead was really sweet and patient with my 2 she explained everything to me and what was the best option for us a family.The guards on the train were really friendly especially on the way back as kids were getting restless as there were a few delays they came and spoke to us and the snacks and drinks availability was top notch boys loved the sandwiches really good value for money ideal family trip out thank you xxx
Love this steam rail way visited here last September while on holiday saw flying Scotsman it was brilliant lovely gift shop brought a flying Scotsman mug and other goodies fantastic store on Minehead station that sells train magazines and post cards well done volunteers keep up the good work will be back Vanessa postings
Just want to say that I had a fantastic day on the Railway today. The highlight of the day was of course: seeing Flying Scotsman and riding behind her. It was the most wonderful and fantastic journey. One that will always the most romanable. So two big thumbs up to the Flying Scotsman and the West Somerset Railway. Thank you for making this a fantastic day for me.
Just completed the 2 day Engineman Course. It was fantastic and lived up to all my expectations. First day of some theory about signalling and the workings of steam engines plus a tour of the yard, workshops and the Minehead signal box. Second day preparing the engine for the day and then hands on driving, coaling and off down the line with 6 coaches. Only 6 of us on the course so lots of hands on and getting stuck in. Stuart our tutor was exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced and really made the two days very special. If you have any level of interest in steam railways then this is a must. Thank you WSR!!!!!
Ivan and I were married on 28 March 2018 in the morning. We then took our wedding party on the steam railway from Williton to Bishops Lydeard and then back via Minehead. We had fish and chips on one leg and then a cream tea on the return. Brilliant! The staff were superb and special mention for Dave Noble. Thanks guys a truly memorable and different wedding day x
Had a thoroughly enjoyable day. The day rover was excellent value, we did the full journey to Minehead and then did lovely coast walk back to Blue Anchor, back on train for a while and off again for a visit to Watchet before train back to Bishops Lydeard - perfect! Was in awe of the work and dedication of all the brilliant volunteers who make this possible and the friendliness of everyone we met.
Had a lovely time. Family of 11 on holiday we made this a full day out and it was a brilliant day. The guards on our train were wonderful even giving my youngest daughter two infant tickets for her twin dolls. Made her day. Made such wonderful memories. If a train was a bit delayed we was kept informed. Thank you for a lovely day.
Came to Minehead in 2016 and promised myself that if we came back we'd go on the steam train....well, we have and we did and I can honestly say that it lived up to all our expectations!
Staff were friendly, helpful and great with my four year old granddaughter ...telling her about the train and explaining what they do. One of the guards even played hide and seek through the window when we stopped at a station much to her delight!
The train journey itself brought back wonderful childhood memories ....and we absolutely loved it.
Great service, great value and woukd highly recommend.
Amazing night on the run to Dunster by candlelight. The volunteers and staff are second to none and couldn't be more accommodating. Even when the loco lost half an hour to due wheel spin they delayed all return trips so we didn't loose any time in Dunster. Highly recommended.
Mike and I enjoyed a great Murder Mystery evening last night with friends.
The service and food were excellent and the play was good fun and so was the opportunity to dress up
The Diesel Gala on Saturday 9th June was a complete disaster with no information available to enable us to plan some sort of journey. We made the mistake of alighting at Washford and never did reach Minehead...
this is an excellent opportunity for a day out, get the Rover ticket and hop on and off.Very good shop and caf├® at Minehead. Get off at Watchet and explore this attractive ancient port'.Children' of 'all' ages will enjoy both the Steam and Diesel trains. Not cheap but worth every penny as it is mighty expensive running these old and beautiful engines and trains.
Wonderful day out from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead . Would like to thank the lovely staff for reuniting me with my car key which I dropped on the train going to Minehead not realizing it was missing until our return to Bishops Lydeard . The guard who rang Minehead , key in lost property , the manager who drove the key back to us and the signalman who allowed us to wait in the warmth of the signalbox .Well done all of you .
We visited here to see Chase from Paw Patrol. We were not disappointed. Excellent viewing, plenty of time for photo's and free face painting for little one. Lovely station with the great smell of locomotives wafting around. Lovely snack and drink from the caf├®, plenty of seating too. A great time was had by our little girl with great memories. Thank you for putting this on :)
We have had an amazing day out a Steam Train which trundled its way through picture postcard countryside and along to the coast to Dunster Castle. Everything was perfect, with the stations along the way being authentically restored to an age gone by and the staff who were dressed in original costumes could not do enough for us. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone. Eloise and Ethan were very impressed and as for Alvaro , well, he thought he was in Harry Potter land. It was a day we will all remember for a long time. Thank you West Somerset Railway
This is another one crossed off my list. I've got to say the staff and the business itself was amazing. They were great with my boxer dog too, he got spoilt and his very own ROVER ticket. The weather was great as well being May 10th 2017.
Definitely one for the diary if you've not done it and one to do again if you have.
The freedom of the line ticket is great value, the staff are always friendly and knowledgeable. The stations are lovingly cared for and each one has its own character
Lovely ’┐Į really friendly staff and gorgeous scenery. Perfect day .
Lovely day out!! Stopped off at Watchet (little harbour town) and then travelled to Minehead for the day!! Steam train was lovely. My family loved travelling back, sitting in our own beautiful carriage. Great day out! Well worth it!! Don't forget to use your Tesco club card vouchers! The tickets would have cost my family ┬Ż50, however we used ┬Ż12.50 of Tesco club card vouchers as it 4x boosts!!
Loved it my twins loved it we travelled on Tuesday 18th april the lady at the ticket office at minehead was really sweet and patient with my 2 she explained everything to me and what was the best option for us a family.The guards on the train were really friendly especially on the way back as kids were getting restless as there were a few delays they came and spoke to us and the snacks and drinks availability was top notch boys loved the sandwiches really good value for money ideal family trip out thank you xxx
Love this steam rail way visited here last September while on holiday saw flying Scotsman it was brilliant lovely gift shop brought a flying Scotsman mug and other goodies fantastic store on Minehead station that sells train magazines and post cards well done volunteers keep up the good work will be back Vanessa postings
Just want to say that I had a fantastic day on the Railway today. The highlight of the day was of course: seeing Flying Scotsman and riding behind her. It was the most wonderful and fantastic journey. One that will always the most romanable. So two big thumbs up to the Flying Scotsman and the West Somerset Railway. Thank you for making this a fantastic day for me.
Just completed the 2 day Engineman Course. It was fantastic and lived up to all my expectations. First day of some theory about signalling and the workings of steam engines plus a tour of the yard, workshops and the Minehead signal box. Second day preparing the engine for the day and then hands on driving, coaling and off down the line with 6 coaches. Only 6 of us on the course so lots of hands on and getting stuck in. Stuart our tutor was exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced and really made the two days very special. If you have any level of interest in steam railways then this is a must. Thank you WSR!!!!!
Ivan and I were married on 28 March 2018 in the morning. We then took our wedding party on the steam railway from Williton to Bishops Lydeard and then back via Minehead. We had fish and chips on one leg and then a cream tea on the return. Brilliant! The staff were superb and special mention for Dave Noble. Thanks guys a truly memorable and different wedding day x
Had a thoroughly enjoyable day. The day rover was excellent value, we did the full journey to Minehead and then did lovely coast walk back to Blue Anchor, back on train for a while and off again for a visit to Watchet before train back to Bishops Lydeard - perfect! Was in awe of the work and dedication of all the brilliant volunteers who make this possible and the friendliness of everyone we met.
Had a lovely time. Family of 11 on holiday we made this a full day out and it was a brilliant day. The guards on our train were wonderful even giving my youngest daughter two infant tickets for her twin dolls. Made her day. Made such wonderful memories. If a train was a bit delayed we was kept informed. Thank you for a lovely day.
Came to Minehead in 2016 and promised myself that if we came back we'd go on the steam train....well, we have and we did and I can honestly say that it lived up to all our expectations!
Staff were friendly, helpful and great with my four year old granddaughter ...telling her about the train and explaining what they do. One of the guards even played hide and seek through the window when we stopped at a station much to her delight!
The train journey itself brought back wonderful childhood memories ....and we absolutely loved it.
Great service, great value and woukd highly recommend.
Amazing night on the run to Dunster by candlelight. The volunteers and staff are second to none and couldn't be more accommodating. Even when the loco lost half an hour to due wheel spin they delayed all return trips so we didn't loose any time in Dunster. Highly recommended.
Mike and I enjoyed a great Murder Mystery evening last night with friends.
The service and food were excellent and the play was good fun and so was the opportunity to dress up
The Diesel Gala on Saturday 9th June was a complete disaster with no information available to enable us to plan some sort of journey. We made the mistake of alighting at Washford and never did reach Minehead...