MAINLINE DMU RUNS FROM MINEHEAD TO TAUNTON

Will the ways of achieving this be found? Please feel free to add your comments for and against the idea. They may help those working towards this aim.

[@willswheels283]

Must have been quite surreal to be riding on a modern DMU from Minehead to Taunton, an interesting experience of what it would have been like if BR had of kept the line open. I would imagine that all the stations would have been simple affairs with bus shelters instead of buildings and ticket machines instead of a ticket office.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

Yes that's right. I wonder if it will happen in time.

[@STEVEHARLEY1956]

This must be some time ago Mike.....There is a good chance that an extension to the Cardiff - Taunton service will come to Bishops Lydeard in the future...Fingers crossed.....If a GWR ran all the way to Minehead the line speed would still only be 25 MPH..Meaning a pretty long journey...But the catchment area for the WSR into BL is vast..Most of South Wales for a start for a Day trip with through Ticketing.....etc etc....Good if it happens...Steve.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

This is a combination of older videos when indeed you could catch a special local train that eventually went to Bristol and to Cardiff. It was a great day out at a reasonable cost.

[@michaelsandford1015]

Very good filming

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

Thank you.

[@hawkrock1]

would be great mike and in the winter when no trains are running you can get into minehead and of course watchet..lets hope this becomes reality..Would be then possiable for me to see the famous watchet guiesers at high tide..

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

Yes now, there's a good idea Richard to give people a feel as to how things could be.

[@TriflingCircle]

When these plans were considered some years ago I recall that there was opposition, to the the through service, from trade unions representing the bus workers on the grounds that trains would be a threat to their jobs. The 28 bus service is very good with daytime buses every half hour weekdays and hourly at weekends. I use it and would not like to see it decline, Would be a loss to people in the towns and villages as stations are some distance away, would be inconvenient to me to have to go to Taunton or Bishops Lydeard for a train. Not heard these objections for a long time now. Some of your viewers are a lot more observant than me. New Forty Steps were opened in July 2014.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

We certainly don't want to bring in any problems with running the 28 bus. It is essential communication for everyone.. I think what is thought of is just one early morning through train before the WSR starts and one back around 6pm when normal WSR service will have stopped. The problem that raises is prolonging the time that volunteers would be needed to man the stations ( if they are thought necessary to open the stations) and probably letting the WSR signal boxes open to Mainline signalmen who would have only brief working hours, early and late.

[@applecounty]

NUR Number 4.

[@bobwood856]

An interesting video, if a little misleading. I would suggest this was recorded well over a year ago, if not considerably more, as the original Forty-Steps footbridge, and the derelict remains of Taunton MPD are still in evidence, both of which have been gone for some time. However, I do support the aims of the organisation.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

Yes of course. This is to show what it could be like if the the railway can sort out the associated problems with running such a service.

[@JacobsTrainVideos]

wow rare

[@PBRJOHN684]

I think it would be good for tourism like people who can't drive and want to take the kids down to Butlins for the week/weekend especially if you come as far a field as I do like South Wales.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

It would be useful for that certainly. I believe some years back Butlins tried running a special train for their customers but at the end of the trail found they didn't have enough customers to make it pay.

[@PBRJOHN684]

@@ADMIRALSCORNER Shame about that. I drive myself but have found it better when I have been to Butlins with my daughter to come from Swansea by train to Taunton, but not so much by bus. So the option is there but perhaps they could advertise it as part the package deal!

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

@@PBRJOHN684 Yes I agree with you.

[@trainrover]

Trackside equipment appears updated enough..I don't understand this on-going, decades-long hesitation at resurrecting scheduled service along this branch..oh well.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

We do hope those with the info can explain more. Ditto those with some answers! Part of the problem is running mainline trains on tracks thought to be maintained by volunteers.

[@trainrover]

How must you have learned about this run, can you not throw a link to its notice on-line into your video description above? Regards, Montreal mystification.. .. . .

[@davidcrook4166]

A most interesting video indeed and I wasn't even aware that this train ran please excuse my ignorance! So sorry I haven't been in touch I just don't do so much KZbin now. Did I send you a Christmas card, by the way? can't remember very sorry if I didn't Kind regards David

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

This was a special occasion which many are trying to get repeated, sadly so far without any luck. David you are always in our mind as a true enthusiast, Christmas card or not!

[@davidcrook4166]

Thank you so much Mike and Val but did I send you a card? So so sorry if I didn't I'm never organized enough at Christmas and how was your Christmas? Hope it was happy mine certainly was thanks to my sister, brother-in-law and nieces and a great-niece! Also went to Brunel Manor, Torquay, week before last for a Christian conference have I told you about Brunel Manor GREAT place...

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

@@davidcrook4166 Ah Brunel Manor. Val has been there on several christian retreats over the years. I never have, but ought to have visited, especially as it was the home of the great engineer! Val recons we did get a card from you at Christmas, I am not sure sadly even though I take particular attention to Christian cards.and they have all gone to recycling now. It is good to know you had a Good Christmas. We had an unusual holiday time then. I did put up a video of spending some time together with a neighbour and my funny sister in law!

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

Val went looking again and found your card, showing two sheep on the front, saying she always keeps cards from special people!

[@stevies.1975]

It’s not beyond the wit of man, nor the organisations involved to make this happen. However, there are many issues that would simply not make it an effective or overly profitable venture. As has been pointed out, the slow line speeds would deter many when there are faster alternatives, particularly for the full route. As a result of that alone, it would not be a good (or at least viable) commuter option. I think the best options would be for a regular weekend service, even if only between Taunton - Bishops Lydeard as has been provided for special events previously. As has been made clear by the WSR previously, the cost of even running those services has been almost prohibitive and I don’t believe, profitable. New lower charging arrangements would have to be agreed to make any venture viable. I’m sure many others will have noted that FGW/GWR usually flood those services with several staff which I have always found odd and an unnecessarily burdensome cost. If they ran their own regular services with as many staff, they’d soon go out of business. It would appear that some slewing of track or other obstructions between Norton Fitzwarren and Taunton has removed the possibility to have a full length line (as per the Spa Valley Railway at Eridge, for example) to run side by side. I’m sure I had seen photo’s that suggested there had been track in situ previously. Certainly the platform space is/was(?) available at Taunton. Nothing would surprise me if a typical BR conspiracy occurred to prevent such a solution being possible. It’s happened many times before where local groups expressed an interest to acquire land and/or track. BR and it’s successor Railtrack would suddenly pull their fingers out of their proverbial corporate bottoms to either sell or use land for alternate uses. I have to say though, that Network Rail in general have woken up to the benefits of integrated transport infrastructure between heritage and national rail, but everything is now so bogged down in legislation and unnecessarily high costs. However, they haven’t been totally blameless in being awkward. One immediate example I can think of is the siting of electrical cabinets close to Wareham station on the track bed of what could be the lead in to the available platform. And that happened during the comparatively recent resignalling upgrades in the area which included the Swanage connection.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

Thank you for your input.

[@spuds4t]

Great video Mike, thanks for sharing. Sadly, as is regulary happening with your excellent videos your commentary is drowned out by the background and your delivery needs to be a bit more forceful (lol) Otherwise I really do enjoy your promotions. Henry

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

I know I do have a soft voice! It was also the case that on the train I didn't want to talk too loudly as people nearby would wonder why that old chap was talking to himself!

[@melvinstone334]

Do you think that will ever happen regular service Minehead to Taunton

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

it was one of the main aims when the WSR was brought back to life. The WSR has agreed to try and get a mainline DMU meet its trains at BL in the Summer. I fear that will take too long to be a practical service from Minehead to Taunton. There are many problems to be sorted out but perhaps with everyone working together a way forward can be found.

[@applecounty]

Possibly. If it does happen it will not involve the heritage side of the WSR, too many financial liabilities especially in relation to hefty fines for not making the designated path onto the mainline. The mainline franchisee, GWR, is the logical candidate should the idea come to anything. The idea is not as straight forward as some have suggested, or have us believe.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

@@applecounty People the past have tried to sort out the problems but we are no further forward really. Yet I believe a similar situation on other voluntary railways has been overcome. With the recent government inspectors making more demands on how the railway is being run now, I expect that will make the possibility of the situation even more of a problem. The cost of putting in a separate line parallel with the WSR would cost a very large sum which the mainline railway would think not worthwhile.

[@chris4782]

when did this actually take place?

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

The first sequence was the edited arrival of the 40 year celebration train and the second a combination of videos made when there was a special train some years ago that ran to Bristol and Cardiff. The original individual videos are still viewable on KZbin.

[@chris4782]

If this train ran from Minehead to Taunton, why can't the WSR trains run from BL to Taunton? It beggars belief why these things can't be made to happen, after all, its not that they have to build stations and lay track. As with a lot of things these days, there seems to be problems putting the blockers on progress which would be amazing for the masses. It surely can't be to do with money because I am sure I read somewhere that WSR was in profit, maybe I am wrong. I heard also that the WSR is on shut down from Jan 2nd to the 1st of April,.....Why??? I just hope everything is up and running for our trip to BL in July, really looking forward to it.I think I am right that WSR is the longest Heritage railway in the UK, if it went to Taunton there wouldn't be another railway that could come near.We live in Shropshire on the Wales border so we have 2 heritage railways near to us but we just love the WSR even though it seems a million miles away but closer with the webcams.Long may this railway flourish and hopefully one day expand even more,.......lets have a treat and run a 125 D/E to Minehead, they are being phased out in the not too distant future and you don't have to turn the engine round on those the same as the DMU's. I am sure there would be a lot of people who would pay a lot of money for a ride on that, a good chunk of which could go to WSR.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

To answer your first point unlike WSR trains, modern trains have safety features demanded by regulations for running on the main lines in today's world. I wonder too, if the money was available why the track when it leaves WSR territory could just be extended staying on this side of the main lines and not crossing or joining them, right into Taunton. Regarding the extended shut down period that sounds more dramatic than the situation really is. It boils down to only cancelling just a few more train days in the winter than usual. It is not clear yet just what improvements on the line are required to meet the latest inspection report but I am sure the railway would only cancel those few days of running when it would have earnt money if it was really necessary for the work to be completed in time.

[@stevecgarry]

To clarify a couple of things, I used to live in that area 30 years ago, and at that time, the track to allow what has been suggested existed, it would have been completely possible to operate from a bay platform on the northern side of Taunton, out to Norton Fitzwarren and on to the WSR tracks without going on to either of the main line tracks that serve Exeter and beyond. It was the hope for many years that a way could be found to allow WSR operations into Taunton, as it would have had no impact on main line services at all, as it would not have required WSR trains to operate on "main line" tracks in any way. I can only assume that the combination of finances and rail union opposition combined to make it impossible to achieve that aim. Now, the track has been changed and it's no longer possible, which to me is a great pity, as it has removed what could have been a valid local service for the Taunton area.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

@@stevecgarry Yes thank you. Now if the WSRs finances would allow. or some generous donor could be found, how about them acquiring a modern DMU , not the latest models, but one fully approved for running on the Main line.

[@philrowe8554]

Not intended as a criticism, but with videos like this where ther is a lot of background noise could you consider adding some comments as text on screen. I honestly don't think that I was able to decipher more than a couple of dozen words of your commentary. That aside an interesting video nevertheless.

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

I know what you mean.I don't have an eternal microphone facility on my camcorder or special editing equipment which would boost my soft voice. Anyway the purpose here was to get the feel of the journey in a modern train , and not to listen to me who was not saying anything of any great importance.!

[@jerryandywhite4623]

They should have regular train service to minehead instead of that horrible bus ride from Taunton train station

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

There is a group pushing hard for this but are meeting a lot of opposition. I feel sure a ways can be found to run to run in parallel with the WSR if the will is strong enough. It's a pity it wasn't given an opportunity to try some trains during the recent non operation of the WSR which when it does get running again will be an even sparser service.

[@karendevine2437]

Be good if it could be a regular thing

[@ADMIRALSCORNER]

i believe other railways have managed to do a similar thing combining voluntary and British Rail ran trains on the same system..