Great Western Coffee Shop

While 'her indoors' is not in any way a fan of the local railways, she nevertheless does humour my own interest in the subject.  This year, she gave me yet another very much appreciated Christmas present - a copy of Mike Oakley's 'Somerset Stations, Then ... and Now' from the Dovecote Press (ISBN 978-1-904-34994-5).

An excellent publication - I can heartily recommend it to anyone with an interest in the railways in Somerset.  Mike Oakley has revisited the 180 station and halt sites in Somerset, and his latest book includes many 'then and now' illustrations and a schedule that sets out the current situation at all sites.

Chris.  ;)

Chris, you are not alone in receiving a good, rail related book this Christmas.

From my auntie, who isn't really an auntie (it's complicated!) I got a book called "Saving the West Somerset Railway - The Branch Line That Refused To Die" by John Parsons.

That's my bedtime reading sorted for the next few days!

I concur with Chris's sentiments regarding the "Then.... and Now" by Mike Oakley. An excllent publication.

Chris, I'd be really interested to know how 'Somerset Stations, Then ... and Now' compares with David Mitchell's book 'British Railways Past & Present: Somerset' (ISBN 1-85895-088-0) which takes a similar then-and-now approach, with photos on each page taken from exactly the same position decades apart, but suffers badly to my mind from the same malady which ruins almost every other railway book for me, in that it's not so much about the railways as the chuffing engines.

Unfortunately as a student of industrial architecture I'm not that interested in motive power, so seeing 2P 4-4-0 No. 40700 being pulled back to Templecombe by 3F 0-6-0 No. 43436 simply gets in the way of a fascinating view of a long-lost stationmaster's house with interesting gables!

So, to cut to the chase: is 'Somerset Stations, Then ... and Now' actually about stations, as the title suggests, or simply yet another excuse to wax lyrical about locos and rolling stock?

I should add that I've already got Mike Oakley's book on Wiltshire's railways and really like it - hardly an engine in sight! - so that bodes well in itself.

I was lucky enough to be given  "The Banbury and Cheltenham Branch Line" after some not so subtle hinting on my part.

Brings back memories of my childhood living near the line :)

Phil, you will love 'Somerset Stations', as it has hardly an engine in sight! ;D

It does indeed include lots of pictures of the original station buildings, in use on the railways at the time, and in use (often quite different uses!) now - or indeed derelict or demolished. :(

Thanks, Chris - I'll add that one to my wants list come next payday then. Having lived near & used stations at Wookey, Wells and Winscombe as a youth (we only moved to Wiltshire because we ran out of places beginning with W...) it'll be fascinating to see places I knew so well.

I was bought a book too. Beeching: 50 years of the axeman.

It's very good. 8)

I'd like to claim 'furthest away from the GW' for a small book on the Alnmouth to Alnwick Branch...

I was in Morpeth over Christmas...

Paul

I also got a copy of Mike Oakley's 'Somerset Stations, Then ... and Now' from the Dovecote Press (ISBN 978-1-904-34994-5).

Very interesting I'd forgotten all about the union problems the WSR had about trains into Taunton. The aftermath of which is still with us today, although they do now have a fully signalled route on and off the mainline.

There were some realy dedicated people who kept the line going despite all the odds.

I'm waiting for UK Railtours to run another special to the Beer Festival at Minehead, it's
usually around my birthday.

All of that union palaver is covered in great detail in the book I received also. Saving the West Somerset Railway - The Branch Line That Refused To Die by John Parsons. (ISBN 978-0-7524-6403-9)

Whilst it was the National Union of Railwayman who were, 'blacking' the WSR it wasn't on behalf of their railway worker members but rather their bus driver members. The bus drivers were concerned that if the WSR were to reach Taunton it would affect the jobs of bus drivers working the Taunton-Minehead route. Trying to sort this 'blacking' was a frustrating endeavour for the WSR. They were told by the national executive of the NUR that this was a local branch issue, whilst the local branch of the NUR representing the bus drivers would say that the 'blacking' was a decision that could only be changed by the executive!! Very odd that the NUR were so militant when a few bus drivers jobs may have been affected, but oddly silent a few years earlier when many of their members were made redundant following BR's closure of the Taunton-Minehead branch.

Even after the WSR gave up on their ambition to run commuter services to/from Taunton, the NUR still continued to block any mutually beneficial cooperation that their members may've given to the WSR. This included the refusal to allow rolling stock to arrive by rail to the WSR, despite there being a rail link to the national network. Having to have all their stock arrive by road was a heavy drain on WSR. Also blocked were any potential freight movements, despite these being likely to provide work for NUR members! Also, whenever the Western National Bus Co. were approached to provide bus services in conjunction with special occasions and Galas on the WSR the militant bus drivers refused to do the work. In the early years of the WSR a bus link between Taunton Station and Williton and later, when the WSR was extended, Bishop's Lydeard, was provided by private operators.

It wasn't just the NUR that the WSR had problems with. Parish, Town, District and County Councils were all at one time or another hostile toward the WSR. Even Somerset County Council, despite purchasing the line in 1971 as part of a transport policy, were later very ambivalent toward their tenant.

The first 10 years of the WSR from 1976-86 were tough times, and it is testament to the dedication of staff, volunteers, shareholders and board members that the line survived and now thrives. During the dark days of the early 1980s the WSR came very close to going out of business thanks in no small part to the local branch of the NUR and it's militant bus drivers, as well as indifferent and fickle local politicians.

Sorry bignosemac I meant to copy your book details.

All of that union palaver is covered in great detail in the book I received also. Saving the West Somerset Railway - The Branch Line That Refused To Die by John Parsons. (ISBN 978-0-7524-6403-9)

From the Wells Journal (http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Look-history-railway-stations/story-15246471-detail/story.html):