This substantial shed served the considerable freight needs of the Cumbrian port, with two heritage preservation attempts failing after its 1968 closure.

While several locomotives with Somerset & Dorset links have survived into preservation, two of the line’s biggest survivors, ‘7Fs’ Nos. 53808 and 53809 will be missing this anniversary due to overhauls.

Sixty years ago this month, on March 6 1966, the Western Region achieved two major goals with the end of both steam power and the Somerset & Dorset route – bringing a mighty era to a rather grubby end.

When I had last spent time in the area in August 1963, most passenger services and just a few longer distance freight trains had started to be diesel-hauled, with local freight trip working still a st

Overhauls, restorations and running notes

In the first 15 years of its life as a heritage line, steam on the West Somerset Railway underwent a remarkable transformation, from humble industrials to stars from the National Collection.