Overhauls, restorations and running notes

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.

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.

Apologies to author Chris Forrest for missing this late addition to his story as published in the December 2025 issue, this paragraph directly pertaining to the concluding photograph; page 63. The Edi

When I started trainspotting in April 1981, it was at Berkswell Station, between Coventry and Birmingham International, and a five-mile bike ride from my home town of Kenilworth. I’d tried Tile Hill s

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.