The East Somerset Railway is a 2+1⁄2-mile (4 km) heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway was once part of the former Cheddar Valley line that ran from Witham to Yatton, meeting the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at Wells.
History[]
The East Somerset Railway Company was incorporated under the East Somerset Railway Act on 5 June 1856 and was built as a 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge line. The line was originally between Witham railway station and Shepton Mallet and this line opened on 9 November 1858. It was planned by Mr. Brunel and built by engineer Mr. Ward and contractor Mr. Brotherwood. The station buildings at Shepton and Witham Friary, as well as the bridges along the route, were constructed of Inferior Oolite from nearby Doulting Stone Quarry. Shepton was now 129 miles (208 km) from London by rail, a journey of just over four hours.
Four years later the line was extended to Wells; this part of the line was opened on 1 March 1862. The East Somerset Railway was bought by the Great Western Railway on 2 December 1874, shortly after it was converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge.
In 1878, the GWR joined the East Somerset line with the Cheddar Valley line to Wells, which had been built by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, by obtaining running rights over a section of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway and running its trains through the S&DJR Wells station at Priory Road, though GWR trains did not stop at Priory Road until 1934. At this stage, the main traffic became the through trains from Yatton to Witham and the East Somerset Railway station in Wells closed, with Wells (Tucker Street) becoming the station for the city on the line. The Yatton to Witham service remained in use with the GWR and later BR until passenger service finally ceased in 1963 as a result of the Beeching Axe, however trains carrying bitumen continued until 1985.
Preservation[]
In 1971/72, the artist David Shepherd came across, viewed and later purchased Cranmore station and a section of the track to house and run his two locomotives; the BR 2-10-0 Class 9F No. 92203 "Black Prince" and BR Standard 4 4-6-0 No. 75029 'The Green Knight'. In 1973, the line opened offering Brake Van rides before extending first to Merryfield Lane in 1980 (operating from Cranmore West), then to Mendip Vale and finally into Cranmore station itself in 1985.
Today the railway plays host to a variety of preserved diesel and steam locomotives.
The East Somerset Railway only operates the line between Cranmore, Cranmore West, Merryfield Lane Halt and Mendip Vale. Between the last two sections, the railway runs through the Doulting Railway Cutting Site of Special Scientific Interest. The section between Cranmore and the mainline is used for heavy quarry traffic to the nearby Merehead Quarry.
In 1991, a new station building was constructed at Cranmore which now includes a cafe, booking office, gift shop and toilets. The platform then extends to the old station which is now a museum. On the platform is an old K4 red telephone box which incorporates a stamp machine and post box. It was made around 1927 and is one of only 50 made to that design. Opposite the platform is a signal box dating from 1904 and is the standard GWR pattern of the period. Close to Cranmore station are the engine sheds and workshop (known together as Cranmore Shed) which were built in 1973, (during the preserved line's restoration at the time).
Cranmore Traincare and Maintenance and Services (CTMS) was set up in 1995 at the Cranmore base of the ESR. They carry out professional repairs to carriages and bodywork overhauls on Diesel Locomotives. CTMS is based opposite the ESR loco workshop in a separate preservation era shed.
An order by the Secretary of State for Transport in 2005 allowed a further 660 yards (600 meters) of track to be used.
On 25 March 2007, the East Somerset Railway announced that it had received a £7,500 grant from Shepton 21 Group, a local organization, set up to regenerate the area around Shepton Mallet. The money was to be spent on conducting a feasibility study into extending the line towards Shepton Mallet, with a possible new terminus at Cannards Grave, on the outskirts of Shepton Mallet.
In recent years the ESR has gained a reputation for restorations and overhauls at its Cranmore headquarters. In 2014, LMS Ivatt Class 2 No. 46447 was restored to working order from scrapyard condition, being followed by LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T No. 41313 in 2017 for the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. GWR 5205 Class No. 5239 Goliath was completed for the Dartmouth Steam Railway in November 2019. The railway has subsequently began restoring GWR 5101 Class No. 4110 in January 2020. This loco is also owned by the Dartmouth Steam Railway. This will be followed by a second GWR 2-8-0 tank No. 4247 which is also destined for long term operation on the Dartmouth Steam Railway.
Events[]
The railway hosts several events throughout the year
- "Dining Trains"
- "Family Days"
- Santa Special trains
- "The Way We Were" days
- "Steam Gala"
- "Spooky Specials"
- "Paw Patrol", "Tractor Ted" and "The Gruffalo" days
Locomotives[]
Operational steam locomotives[]
| Number & Name | Description | History and Current Status | Livery | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1719 Lady Nan | Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.0-4-0ST | No. 1719 "Lady Nan" was built in 1920. It was delivered to J. and R. Howie Ltd., Hurlford Fireclay Works, near Kilmarnock on 23 December 1920 and was known as 'Hurlford Fireclay Works No. 2'. The locomotive worked there until it was sold in April 1959 to Glenfield & Kennedy ltd. of Kilmarnock. There it was repaired using parts from a 1903 Barclay locomotive and named 'Glenfield No. 2'.
By early 1966 rail traffic at Glenfield had diminished and the locomotive was offered for sale, but was not sold until March 1972 when a local scrap merchant effected the purchase. Later that month, the locomotive was resold to Mr. R.P.Weisham just before scrapping was to commence. The locomotive was moved for storage purposes to the National Coal Board at Backworth, Northumberland on 14 April 1972. On 6 May 1973, the loco was moved to Radstock for a further period of storage, until 5 November 1975 when the loco was moved to Cranmore. 'Glenfield No.2' entered Cranmore Works during 1978 and was the subject of a complete general overhaul. Being completed and fitted with vacuum brake gear, 'Glenfield' emerged in 1985 in blue livery and was renamed 'Lady Nan'. For several years, 'Lady Nan' was loaned to the National Railway Museum, but it returned to Cranmore during 2000. It returned to service following overhaul in 2017 and is primarily used on 'Driver for a Tenner' duties on high days and holidays. |
Caledonian Railway Blue | 
|
| No. 4555 | GWR 4500 Class2-6-2T | 4555 was built in 1924 at Swindon Works. It arrived at Dartmouth in 1973 where it has remained ever since. It was withdrawn from service in 2007, requiring a major overhaul. This overhaul began in 2014 and was completed in early 2020. Following its completion at Churston, the locomotive moved to the East Somerset Railway in March 2020 where it will stay for a period of 3 years. It moved to Tyseley Locomotive Works in September 2020 for firebox repairs, these were completed and the loco returned to traffic in April 2021. | GWR Lined Green with 'Great Western' Lettering and Edwardian crest | frameless |
| No. 46447 | LMS Ivatt Class 22-6-0 | No. 46447 was built in 1950. It was first allocated the Crewe North, not far from its birthplace of Crewe Works, though moved to Workington within months to replace many elderly LNWR locomotives in the local area. It was moved to various sheds in North Wales and Derbyshire, right up until 1966, subsequently sold for scrap to Dai Woodham. It was rescued in 1972 as the 20th locomotive to leave Barry Scrapyard and moved to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. No. 46447 later moved to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in 2008. In 2012, an agreement was made between the ESR and the Isle of Wight which saw No. 46447 move to Cranmore in exchange for LB&SCR E1 No. 32110 Burgundy. It arrived at Cranmore in November 2012 and it was launched back into service following restoration in October 2014. It will now run on the ESR for 10 years. | BR Lined Black with the Late Crest | Frameless |
Steam locomotives under overhaul[]
| Number & Name | Description | History and Current Status | Livery | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 31
Meteor |
RSH0-6-0T | No. 31 was built in 1950. It worked for the National Coal Board at Whittle Colliery throughout its working life before being withdrawn. It was originally sold to the North Yorkshire Moors Railwaybefore being sold to the Avon Valley Railway. It is now at Merryfield Lane on the ESR in a stripped down state. It requires a new firebox. | n/a | |
| No. 4110 | GWR 5101 Class2-6-2T | 4110 was built in 1936 at Swindon Works. It was rescued from Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Glamorgan in 1979 by the Great Western Preservation Group and moved to Southall Railway Centre becoming the 100th locomotive to leave the scrapyard. 4110 later ended up being moved to Tyseley Locomotive Works for restoration, however only a small amount was undertaken before the engine was put on the market to raise funds for another project. 4110 was purchased and moved to the West Somerset Railway in 2015, with the goal being to restore the engine over five years when funding was available alongside space in the workshop at Minehead. After failing to undertake work on the locomotive by 2018 it was decided to put the engine on the market once again. The engine was purchased by the Dartmouth Steam Railway in 2019.
The locomotive arrived at Cranmore on 10 January 2020 for restoration, which began immediately. Once completed it will run at the East Somerset Railway for three years |
N/A | 
|
| No. 4247 | GWR 5205 Class 2-8-0T | Built at Swindon as a 4200 in 1916, but converted to 5205 specification with outside steam pipes but maintaining the straight footplate. It left Barry in April 1985 and is the oldest survivor of its class in preservation marking its centenary in Mar 2016. Overhaul to commence at the East Somerset Railway before moving to the Dartmouth Steam Railway | BR Black |
Former resident locomotives include 56xx 5637, 9F 92203 "Black Prince", Standard 4MT 4-6-0 75029 "The Green Knight", Standard 4MT 2-6-0 76017, GWR Castle 5029 "Nunney Castle", SR Westcountry 34027 'Taw Valley', SR Westcountry 34105 'Swanage', SR S15 828, GWR Manor 7822 'Foxcote Manor', GWR 14xx 1450, LBSCR E1 110, LMS 3F 47493, NER J72 69023 'Joem' and GNR J52 68846.
Diesel Traction:
The ESR is host to a Class 108 DMU as well as a fleet of Sentinel shunting locomotives, these are listed below:
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