The rolling stock preserved on the West Somerset Railway is used to operate trains on the West Somerset Railway (WSR), a heritage railway in Somerset, England. There is a variety of preserved steam and diesel locomotives and diesel multiple units, passenger coaches and goods wagons. Most of these are typical of Great Western Railway (GWR) branch lines in Somerset, or of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (SDJR). Some are owned by the railway itself but most are owned by various individuals or voluntary groups such as the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA), Diesel and Electric Preservation Group (DEPG), and Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust (SDRT). The line is also regularly visited by locomotives based elsewhere. Some come for a day on a railtour, others for a few days or weeks to take part in a special gala, but a few stay for many months and form part of the stock working scheduled trains. Over the years these have included well known locomotives such as City of Truro, Taw Valley, Duke of Gloucester, Evening Star, Royal Scot, 'Tornado', Bittern, Britannia, Sir Lamiel, King Edward I, Lady of Legend, and Betton Grange.
Maintenance facilities:[]
The old goods shed at Minehead has been converted to an engine shed for inspections and running repairs to the operational locomotives. A secure compound at Bishops Lydeard is the base for locomotives working from that end of the line. Most diesel locomotives work from the DEPG depot at Williton. The permanent way department is based at Dunster and maintain their wagons in the old goods shed there.
Restoration and heavy repairs are undertaken at several locations, including workshops attached to the engine sheds at Minehead and Williton. There is also another shed at Williton used for steam locomotive restoration and vintage coaches, the operating coaches are maintained in a modern shed at Minehead, and the SDRT have workshops at their museum at Washford.
Main line steam locomotives:[]
The following locomotives are currently based on the West Somerset Railway but may sometimes be away from the line.
| Image | Class | Wheels | Number & name | Built | To WSR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
GWR 7800 | 4-6-0 | 7828 Odney Manor | 1950 | 2018 | Re-entered service in December 2018 following boiler repairs. |
|
GWR 9351 | 2-6-0 | Collett Mogul | 1934 | 2019 | Itt has been converted to Tender since 2004 or 2005. Following a 10th anniversary overhaul the locomotive came back to service in Summer 2019, outshopped in unlined BR green. The loco was later lined out during the winter maintenance period in early 2020. |
| Frameless | GWR 4500 | 2-6-2T | 4561 | 1924 | The 'small prairie' locomotives were designed for lighter duties on often lengthy branch lines. The 4500 Class were introduced in 1906. 4561 was built in 1924, working initially in the Birmingham area for three years before moving southwards, settling in Truro from 1938. Twenty years later it moved to Newton Abbot from where it regularly worked the Kingsbridge branch line. In 1962 it was sold for scrap to the Woodham Brothers.
It was purchased by the WSRA in 1975 and was placed in service in 1989. It was taken out of service in 1998 when its boiler certificate expired and is now undergoing a full overhaul. | |
|
GWR 6000 | 4-6-0 | 6024 King Edward I | 1930 | 2012 | The 'Kings' were introduced in 1927 and were the Great Western Railway's largest express passenger locomotives. King Edward I, which was built in 1930, is one of the heritage steam locomotives that is equipped to Network Rail’s standards for working trains on the main line and is regular seen at the head of excursions and trains such as the Torbay Express. 6024 has spent several periods based on the railway between working main line services. It returned to the railway on 17 March 2012 and worked a number of trains in the following weeks and was then moved into Minehead workshops for its ten-yearly overhaul.
6024 is currently undergoing its 10 yearly overhaul and it is hoped for 6024 to be back in operation in 2020. With gauging issues being a problem for the King class, 6024 is having new cylinders fitted which will be cast in a higher strength material allowing the width of 6024 to be slightly reduced. This will help overcome the majority of gauging issues that became apparent during its last operating period on the mainline. 6024 undertook its hydraulic and steam tests in November 2019; the aim was to have the engine back in traffic for early 2020. |
|
GWR 4575 | 2-6-2T | 5542 | 1928 | 1975 | The 4575 class, similar to the 4500 Class represented by here 4561, but with a larger water tank and other improvements, first appeared in 1927. Number 5542 was turned out from Swindon in 1928 and was immediately sent to Gloucester but it then moved southwards and even spent a time based at Taunton.
Withdrawn in 1961, the following year it too was sold to the Woodham Brothers and spent 13 years at Barry before being brought by the WSRA. Restoration took until 2002 and it is now in service in GWR unlined green livery. As it is a little underpowered for the heavy trains that now run on the railway it often spends long periods working on other railways. Similar 5521 was purchased from Woodhams’ at the same time as 4561 and 5542 but was sold on to the Dean Forest Railway before it was restored. |
| frameless | GWR 7800 | 4-6-0 | 7821 Ditcheat Manor | 1950 | The 'Manor' Class was designed by Charles Collett as a large lightweight locomotive for long but lightly constructed routes, mainly in west Wales and south west England. Construction of the first 20 started at Swindon in 1938, followed by another 10 in 1950 for British Railways. 7821 Ditcheat Manor is now the property of the WSRA. It was moved in 2010 to Swindon's Steam Museum where it was displayed for eight years. In August 2018 it moved to the nearby Swindon Designer Outlet for display. It is painted in BR black livery. | |
|
GWR 5101 | 2-6-2T | 5199 | 1934 | 2021 | 5199 spent most of its service career on GWR's Birmingham suburban lines, working local passenger trains. It was retired in 1963 when steam services were taken over by railcars, and remained in storage at Barry Scrapyard for 22 years. Its first home in preservation was the GWSR, where restoration was originally started, but it moved to Long Marston MoD and later Llangollen for the completion of its overhaul, finally returning to steam in 2003. It emerged from its 10-year overhaul in November 2014 and entered traffic on 6 December (the same year) for the Santa Specials, It was announced in 2020 that 5199 would be on loan to the WSR for the whole 2021 season. Boiler ticket will expire in 2024. |
|
GWR 7800 | 4-6-0 | 7822 Foxcote Manor | 1950 | 2018 | Designed with a lighter axle loading than the red-rating of the other GWR mixed traffic Hall and Grange 4-6-0 classes, the Manor class were ideally suited to the lightweight cross country and coastal routes of the former Cambrian Railways.
Based over its entire working life on the former Cambrian Railways, its first shed allocation was to Oswestry depot and its last to Shrewsbury, with working allocations also to Chester and Machynlleth. It was used to haul both passenger and freight services over former CR lines including the Cambrian Line and the now-closed Ruabon Barmouth Line. It regularly hauled the "Cambrian Coast Express" from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth, and in 1965 the British Royal Train. Withdrawn in 1965 from Shrewsbury, it was towed to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales. It languished there until 1974, when it was initially moved to Oswestry, the then headquarters of the Cambrian Railways Society. In 1978 it was moved to the Llangollen Railway, a restored part of the Ruabon Barmouth Line, where it returned to service in 1988. It then worked until its second withdrawal in 1997, when after a heavy overhaul it returned to service in 1999. Since its return to work in preservation, the locomotive has since been on loan to: Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, Great Central Railway (Nottingham), Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, South Devon Railway and the West Somerset Railway. Following a third 10-year overhaul in preservation, 7822 returned to service in early 2016, and throughout 2017 was on hire, firstly to the Kent & East Sussex Railway, and then to the WSR in 2018, before comes back to service again soon |
Main line diesels:[]
| Image | Class | Number | Built | To WSR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| frameless | Class 52 | D1010 | 1962 | 1991 | The 'Western' class were the last and most powerful of the Western Region's diesel-hydraulics. D1010 Western Campaigner was built at Swindon in 1962 and was initially based at Old Oak Common TMD in London. After just 14 months it moved to Laira which was to be its most familiar depot, but it did spend a short time working out of Landore TMD in Wales during 1968. 1010 was bought by Foster Yeoman after being withdrawn by British Rail in 1977 and was moved to their depot at Merehead. The locomotive moved to Didcot Railway Centre in 1985 where it was restored to working order. A further move saw it brought to the WSR in 1991 and it was then sold to the DEPG who had been responsible for its restoration and operation. During its time with Foster Yeoman it assumed the identity of 1035 Western Yeoman but it returned to its original number and name in 1992. It is painted in British Railways maroon livery. |
| Frameless | Class 47 | D1661 (47077) | 1965 | 2009 | The Class 47, or 'Brush Type 4', was the British Railways standard large diesel-electric locomotive of the mid-1960s and was designed to operate similar trains to the 'Westerns'. Only a few were initially allocated to the Western Region and most of these were given names that had originally been carried by Great Western Railway locomotives, in D1661's case this dated back to the broad gauge Star Class but the North Star name had also been carried by four other GWR locomotives, the most recent being Castle Class 4000. D1661 received its name in a ceremony performed by Ray Gunter, the Minister of Labour, at London Paddington station on 20 March 1965. It was allocated to Landore TMD until 1973 when it was transferred to Old Oak Common, after which it moved around various sheds. Its number was changed to 47077 under the TOPS scheme in 1974 and then became 47613 when fitted with electric train heating equipment ten years later. In 1989 it was rebuilt with additional fuel tanks which caused it to be renumbered again as 47840. It was part of the Virgin CrossCountry fleet until 2002 and then was hired to various operators by its owner, Porterbrook. It was finally withdrawn in 2008, repainted into two-tone British Railways Green livery, renumbered back to D1661, and sent to the WSR. It has been part of the DEPG fleet based at Williton since 2009 although in January 2022 it was sent on loan to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for a two-year period. |
| frameless | Class 33 | D6566 | 1961 | 1997 | D6566 (later number 33046) entered service on the Southern Region of British Railways in 1961 and was withdrawn in 1995. It arrived on the West Somerset railway in 1997 and was the first Class 33/0 to operate in preservation. It was withdrawn for an overhaul in 2013 which was completed in 2018 when it was painted in BR green livery. |
| Frameless | Class 33 | D6575 | 1961 | 1997 | 6575 became 33057 in 1973 and spent most of its working life at Hither Green TMD from where it was withdrawn in 1995 but was retained for staff training until sold to a private buyer for preservation in 1997 when it moved to the WSR. It carries British Rail green livery with full yellow ends. 6575 was also based at Hither Green until 1985 after when it spent time at both Stewarts Lane TMD and Eastleigh TMD; from 1991 it carried the name Seagull. It was withdrawn in 1997 and eventually sold to freight operator Direct Rail Services, however it was never put into traffic and instead was sold to a private buyer and moved to the WSR in 2005. It was intended to be a source of spares for 6566, however its restoration was started in February 2010. It also carries green livery but with the original half-height yellow ends. |
| File:Minehead - D7017 released from its train.JPG | Class 35 | D7017 | 1962 | 1976 | The 'Hymek' class of diesel-hydraulics were built by Beyer Peacock for working both passenger and freight services on the Western Region of British Railways. D7017 was delivered to Bristol Bath Road TMD in January 1962. It was transferred to Old Oak Common in 1971 and was withdrawn in 1975. It was sold to the Diesel and Electric Group and brought to Taunton, arriving on the West Somerset Railway on 25 March 1976. It is painted in British Rail green livery. |
| File:Williton - D7018 repainted but not numbered.JPG | Class 35 | D7018 | 1962 | 1990 | 7018 like 7017 was withdrawn in 1975 and initially preserved at Didcot Railway Centre. It was later moved to the West Somerset Railway but suffered a major failure in 1995. It returned to service in 2019, painted in British Rail green livery. |
| frameless | Class 14 | D9518 | 1964 | 2011 | The Class 14 were small diesel-hydraulic locomotives built at Swindon for working Western Region branch lines but they were soon surplus to requirements as these were closed following the Reshaping of British Railways report. 9518 entered service in October 1964 at Cardiff Canton and worked from there until placed in store April 1969. It was sold to the National Coal Board for use at Ashington Colliery in Northumberland. After it was no longer needed by the NCB, it went to the Nene Valley Railway to provide spare parts for other Class 14s that were based there. Late in 2011 it was moved to Williton and there are long-term plans to restore it to service. |
| File:Watchet - D9526 arriving with down train.jpg | Class 14 | D9526 | 1965 | 1980 | 9526 was delivered to Bristol Bath Road in January 1965, joined 9518 at Cardiff Canton in May 1967 but was withdrawn before the end of 1968. It was then purchased by Blue Circle Industries to shunt the sidings at their cement factory at Westbury alongside the Taunton to London line. It was sold to the DEPG in 1979 and arrived on the WSR on 3 April 1980. Restoration was completed in 1984; it carries British Railways green livery and is used on freight or light passenger trains. Another Class 14, D9551, also worked on the West Somerset Railway for many years but has now moved elsewhere. |
Shunting locomotives:[]
| Image | Class | Number | Built | To WSR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| frameless | Class 03 | D2133 | 1960 | 1994 | Built at Swindon railway works in 1960, 2133 spent many years based at Taunton and working in various goods yards in the area. After just nine years working with BR it was sold to British Cellophane for shunting their factory sidings at Bridgwater. It was no longer needed in 1994 and so was donated to the WSR by Courtaulds, the then owner of the site. It carries BR green livery and can usually be found working as the station pilot at Minehead. A second Class 03, number 03119, was based on the railway from 1996 until 2011. |
| frameless | Class 09 | D4107 | 1961 | 2013 | A larger diesel shunter, this one was built by British Railways at Horwich Works in 1961. At first numbered D4107 and sent to Carlisle, in October 1968 it was transferred to the Southern Region, initially at Hither Green TMD where it would have worked alongside its predecessor here (Class 08 D3462). It was renumbered to 09019 in 1973. When British Rail was split up in readiness for privatisation it was allocated to the Mainline Freight business and repainted in their blue colours, which it still carried when it arrived at Bishops Lydeard in 2013 but it now wears British Rail green livery. |
| frameless | 0-4-0DH | 578 | 1972 | ? | This pair of Andrew Barclay shunters with hydraulic transmissions were built in 1972 for the Royal Ordnance Factory at Puriton in Somerset. Surplus to requirements since 1991, they are on long-term loan to the WSR and are based at Dunster for shunting the permanent way depot. They are both painted green but neither currently carries visible numbers. They can be distinguished as number 578's Barclay works plates have blue backgrounds, while number 579's are red. |
| frameless | 0-4-0DH | 579 | 1972 | ? | |
| Frameless | 48DS | 200793 | 1940 | ? | A Ruston and Hornsby 48DS four-wheel shunter built in 1940 for William Evan's Old Mill Colliery at Radstock, Somerset. Named Gower Princess. |
Diesel multiple units:[]
Four-car set with 51880
| Class | Type | Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 115 | DMBS | 51859 | In service in British Railways green livery. |
| 115 | DMBS | 51880 | In service in British Railways green livery. |
| 115 | DMBS | 51887 | Undergoing extensive restoration at Minehead. |
| 117 | TC | 59493 | In service in British Railways green livery. |
| 117 | TC | 59506 | |
| 115 | TC | 59678 | In service in British Railways green livery, it has been modified with a small buffet counter and is the usual centre coach for the DMU when it is operating as a three-car set. |
In the early years a number of two-car sets were operated. Each was formed of a motor brake second (DMBS) and driving trailer composite (DTC), although sometimes they were formed into four-car trains. The first two sets were British Rail Class 103 built by Park Royal Vehicles (DMBSs 50413 and 50414, DTCs 56168 and 56169). These were later joined by two Gloucester-built Class 100s (50341 and 51118, 56097 and 56099) and a Cravens Class 105 (51482, 56121). Two further Class 115 DMBSs have also been on the railway. The body of 51663 has been stripped off this but the chassis is in store at Dunster for future use. 51852 was purchased by the WSRA as a spare driving car in 1994 but sold to the Dean Forest Railway for spares in 2011.
Former WSR locomotives and DMUs:[]
Note that the locations given may not be current as locomotives move between railways from time to time.
Steam:[]
The first main line steam locomotive to operate on the line when it reopened in 1976 was 6400 Class 6412 which was purchased from the Dart Valley Railway and sold back to the South Devon Railway Trust in 2008. During its time on the West Somerset Railway it carried Flockton Flyer nameplates for a while after appearing in the television series of that name. Other steam locomotives that have been on the railway but now gone elsewhere include GWR 2251 Class 3205 which is now on the South Devon Railway, BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T 80136, and LB&SCR 'Terrier' 32678 Knowle. This had been displayed at the Butlins holiday camp at Minehead from 1964 until 1975; restoration was started at Minehead but was completed by the Kent and East Sussex Railway.
Many of the trains operated in the early years of the West Somerset Railway were hauled by one of two identical Bagnall 0-6-0ST locomotives that had been designed for the Steel Company of Wales’ Margam Steelworks in 1951. They were Vulcan (works number 2994) and Victor (2996). Both have since left the railway. Other industrial locomotives that have also moved elsewhere were Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T Jennifer (1731, built 1942), Hawthorn Leslie 0-6-0ST Isabel (3437 of 1919), fireless Bagnall 0-4-0F No. 1 (2473 of 1932), Peckett 0-4-0 Whitehead (1163 of 1908?), and former Port of Bristol Portbury (Avonside 1764 of 1917) and Henbury (Peckett 1940 of 1937) which are now on the Bristol Harbour Railway.
| Image | Class | Wheels | Number & name | Built | On WSR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
GWR 5101 | 2-6-2T | 4110 | 1936 | 2015-2019 | 4110 was built in 1936 and spent most of its life working suburban trains in the West Midlands. It was also based at Taunton shed twice in the 1960s and was withdrawn from service in 1965. It was purchased by the Great Western Railway Preservation Group at the Southall Railway Centre in 1979. The West Somerset Railway purchased 4110 in 2015 but it left on 12 February 2019 in unrestored condition after being sold to the Dartmouth Steam Railway. |
| frameless | GWR 5101 | 2-6-2T | 4160 | 1948 | 1990-2016 | The same class of locomotive as 4110, 4160 was built in 1948. It was delivered to the engine shed at Barry and worked from various sheds around south Wales until it was withdrawn from Severn Tunnel Junction in 1965.
4160 then returned to Barry, but this time to Woodham Brothers’ scrap yard. It was purchased by the Birmingham Railway Museum in 1974 but restoration was not completed before it was sold again to the Plym Valley Railway. The engine remains wholly owned by 4160 Ltd since its purchase by Plym Valley Railway who originally formed the 4160 limited company. It was finally returned to service in 1993. The boiler ticket expired in January 2016 and it moved to the Llangollen Railway for its 10-year overhaul. Although it was due to return to the WSR upon the overhaul's completion, it was instead moved to the South Devon Railway to complete the overhaul, after which it shall become a resident of the SDR under the custodianship of 5542 Ltd. |
|
GWR 5600 | 0-6-2T | 6695 | 2015-2019 | 6695 arrived at the line in 2015 originally as a visitor for a steam gala but following an incident where the low-loader that was transporting it from the Swanage Railway collapsed under its weight which resulted in damage to 6695 and its place being taken by 5643 for the gala it has since then been undergoing overhaul.
Upon its return to service the plan was that 6695 would become a resident of the WSR as part of a 25-year loan agreement with its owners. 6695 departed from the WSR for the Swindon and Cricklade Railway in Dec 2019. | |
|
GWR 6959 | 4-6-0 | 6960Raveningham Hall | 2011-2019 | 6960 is a later version of the original 4900 'Hall' class but with a number of changes: plate frames, cylinders cast separately from the smokebox saddle, larger super heaters & flatsided Hawksworth tenders. 6960 was withdrawn from service in June 1964 and sold to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales for cutting up.
It was saved in 1972 and moved to Steamtown Carnforth as the 26th departure from Barry. Restored in 1975, it was then based at the Severn Valley Railway where it ran with 4930 Hagley Hall's Hawksworth tender while its own was put behind 4930. It left the Severn Valley in 1996 and was eventually sold to Jeremy Hosking. After completion of an overhaul in 2009 it moved to the West Somerset Railway. Owing to the weight restriction imposed on the WSR it was decided for the 2019 season to loan 6960 to the Severn Valley Railway in exchange for the lighter 7802 Bradley Manor. After its boiler certificate expired in July 2021, it moved to the One:One Collection in Margate for static display. | |
|
GWR 4073 | 4-6-0 | 7027 Thornbury Castle | 2018-2020 | Following purchase by Jon Jones Pratt it was intended to restore the engine from Barry Scrapyard condition at the WSR for use on both the heritage railway as well as on the mainline hauling excursion trains. Following storage at Williton and owing to commitments elsewhere for Jon Jones Pratt with both the WSR and his second engine 4936 Kinlet Hall. In January 2020 no 7027 was sold to a private individual who intends to restore the engine for use on the Great Central Railway. The engine therefore was moved to Loughborough for its restoration to take place. | |
| File:Minehead Shed - 44422 first season on the WSR.JPG | LMS 4F | 0-6-0 | 44422 | 1927 | 2016-2019 | The first of these Class 4Fs were built for the Midland Railway to a design by Henry Fowler in 1911. They continued to be built after the 'grouping' of 1923 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway until 1941 by which time 772 had been built. Number 4422 was built at Derby Works in 1927. It was initially allocated to Leicester, then to Wigston in 1929, Bristol in 1940, and Bath Green Park in 1948, when it was renumbered 44422. It spent the rest of its working life in the South West of England, often running over the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. It was withdrawn from Gloucester shed in 1965 and sold to the Woodham Brothers for scrap. It was purchased by the 44422 Locomotive Company in 1977 and taken to the Churnet Valley Railway, where it was eventually restored to working order in 1990.
Since then it has worked on many preserved lines, including the East Lancashire and Nene Valley railways. The locomotive arrived at the West Somerset Railway on a 25-year loan agreement following overhaul at Crewe Heritage Centre in February 2016. 44422 was later withdrawn from service requiring a bottom end overhaul at Minehead. In January 2019 it was announced that the WSR had terminated the loan agreement. The locomotive left the railway in December that year, returning to the Churnet Valley Railway. |
|
S&DJR 7F | 2-8-0 | 53808
(S&DJR 88) |
1925 | ? | The S&DJR had a number of these large locomotives based at Bath Green Park for working heavy freight trains over the Mendip Hills, but they also took their turn on summer Saturday passenger trains.
88 was built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in 1925. After it had been taken into the London Midland and Scottish Railway fleet it became number 9678, but this was later changed to 13808 so its British Railways number was 53808. It then received a second hand boiler from Midland Railway 4P 4-4-0 41092. It was sold and moved to Woodham Brothers’ Barry scrap yard in 1964, but was rescued by the SDRT in 1970. Their museum at Radstock was closed in 1976 and so their locomotives were moved to the WSR. It finally returned to steam in 1987 and has carried several numbers and liveries since then; it is currently (from March 2016) in British Railways black with number 53808. Returned to service in 2016 following a ten-yearly overhaul. It was announced in July 2020 that after completion of delayed winter overhaul the locomotive will move to the Mid Hants Railway for the remainder of its boiler certificate. |
Diesel:[]
Shunting locomotives that have been based on the railway but now moved elsewhere are Ruston and Hornsby 0-4-0 183062 which used to shunt the milk depot at Template:Stnlnk, and former Stanton and Staveley Iron Works 57, a Rolls-Royce Sentinel 0-6-0.
| Image | Class | Number & name | Built | On WSR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| frameless | Class 50 | 50149 Defiance (D449) | 1968 | 1994 - 1999 | Built as D449, this locomotive was renumbered 50049 in 1974 but between August 1987 and February 1989 it was number 50149 while it had regeared bogies for freight traffic. It was named Defiance in May 1978. It arrived on the West Somerset Railway on 5 May 1994 but is now based on the Severn Valley Railway. |
|
Class 42 | D832 Onslaught | 1961 | 2008 - 2016 | 'Warship' class D832 was built by British Railways at Swindon and named to commemorate the warship HMS Onslaught. It was delivered to Laira TMD in 1961 where it was based for its entire career except for periods at Newton Abbot in 1961-67, and again in 1971-72. Withdrawn from service at the end of 1972, it moved to Derby the following year and was used by the Railway Technical Centre for several years. It is preserved on the East Lancashire Railway but was on extended loan to the Diesel and Electric Preservation Group from 2008 until 2016. |
|
Class 04 | D2205 | 1953 | 1994 - 2012 | After withdrawal by British Rail in 1969, this shunting locomotive was sold for inductrial use but was preserved, initially preserved on the Kent and East Sussex Railway in 1983. It arrived at the West Somerset Railway on 2 November 1994. It went to the Somerset & Dorset Museum at Radstock in 1994 but returned to the WSR in 1996. It moved to Peak Rail on 12 November 2012. |
| frameless | Class 04 | D2271 | 1958 | 1982 - 2018 | This shunting locomotive was initially preserved at the Midland Railway - Butterley in 1972. It arrived at Minehead on 15 May 1982 but moved to the South Devon Railway on 1 November 2018. |
| frameless | Class 08 | D3462 | 1957 | 1996 - 2013 | This shunting locomotive was preserved on the Dean Forest Railway in 1986 but was based at Bishops Lydeard from 23 April 1996 until 26 March 2013 when it moved to the Mid-Hants railway. |
| File:Pathfinder Tours, The York, Moors And Scarborough Explorer 13.jpg | Class 08 | 08850 (D4018) | 1961 | 1993 - 1998 | After initially being preserved on the West Somerset Railway from 13 September 1993, this shunting locomotive went to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on 11 March 1998. |
| frameless | Class 25 | D7523 | 1965 | 1996 - 2011 | D7523 was based on the West Somerset Railway from 30 April 1996 until it moved to the Epping Ongar Railway in September 2011. |
| frameless | Class 14 | D9551 | 1968 | 1981 - 2003 | One of three Class 14s that have been based on the West Somerset Railway at various times, D9551 arrived in June 1981 after having been in industrial service at Corby Steelworks. It moved to the Royal Deeside Railway but moved to the Severn Valley Railway in 2013. |
| File:Williton MSC DH16 front.jpg | Rolls-Royce Sentinel | DH16 | 1964 | 2001 - 2015 | A Manchester Ship Canal locomotive, Sentinel works number 10175. Moved to the East Somerset Railway. |
DMU:[]
- BR Class 103 Nos. W50413 and W56169, Now at the Helston Railway
Coaches:[]
Most trains are formed from British Rail Mark 1 coaches. Most used to be painted in a chocolate and cream livery based on the most familiar one used by the GWR but with WSR crests before 2016. However, from 2016, carmine and cream (or 'blood and custard') colours has been introduced for air braked stock, and newly painted chocolate and cream coaches appeared with British Railways emblems. Some coaches have been repainted in British Railways maroon since 2019.
The 'Quantock Belle' dining train was re-painted in early 2020 from a Pullman-based livery to BR Maroon. Each coach was formerly named in Pullman car style prior to 2020:, however upon the repaint all names were dropped.
Work is underway to restore a set of Great Western Railway coaches for use on the railway. Among those that are restored, or likely to be in the next few years are:
| Style | Code | Type | Number(s) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toplight | TK | Third Corridor | 2573, 3631, 3639, 3665, 3668 | 3668 is currently used as a camp coach for railway volunteers at Bishops Lydeard as is 2573 at Blue Anchor along with 3885 and 3980 which are not scheduled for restoration. |
| Collett | BCK | Brake Composite Corridor | 6705 | Undergoing restoration at Williton |
| Clerestory | Sleeper | 9038 | Restored, normally on display in the museum at Bishops Lydeard. | |
| Collett | Auto coach | 169 | Undergoing restoration at Williton. |
Goods wagons:[]
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SR (ex-LSWR) brake van and LNER wagon at Washford
Freight wagons are classified as either 'operational' for use in engineering trains, 'heritage' which are suitable for use in a demonstration heritage freight train that is used on special occasions, or 'museum' if only allowed to run short distances.