Tales of the West Somerset Railway

More about the book

When British Rail closed the once-bustling branch line to Minehead in 1971, a local businessman and railway enthusiasts refused to let it die. They thought the railway was worth saving and battled with the National Union of Railwaymen and British Rail to be allowed to run trains again. They succeeded and in 1976 the new West Somerset Railway reopened to Blue Anchor.Over the next three years, the line was steadily reopened to Bishops Lydeard which was reached in 1979. The subsquent 40 years have seen the line go from strength to strength and it is now one of the top heritage railways in the United Kingdom.This book recalls the efforts of just a few of those who worked so hard to rebuild the railway.