The main veg Meister and good friend Paul Woollard and I had an excellent visit to the Diesel gala over the weekend, the pictures in this gallery are taken by myself of Fridays events, and what an event it was, our first WSR Diesel gala since June 2019 due to the covid pandemic! Visiting diesel locomotives were Class 17 'Clayton' number D8568 this loco is the last of its kind remaining and has never visited the WSR before. It is owned by the Diesel Traction Group, the awesome 'Rat' Class 25 number D7612 was also running in fine form with lots of thrash! courtesy of South Devon Diesel Traction LTD. Other home fleet locos in use on Friday were Class 35 'Hymek' D7018 only (as D7017 had a blown head gasket we were told), Class 33's no D6566 and D6575 made the gala line up complete. A trip around Williton's Diesel depot gave us a good insight into the good work going on with the Western, there was also a Wizzo power unit was on show. In 1964 the Beatles released the film 'A Hard Day's Night' but not everyone knows that some of the filming was done on what is now the West Somerset Railway (in BR days) particularly at Crowcombe Heathfield and Minehead. This gala 'Celebration of the 60s' at the WSR with a Beatles cover band and 60's re-enactors etc would be mainly on Saturday evening. Our bashing moves as usual focused on the visiting engines and hydraulics etc, a Pub visit to the Star at Watchet, that is now owned by a guy that also purchased the Cotleigh brewery, now renamed as Nuttycombe, was cracking. At Watchet we also saw a procession of postal vans honouring a local postman's funeral. Our Friday rounded off with lots of thrash from the Rat. Whilst departing Bishops Lydeard we saw LSL's steam loco 70000 Britannia being readied for a Saphos/Hoskins tour to Kingswear on Saturday, a contract that no doubt is good for the WSR. So after a 3-year absence we thanked the staff for the day and for their hard work to keep this brilliant, preserved line running, well done and Three Cheers to the mighty WSR's return!
Copyright of all pictures in this gallery belong to R Kelsey.