West Somerset Railway Evicts Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust
—Washford, England. An eviction notice by a nonprofit to another nonprofit in the UK has led to confusion and shock among rail enthusiasts. On February 20th, 2020, The Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust announced that the West Somerset Railway had asked them to leave their Washford cite, which the S&D Railway Trust has loaned from the WSR since the 1970's. (Note: The S&D Railway Trust should not be confused with the similarly named S&D Railway Heritage Trust, a separate organization).
To help readers better understand the situation, this article will provide background on both organizations and analyze the statements released by both organizations.
Background: S&D Railway Trust
In 1966, passenger service the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway was officially shut down by British Railways. The S&D had a long and checkered history, and is still beloved by Rail Enthusiasts. The line was jointly owned by the Midland Railway and London & South Western Railway, according to the North Norfolk Railway.
Following the news, the S&D Railway Trust was formed, under its original name: The Somerset & Dorset Circle, with the purpose to "to collect, collate and record as much as possible about the history of the line, and to encourage modelling," according to the Trust's website.
In January 1966, the first issue of the Trust's magazine, the "Bulletin," was released. What started out simply as a magazine merged over a few years into a preservation movement.
In 1968, at the Annual General Meeting of the Circle, a proposal was put forth to preserve one of the S&D 7F's at Barry Island. The S&D 7F's were built from 1914 to 1925, according to the North Norfolk Railway, who own and operate one of the two preserved 7F's.
Both surviving 7F's were rescued from Barry Island Scrapyard, and have been restored to service. The S&D Railway Trust are owners and caretakers of 53808, No. 53809 is owned by "John Moorhouse and operated by the 13809 Preservation Society Ltd," and is currently on loan to the North Norfolk Railway, according to the latter's website page on 53809.
In 1973, the Circle renamed itself the "Somerset & Dorset Railway Museum Trust," though they later dropped "Museum" from their name, which they still use to this day. (Note: for clarification the S&D Railway Trust will be referred to as their current name for the rest of the article for clarity). In 1974, the S&D Railway Trust attempted to purchase "Radstock station, plus the line to Writhlington, [to set] up a working industrial museum," with a separate group, the Somerset & Dorset Light Railway Company, created to own and manage the site.
Unfortunately, the UK's economy was facing inflation, and funds were not able to be raised. In 1976 the spin off organization was disbanded.
After looking at new locations, the Trust made their new home at Washford Station and yard, operated by the "fledgling West Somerset Railway," according to the S&D Railway Trust. The station at the time was described by the S&D Railway Trust as "derelict," and "dilapidated," which they worked to restore. Washford Station became a museum to exhibit artifacts of the S&DJR.
The S&D Railway Trust restored the station and yard, and 53808 arrived on the site in 1977. Improvements the Trust made were:
- Installing a replica of a Midland signal box
- Installing the Burnham Signal Box and the Goods Office from Wells on site.
- Building a two road shed in the 1980's, which protected the Trust's collection of goods wagons and gave them space to work on restoration projects, along with exhibit their collection.
The next goal was to restore 53808 to operation. However, the S&D Railway Trust did not have the resources or skills at the time to restore the 7F. So in April, 1985, the S&D Railway Trust and West Somerset Railway agreed to a contract where the WSR would restore 53808, while the Trust focused on fundraising.
In 1987, 53808 returned to steam for the first since since withdrawn in 1963. 53808's restoration was the first major overhaul the WSR completed, according to the WSR's website. As part of the agreement, 53808 operated trains on the WSR, running nearly 50,000 miles in preservation before needing another restoration, which included major work to her boiler.
The Bulletin was renamed to the Pines Express in 1993, after a famous express train that operated on the S&DJR. Over 270 editions have been published since 1966, and are still published as of 2020.
Other parts of the S&D Railway Trust's collection include Pecket 0-4-0 No. 1788, repainted into a S&DJR livery. No. 1788 performed shunting demonstrations and also masqueraded as Percy during WSR's Day out with Thomas events.
Another part of the S&D's collection are three historic S&DJR coaches, such as No. 4, build in 1886 and came into the ownership of the S&D Railway Trust in 1986 in poor condition. In 2012, No. 4's restoration was completed, including being restored back into S&DJR Prussian blue livery.
Background: West Somerset Railway
The West Somerset Railway operates on a former Great Western Railway Branch line, which is the longest heritage railway operating in the UK, as they run trains on 22 miles with round trips.
The WSR began operations in 1976, which started off on shaky ground. However, throughout the 1980's the WSR built itself up and now sees 200,000 visitors, according to the WSR's website. Currently, the WSR is working to reinstall a section of the line that was torn up, which will reconnect the WSR with the town of Williton, and restore the entire line.
The WSR employs 50 people year round and has a volunteer force of 900. The WSR owns four former Great Western steam locomotives, and nine historic diesel engines.
The most famous engine of the WSR's fleet is 9351, a 2-6-0 mogul that was converted from a Great Western 5101 class 2-6-2 Prairie, No. 5193. The rebuild was done to increase the engine's fuel capacity, making 9351 a one of a kind locomotive. 9351, similar to 53808, came from Barry Island Scrapyard, and her design was based off of a proposed design that the Great Western never built, though she does resemble the GWR's 4300 class of Moguls.
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| 9351 operating on the WSR. Source: Geof Sheppard, used under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Blue_Anchor_9351_steaming_eastwards.jpg |
Eviction
News of the eviction was broken by the WSR on Sunday Feburary 16th, 2020 with a "News from the Board Room" post shared on the WSR's website written by Mark Smith, Vice-Chairman of the WSR. In the post, Mr. Smith explained that in 2019, the WSR were facing a financial crisis, which led to several appeals for funds. The results were several coaches were repainted, improvements to the right of way, and work was continued on 9351's restoration.
"Sadly, the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust is governed in such a way that means they felt unable to assist other than by allowing the WSR to hold and retain the profits from a Real Ale Festival," stated Mr. Smith. "They wish to pursue their own agenda and are therefore currently serving a year’s notice to remove themselves from the Washford site."
Mr. Smith also discussed the agreement regarding 53808, saying that the engine is under a separate agreement, and will not be currently affected by the news. Mr. Smith also stated that the Real Ale Festival will be held again this year in Minehead.
You can read the WSR's announcement here.
The news comes before the WSR's spring gala, which will see several visiting locomotives visit the Railway.
S&D Railway Trust Announcement
The S&D Railway Trust also released a statement on their social media on Thursday, Feburary 20, 2020. Ian Young, the S&D Railway Trust's Chairman, sent a newsletter out explaining the situation. You can read the letter, released on the S&D Railway Trust's website, here.
According to the S&D Railway Trust's statement, the WSR has decided to terminate their agreement with the Trust and have asked them to leave their Washford site by February 10, 2021.
"This is very disappointing news for the Trust," reads the newsletter, "The reason cited by the letter from their solicitors is that the WSR wishes to use the site for their own purposes though they have not furnished any further detail."
Mr. Young cited that the news will be a challenge for the Trust, but assured members (and the public) that the Trust will not end because of the decision. Mr. Young announced in the newsletter that the Trust are seeking legal advice and have responded to the WSR's solicitors, who sent them the announcement.
For now, the S&D Railway Trust will continue to operate as normal as they seek their future. Mr. Young stated in his statement that the Trust will release updates on their website, although some information may be reserved for members.
WSR Official Statement
On Monday, February 24th, 2020, the WSR released a statement regarding their decision to end their agreement with the S&D Railway Trust. A summary will be provided in the following paragraphs. If you wish to read the statement yourself, you may find it here.
In the statement, released by the WSR board, the officials elaborated on their February 16th announcement. The statement explains that the future of the WSR was uncertain, but stated the WSR have pulled themselves up.
The WSR's Statement accused the S&D Railway Trust of not assisting them during their time of crisis, except by allowing them to have (according to the WSR) the "moderate" funds raised by the Reale Ale Festival.
The WSR accused the S&D Railway Trust of acting like a "cuckoo in the nest," due to the Trust pursuing "their own specific charitable aims in our crisis period... which the plc found unacceptable."
The WSR explained that they are looking to increase their income to ease "operating pressures." The WSR added that the S&D Railway Trust pays a lower rent than other groups on the WSR, which they said did not help the WSR, as the money raised on their site went to their own projects.
The WSR explained that they considered raising the S&D Railway Trust's rent, but did not believe that the Trust could not because of their current finances, "and their own perhaps understandable focus on wanting to give any spare cash towards their own causes."
In conclusion, the WSR stated they regrettably gave the S&D Railway Trust a termination of their lease, with a year to move off the Washford Station site. WSR also mentioned that they had attempted to negotiate a new compromise that benefited both groups "during [the S&D Railway Trust's] long occupation of the site," and said that the S&D Railway Trust "were not prepared to to consider a two way deal to benefit both parties."
Regarding what will happen to the Washford site, WSR's Statement explained plans for the location. This includes:
- adding a new Permanent Way equipment
- Additional Workshop and Storage Space
- Finding a new Stationmaster for Washford Station
- Develop the Washford Site
- Develop the Museum and turn it into a visitor's attraction
In the final paragraph, the WSR further explained their eviction/lease termination. The WSR explained that the S&D Railway Trust were looking at seeking a Light Railway Order, which would allow them the line on the site as a separate entity. WSR said this would be expensive for the Trust, and that they had concerns over how the Trust managed the site. Another reason given was that the WSR was they had to protect their "Operational Management System with the ORR so that everyone on the line complies with it."
Regarding 53808, WSR stated that the engine is under a separate agreement which they propose to honor, and hope the lease will not be affected, due to the engine's popularity.
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| 53808, running as S&DJR 88, operating on the West Somerset Railway. By Martin Bodman, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6156621 |
S&D Railway Trust Official Statement
On the same day, the S&D Railway Trust released a statement in response to the February 16th Statement by the WSR, dated February 22nd, 2020. The link to the Trust's statement can be found here.
In the statement, the S&D Railway Trust clarify the timeline of events. On February 7th, 2020, the WSR's solicitors dated a statement terminating the agreement with the Trust, despite a renewal in 2018. " This is without warning or prior discussion with the Trust," The statement stated.
"This is very disappointing news for the Trust who have been great supporters of the West Somerset Railway to date and ignores the remarkable achievements the Trust have made over the last 40 years at Washford," the statement continued.
The S&D Railway Trust then address the February 16th statement. In response to the WSR's statement, the Trust addressed what they called inaccurate truths, including that they did not support the WSR and that the Trust had decided to leave. (This has since been clarified in the WSR's 24th Statement).
The Trust's statement says they have worked to support the WSR as much as possible, such as by paying rent and hosting special events.
Regarding the "their own agenda" comment, the S&D Railway Trust responded with "Our only agenda has always been to promote the memory of the old S&D through our museum at Washford Station and our exhibits... . The intention has always been to enhance the heritage offering to visitors who travel on the West Somerset Railway."
The S&D Railway Trust statement said it was regrettable how the WSR have handled the situation, citing that the WSR had no previous contact with them before the February 7th Statement. The Trust also mentioned that they were shocked that the WSR had not offered a formal discussion.
The S&D Railway Trust also offered their perspective on the Real Ale Festival, explaining that the Trust cannot give cash directly to the WSR because of restrictions while operating as a charity. The S&D Railway Trust did not have any further comment to make on 53808.
Current Situation
As this moment in time, the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust have not announced where they will be relocating, and it is likely too early for a final decision. The WSR have not addressed the situation on their social media, and have focused on releasing updates on their Spring Gala. The responses to the S&D Railway's Trust Facebook announcement has been surprise and shock by the S&D Railway Trust's followers.
How the organizations will be affected by the decision is still unclear. What is certain is that Washford Station will soon see massive changes as the S&D Railway Trust moves out, and that the Trust have a large obstacle ahead of them as they work to find a way to move their collection off of the Washford Station site.
The Occasional Express will work to release updates as the story progresses.
Sources:
"About us." Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust. http://www.sdrt.org/About-Us.html
"Class 7F 2-8-0 No. 53089." North Norfolk Railway.
www.nnrailway.co.uk/portfolio-items/class-7f-2-8-0-no-53809
"Great Western Railway Inspired 2-6-0 9351 Class (WSR Mogul) No. 9351." West Somerset Railway.
www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/railway/steam/great-western-railway-inspired-2-6-0-9351-class-wsr-mogul-no-9351
"History." West Somerset Railway. www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/history
"Press Release - Notice to leave Washford." Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust. 24th February, 2020.
www.sdrt.org/images/files/news/press_release_22-02-20.pdf
Smith, Mike. "News from the Board Room." West Somerset Railway. 16th February, 2020.
www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/news/detail/news-from-the-board-room
"Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway 7F Class 53808 2-8-0." West Somerset Railway.
www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/railway/steam/somerset-dorset-joint-railway-7f-class-2-8-0-53808
"West Somerset Railway Board Statement Regarding Washford." WSR PLC Board. 24th February, 2020.
www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/news/detail/west-somerset-railway-board-statement-regarding-washford
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