Published on 16th June 1990
The first through train onto the West Somerset Railway operated on the 16th June 1990.
The 1Z16 06:18 Manchester Piccadilly - Minehead was hauled by British Rail Class 47 No.47457 and the charter was named 'The Quantock Explorer'. The special charter is seen arriving at Norton Fitzwarren. The tour was formed of 7 Mk1 coaches from the Pilkinton K Glass set (the shorter length was because this was the maximum length between the points at the Norton Fitzwarren site. Upon arrival at the Taunton Cider site, the Class 47 was removed to be replaced by two WSR locomotives (2-6-2 Small Prairie No.4561 and 0-6-0 Pannier No.6412) to take the train forward to Minehead. The event was covered by local TV as a major step forward for the preserved line. We would like to thank Richard Giles who photographed and recorded the milestone event.
