(Photo: Brian Garrett)
Published on 31st December 2024
Colas Rail Freight claimed the spot for the last freight train to operate through Taunton in 2024 on the 31st December 2024.
Colas operated a rake of empty GBRF FEA wagons from an engineering blockade at Westbury on the 31st December 2024. Seen in a partially washed state from its stint on the Autumn Rain Heat Treatment Train circuit. Class 66 No. 66847 'Tom Baker' passes Creech St Michael operating 6F11 12:16 Fairwood Junction - Hinksey Sidings empty flats. The train reversed at Fairwater Yard before heading north via Bristol.
To view the gallery, please click here.
(Photo: Brian Garrett)
Published on 31st December 2024
Former Avanti West Coast 'Super' Voyager No.221115 leads Cross Country Voyager No.220013 south at Creech St Michael on the 31st December 2024.
The nine-car formation was operating 1V48 06:40 Newcastle - Plymouth.
No.221115 was originally built for Virgin Cross Country and operated the Cross Country Network until around 2008 when it was transferred to Virgin West Coast for use on the London Euston - Holyhead route. After Virgin lost the West Coast contract in 2019, the fleet of Holyhead Voyagers transferred to Avanti West Coast until a handful came off lease in 2024 returning to their original operating route with Cross Country.
To view the gallery, please click here.
Published on 27th December 2024
A Colas Rail Tamper DR75010 'Nigel Nicholas' passes Norton Fitzwarren on the 27th December 2024.
The Plasser & Theurer Unimat 09-4x4/4S Dynamic Tamper was operating 6Q58 14:30 Exeter Riverside to Woodborough Sidings in preparation for overnight tamping work in Wiltshire.
(Photo: Adam Hiscock)
Published on 27th December 2024
Freightliner Class 66 No.66565 (in top and tail formation with No.66539) is pictured recessed in Fairwater Yard, Taunton on the 27th December 2024.
The pair were operating 6F13 12:22 Hinksey Yard - Fairwood Junction via Fairwater Yard. The service was booked to travel via Exeter Riverside Yard but terminated short at Taunton running 86 minutes late, and departed over an hour earlier than it's northbound schedule.
(Photo: Adam Hiscock)
(Photo: Jason Prole)
(Photo: Phil Izzard)
Published on 20th December 2024
Work stained Freightliner Class 66/6 No. 66619 'Derek W. Johnson MBE' passes Norton Fitzwarren on the 20th December 2024.
The loco was returning to Wiltshire having unloaded its Mendip Aggregate at the Exeter Riverside Virtual Quarry. The loco is pictured operating as 6C28 14:48 Exeter Riverside - Westbury returning with what will like be the last of the flow before the Christmas break.
Published on 20th December 2024
On December 20th 2024, a rake of thirty Orenstein and Koppel built JHA hopper wagons, operated by Foster Yeoman, were moved from Merehead Quarry to Exeter Riverside Yard for storage.
Class 59/1 No. 59101 'Village of Whatley' operated the move as 7C73 11:20 Merehead Quarry to Exeter Riverside, and was captured in heavy rain at Oath and Whitball. With the regular flow of aggregates to Exeter Riverside Yard exclusively conveyed in box wagons, the JHA wagon type is rarely seen this far west, with only a few previous visits on record.
To view the gallery, please click here.
(Photo: Adam Snow)
(Photo: Russell Ayre)
Published on 17th December 2024
The last mainline registered split headcode Class 37 visited Taunton on the 17th December 2024 operating a Network Rail Test Train.
With Network Rail DBSO No.9714 leading towards Bristol, Colas Rail Class 37 No.37057 pushes a Network Rail test train north through Taunton Station and Creech St Michael on the 17th December 2024. The Colas Rail Freight liveried locomotive was operating 5Z10 12:43 Exeter St Davids - Exeter Riverside via Bristol Temple Meads.
To view the gallery, please click here.
(Photo: Paul Clarke)
(Photo: Paul Clarke)
(Photo: Shaun Mockridge)
(Photo: Paul Clarke)
Published on 17th December 2024
A lovingly hand made model of a Great Western Railway 4-6-0 King Class locomotive has been donated to Taunton Station by Clive Goddard, the locomotive has been painstakingly hand built.
Clive once tended the flower beds on the middle platform at Taunton Station for many years, using free flowers from the West Somerset Railway. He also donated hanging baskets to the station for over ten years, keeping the station looking attractive and colourful. The model locomotive will serve as a nice welcoming focal point for passengers using the station, and even had it's boiler rolled at the West Somerset Railway. The impressive hand built model is now on display in the lobby area of Taunton Station on Platform 2 having been donated for passengers to enjoy, and to remember that without such impressive steam locomotives the modern railways we have today would not have been possible to achieve.
Published on 16th December 2024
GWR Class 158 units only make period visits to Taunton during the early hours and late night on normal passenger duties.
A pair made a rare daylight more operating a stock transfer movement between Bristol St Philips Marsh Depot and Plymouth Station on the 16th December 2024. Class 158 units No.158958 and No.158769 pass through Platform 3 at Taunton operating 5Z77 09:30 St Philips Marsh - Plymouth. Once at Plymouth the front unit formed a stopping service through to Penzance.
To view the gallery, please click here.
(Photo: Paul Clarke)
Published on 13th December 2024
The Great Western Society meeting program has been announced for 2025 with details of all talks now listed on Taunton Trains for reference.
Meetings are open to anyone wishing to attend, and are held on the third Friday of each month plus the first Friday in November at 7.30pm in the Village Hall, Stoke St Mary, Taunton, TA3 5DE, a donation is requested.
Details of the 2025 program can be found here.
Published on 12th December 2024
The 12th December 2024 proved to be an incredibly busy day for Taunton with several rare movements making an appearance through the county town station.
Rail Adventure returned north with off lease stock from GWR Laira Depot in Plymouth, moving two more ex-GWR powercars (No.43160 and No.43162) and two Ex Caledonian Sleeper Mk3 coaches which had been stored at Laira Depot. Rail Adventure powercars No.43480 and No.43468 ironically provided a lift for their former classmates operating as 5Q44 07:05 Laira - Mid Norfolk Siding for storage and onward transit.
Next to arrive at just before 11am was a Network Rail test train hauled by Regional Railways liveried Class 37 No. 37425 'Sir Robert McAlpine/ Concrete Bob'. The Class 37 operated the test train as 5Z11 09:49 Bristol Kingsland Road - Bristol Kingsland Road via Taunton. Upon arrival into Platform 3 at Taunton the train reversed with DBSO 9702 leading back to Bristol.
A pre Christmas top of of the Exeter Riverside virtual quarry also provided the appearance of the Freightliner operated Mendip aggregate flow, with No.59204 heading back to Whatley Quarry around 13:00.
(Photo: S A Ginn)
(Photo: Shaun Mockridge)
(Photo: Paul Clarke)
(Photo: Paul Clarke)
(Photo: S A Ginn)
Published on 10th December 2024
Back-to-Back Rail Adventure HST power cars No.43468 and 43480 head west through Fordgate on 10th December 2024.
The pair were operating as the 0Z43 05:05 Kidderminster to Laira. The powercars are expected to collect redundant off lease GWR stock from Laira to take away for storage.
To view the gallery, please click here.
Published on 10th December 2024
A recent interview between the popular railway youtube channel Green Signals and Go-op took place in Taunton to discuss the proposal to run a cooperative train service from Taunton making connections with other towns and counties. Green Signals is presented by Nigel Harris (former Managing Editor and Events Director of the leading industry & opinion forming magazine RAIL) & Richard Bowker, the former Chair & CEO of the Strategic Rail Authority). GO-OP rail is a new type of Open Access operator who may just provide an alternative. It’s local, very community based and with a co-operative ownership model that means it is there to serve passengers and workers. Richard Bowker visited the Taunton Office of GO-OP to meet with Chair Alex Lawrie and Vice Chair David Northey to find out more about the proposals to operate services and future plans now the rail regulator has given approval for GO-OP to launch an open access train passenger service.
Published on 8th December 2024
In an interesting development for open access operation in the UK, First Group are actively making bold movements to secure options for the expansion of their current ‘LUMO’ service.
The service currently operated between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh using Hitachi built five-car Class 803 units. FirstGroup has now entered into a lease agreement with Angle Trains and Hitachi Rail for the leave of 14 brand new trains for use on the newly announced London Paddington – Carmarthen route (due to start in December 2027), and to increase the number of cars on the current Lumo services on the East Coast Mainline.
How does this affect Taunton?. Within this agreement there is an ‘option’ for a further 13 five-car sets, should the recently submitted open access applications be successful. One of those applications is a Lumo service to operate between London Paddington and Paignton. The application to the ORR requests track access rights to include five return Lumo services from London Paddington calling at Paignton via Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Taunton, Exeter, Torquay and Paignton from May 2028. A sixth path has also been requested between Highbridge & Burnham and London Paddington. FirstGroup have identified that currently the Torbay area only has three direct rail services to London a day, and rail only has a 29% modal share on this route compared to 71% for road. This is despite a car journey from Paignton to London taking between four and five hours on average; the Group's planned London-Paignton service will take around 3 hours 20 minutes. Similarly, Bath and Bristol tourist rail journeys to Torbay have a lower modal share than comparable routes. This service should therefore accelerate tourism, drive growth and support jobs as the Torbay area's tourism sector recovers from lower demand during the pandemic and the resurgence in overseas travel. For further reading please visit: FirstGroup Open Access Growth, and FirstGroup Open Access Application.
A Hitachi Bi-mode Class 803 operated by the First Group open access 'Lumo' service passes through Doncaster heading for London Kings Cross on the 4th December 2024.
(Photo: Richard Tuplin)
Published on 5th December 2024
Rail Operations Group moved a second Class 175 to the GWR depot at Laira on the 5th December 2024.
The movement happened overnight again with No. 37510 'Orion' and No. 37611 'Denise' moving No.175114 through Taunton at 03:22 in the morning. No.175114 is a non-running three-car unit was being delivered for depot staff and crew familiarisation. Later in the morning ROG locomotives No. 37510 'Orion' and No. 37611 'Denise' returned either end of their barrier vehicles 6346 and 6344 heading for Derby RTC.
To view the gallery, please click here.
(Photo: Phil Izzard)
(Photo: Freddie Batchelor-Durell)
(Photo: S A Ginn)
Published on 4th December 2024
A new Café was officially opened on Platform 2 at Taunton Station on the 3rd December 2024.
The Centenary Lounge is the latest in a small s a collection of cafes/ tearooms inspired by the railway refreshment rooms of the 1930s Art Deco Period. Founder and owner Aasia Baig was at Taunton to welcome invited guests, from the local council, Railway Heritage Trust, contractors, the rail network and local community, and new customers to officially see this excellent and much need addition to Taunton Station. The Cafe celebrates the rich history of GWR stations in the UK and invites visitors to experience a touch of the past while enjoying modern amenities. The Café is also unique in being divided into two spaces for use by the general public (without the need to pass through the ticket barriers to use the facilities) and the opposite side for use by those passengers already using Taunton Station platforms. Joe Graham (GWR Business Assurance Director) and Lord Faulkner (Chair, Great Western Railway Advisory Board) gave speeches before formally opening the new Centenary Lounge. Bristol based band The Hipcats entertained invited guests and customers during the opening ceremony at the Centenary Lounge on the 3rd December 2024.
The Taunton Express Lounge now joins other café/ tearooms at Worcester Shrub Hill, Birmingham Moor Street, Leamington Spa, Bicester North, Solihull and Coventry.
(Photo: Paul Clarke)
(Photo: Paul Clarke)
(Photo: Paul Clakre)
(Photo: Russell Ayre)
Published on 1st December 2024
BR 4-6-0 No. 7828 'Odney Manor' climbs through Combe Flory on the 1st December 2024 on the low winter sunlight.
The loco was hauling the 10:50 Bishops Lydeard - Minehead 'Christmas Market Special' allowing passenger to enjoy a festive steam hauled trip to Minehead.
To view news stories from November 2024 click here, or for news from January 2025, click here.