Kilmersdon Steams Up For Autumn Gala

The Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust’s steam locomotive ‘Kilmersdon’ will be a special attraction for visitors to the Trust’s shop and museum at Washford, during the West Somerset Railway’s Autumn Steam Gala which runs from Thursday – Sunday 1- 4 October 2009.

Entitled “ GWR 175 – The Prelude “ the Gala will feature as many Great Western type locomotives as possible.

The Gala line-up will include a King, a Castle, a Hall and a Manor as well as other GWR steam engines .There will be an intensive timetable over the four days , heritage goods trains on the Thursday and Friday with workshops at Minehead and Williton being open on Saturday and Sunday .The Gala will also feature many of the othere attractions the WSR has to offer.

Kilmersdon will be giving shunting demonstrations at Washford throughout the Gala using the Trust’s restored goods wagons in the station yard  with the Trust’s other locomotive the former Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway 7F No. ‘88’ being the standby ‘ Thunderbird ‘ engine at Williton for the event.

Kilmersdon was built by Peckett & Sons at its Atlas Works in Bristol and worked at Kilmersdon Colliery in Radstock from 1929 until the Colliery closed in 1973.The Trust restored Kilmersdon and maintains it at Washford where it regularly steams at Galas and other special occasions.

Photograph (c) SDRT