Template:FP-West Somerset Railway

a former Great Western Railway 5101 Class locomotive, heads east along the Somerset coast at Helwell Bay, Watchet

West Somerset Railway The West Somerset Railway is a heritage railway line in Somerset, running on a track 22¾ miles long, making it the longest standard gauge heritage railway in the United Kingdom. The railway is leased to and operated by West Somerset Railway plc; which is supported by a charitable trust. The company operates services using both heritage steam and diesel trains. The railway originally opened as a commercial line in 1862, and was extended as tourists flocked to the Somerset coast. The line was closed by British Rail in 1971 but reopened as a heritage line just five years later. (Read more)