Minehead Railway

West Somerset Railway
GWR Class 6959 No. 6960 'Raveningham Hall' and train are seen at Williton
Locale	Minehead, Somerset, England
Terminus	Minehead Bishops Lydeard
Commercial operations
Built by	West Somerset Railway Minehead Railway
Original gauge	7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge to 1882
Preserved operations
Operated by	West Somerset Railway plc (and leasehold owner) Owner: Somerset County Council
Stations	11
Length	22.75 miles (36.61 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened	1862
1862	Opened Taunton to Watchet
1874	Opened to Minehead
1882	Converted to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Closed	1973
Preservation history
1975	Light Railway Order granted
1976	Re-opened Minehead to Williton
1978	Re-opened to Stogumber
1979	Re-opened to Bishops Lydeard
1987	New station at Doniford
2009	New station at Norton Fitzwarren
Headquarters	WSR plc: Minehead WSRA: Bishops Lydeard

The West Somerset Railway (WSR) is a 22.75-mile (36.6 km) heritage railway line in Somerset, England. The freehold of the track and stations is owned by Somerset County Council; the railway is leased to and operated by West Somerset Railway plc (WSR plc); which is supported and minority owned by charitable trust the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA). The WSR plc operates services using both heritage steam and diesel trains.

It originally opened in 1862 between Taunton and Watchet. In 1874 it was extended from Watchet to Minehead by the Minehead Railway. Although just a single track, improvements were needed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the significant number of tourists that wished to travel to the Somerset coast. The line was closed by British Rail in 1971 and reopened in 1976 as a heritage line.

It is the longest standard gauge independent heritage railway in the United Kingdom. Services normally operate over just the 20.5 miles (33.0 km) between Minehead and Bishops Lydeard. During special events some trains continue a further two miles (3.2 km) to Norton Fitzwarren where a connection to Network Rail allows occasional through trains to operate onto the national network.

In 1845, when the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) had recently completed its main line, there were proposals for a number of different and competitive railway schemes in west Somerset. A Bristol and English Channels Direct Junction Railway was proposed as a link from Watchet through Stogumber and Bishops Lydeard to Bridport on the south coast, which would be an alternative to ships taking a long and dangerous passage around Land's End. This prompted the promotion of a connecting line from Williton to Minehead and Porlock, a line designed to attract tourists to Exmoor. Shortly afterwards, a Bristol and English Channels Connection Railway was suggested from Stolford to Bridport which would have passed through the near Crowcombe. Alternatively, the Bridgwater and Minehead Junction Railway would link with the B&ER at Bridgwater and run through Williton to Minehead with a branch to Watchet and a connecting Minehead and Central Devon Junction Railway would provide a line to Exeter. An alternative link to South Devon was proposed by the Exeter, Tiverton and Minehead Direct Railway through Dunster and offered an extension to Ilfracombe.