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West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust WSRHT

Visit to the Swanage Railway Museums

Following the visit to the Gauge Museum by volunteers from the Swanage Railway Museum last November, Chris Austin, Geoff Evens and Chris Bolt made a return visit on 30 May, hosted by Gavin Johns (chairman of the Swanage Railway Trust) and several of the museum volunteers. We were shown round both the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum at Norden and the Railway Museum at Corfe Castle, and came away with a number of ideas which will help with development of the our own museums. We also shared in sessions on emergency planning and on HLF grants.

The HLF session was given by Kelly Spry-Phare (in the centre of the photo in front of the Corfe Castle Museum). Kelly will be coming to Bishops Lydeard on 21 June to give feedback on our recent unsuccessful bid for an HLF grant to develop the Gauge Museum, and to hear more about the railway’s ‘Southern Gateway’ proposals. This will enable the Trustees to decide on our next steps at the Board meeting on 13 July.

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WSRHT Board Meeting January 2025 Minutes Published

January 2025
Board Meeting Minutes Published

The West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust is pleased to publish the minutes of its May Board Meeting on Thursday, 30th January 2025.

Please click the Board Meeting link to access the document as a pop-up tab. Alternatively, to view all Trust Board Meetings since 2016 – view the collection

Board Meeting 30th January 2025

Join Heritage Trust as Communications & IT Trustee

Trustee Communications and Information Technology Opportunity

West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust is a key organisation on the West Somerset Railway and is responsible for:

  • Museums Management
  • Collections Management and Care
  • Heritage Carriages Restoration and Management
  • Education Learning and Community Outreach

The Board is composed of Trustees who are also Directors of the charity, each of whom has a specific set of portfolio responsibilities.

The Trust is looking to appoint a Trustee to lead on our Communications and Information Technology portfolio. The charity is pursuing a full and exciting business agenda over the next few years and we are looking for someone who has an interest in communications to help to promote the work of the Trust both within and across the West Somerset Railway but also externally. The individual concerned will also be responsible for the Information Technology brief and associated governance requirements and so will need to be able to demonstrate expertise in this area.

If you think you are interested and would like to know more, then please contact:

Closing date for applications with a CV and covering letter will be Monday, 7th April 2025.

© Gauge Museum Blue Anchor
WSRHT 2025

WSRHT Tribute to David Baker

WSRHT Tribute to David Baker

The West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust (WSRHT) is saddened to learn of the passing of David Baker who held lots of roles across the West Somerset Railway. 

A statement from the Trust’s President, Chris Austin.

David Baker's interest in railways was kindled by his grandfather and uncle, both of whom worked for the Southern Railway. He was an enthusiastic and devoted supporter of the West Somerset Railway for over 25 years. David was Catering Manager for the railway's buffet cars and later was Commercial Director and in 2013, became Vice Chairman of the PLC and in 2015 was acting Chairman. In 2016 he became a trustee and Company Secretary for the Steam Trust (now the WSR Heritage Trust), while continuing to support the PLC as Share Registrar. After the retirement of Pete Treharne, David took on the role as curator of the Blue Anchor Railway Museum. Working with him in these roles was his wife Jill, who survives him and also worked for the Chief Mechanical Engineer, Andy Forster, fulfilling the key role of maintaining locomotive records and also minuted meetings of the Trust's board. David retired as a trustee in 2020.