THE move to Washford of all the heritage stock on the West Somerset Railway was completed this week.

West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust, which was established in 1972 and is headquartered in Bishops Lydeard Station, now has all its stock in one depot, which is now the base for all of the trust's restoration activities.

It follows the trust’s purchase in February of a shed on the track in Washford and agreement for a new 10-year lease of the site with the West Somerset Railway Plc (WSR).

The trust is concerned with the historical and educational aspects of railway preservation in West Somerset.

Trustee Chris Bolt said: “The planned move of the three carriages previously stored at Dunster sidings to Washford was successfully completed on Monday by a WSR specialist team, while the railway was closed to passenger traffic.

“Carriages 5131, 7740, and 2578 have been located in a siding near Dunster station for many years awaiting restoration, leaving them exposed to the sea air despite being covered with tarpaulin covers.

“Coastal storms have periodically caused further deterioration to the carriages.

“Given the poor condition of the carriages, a comprehensive risk assessment was prepared in advance of the move.

“This included a three-metre hard hat exclusion zone around the move, and even a camera wired up to one of the shunters, pointing underneath the carriages to check if anything fell between the tracks during the move.

“The whole exercise was professionally executed by the team, using two top and tail shunters, without incident.”

Mr Bolt said the trust's horse box was on Tuesday brought by road from its previous location in Bishops Lydeard.

During the First World War, horses and mules were used extensively by the British Army, nearly a million of them by 1918, and were transported by rail.

It is believed the trust’s was the only horse box of the era to survive.

It was built for the London and North Western Railway and was found on a farm in Pershore, Worcestershire.

Mr Bolt said following the move to Washford, the restoration of the horse box would now be completed.

The trust’s Washford shed will be open to visitors on Saturday and Sunday (September 14 and 15) as part of the WSR 40s weekend.

The trust currently owns 10 ex-Great Western Railway carriages, the oldest being a sleeping car built in 1897 which was used on the Paddington to Fishguard route.

It has been fully restored and can be viewed in the trust's Gauge Museum, in Bishops Lydeard Station.

There are also six ‘toplight’ carriages and three ‘Collett’ coaches currently stored in Williton which will be moved to Washford over the next few months.

The trust is currently finalising the next steps in its restoration programme, with work to restore BCK 6705, built in 1938, nearing completion.

Work has also started to restore TK 3639, a carriage built in 1908 and converted into an ambulance coach in 1916.

After being restored to a passenger coach in 1921, it was used in Dunkirk evacuation trains in 1940.