The Yeovil Railway Centre is a small railway museum at Yeovil Junction on the L&SWR

West of England Main Line The West of England line (also known as the West of England Main Line) is a British railway line from , Hampshire, to in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter; the line intersects with the Wessex Ma ...

between

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

and Exeter in the

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

It was created in 1993, in response to British Rail's decision to remove the

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

from Yeovil Junction. Approximately ¼ mile of track along the

Clifton Maybank Clifton Maybank is a hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is located about a mile southwest of the village of Bradford Abbas. It is known for Clifton Maybank House, a country house with surviving Tudor fabric. Dorset Coun ...

spur is used for demonstration trains.

Description

The site contains a G.W.R. transfer shed built in the 1860s, which was erected to facilitate the transfer of goods from broad gauge to standard gauge freight wagons. This is the last remaining shed of its type on its original site and has been converted to a visitor centre. The site also has an S.R.

and a 15,000 gallon

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

. These have been restored to working order for the servicing of steam locomotives. An

engine shed The motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is the place where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained when not being used. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine shed ...

was built and opened in 1999.

Events

The centre holds regular events including Train Days where steam train rides are operated, using a

brake van Brake van and guard's van are terms used mainly in the UK, Ireland, Australia and India for a railway vehicle equipped with a hand brake which can be applied by the guard. The equivalent North American term is caboose, but a British brake van ...

down the Clifton Maybank spur, and the turntable is demonstrated. Often there are additional attractions on site such as a miniature railway, shed tours, model railway and art gallery. Other events include the Train & Tractor Day and Santa Specials. Mainline steam excursions to Exeter or Weymouth often call here for the locomotive to be turned and serviced.

Stock List

Steam locomotives

Peckett Peckett and Sons was a locomotive manufacturer at the Atlas Locomotive Works on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St. George, Bristol, England. Fox, Walker and Company The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, ...

''Pectin''. Operational, returned to service March 2022. * Andrew Barclay ''Lord Fisher''. Operational.

Diesel Locomotives

* British Rail Class 50 50050 ''Fearless'' (''Privately Owned''). Left 2015 *

Ruston & Hornsby Ruston & Hornsby was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England founded in 1918. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included ca ...

Shunting engine * Fowler "Cockney Rebel" * Fowler "Sam"

External links

Official site

References

{{authority control Heritage railways in Somerset Buildings and structures in Yeovil Museums in Somerset Railway museums in England