West Somerset Railway Association

Supporting the Heritage of the West Somerset Railway for over 50 years

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80064 – the journey to running on the WSR

Standard 4 80064 update

An update from WSRA runner Reece who is running the 2026 London Marathon on behalf of the WSRA and the 80064 Restoration Fund in particular.

I hit a massive milestone today – my longest training run to date at 20 miles! 🏃💨
The best part? I actually finished the run feeling surprisingly strong. The “firebox” is full and I’m feeling at peak pressure as I head into the final weeks before the London Marathon on April 26th.
I’ve included a digital reimagining of me in my 80064 “costume” from a 10k I did a few months ago. I’ll be the first to admit it’s a bit of a “polished” version of me, but that’s exactly the goal for the project I’m running for!
The Parallel Progress:
Just as my training is reaching its peak, the locomotive I’m supporting is making its own steady headway. I’m raising funds for the West Somerset Railway Association to bring BR Standard Class 4MT No. 80064 back to life.
We have now officially raised over 50% of the £2,000 target! 🎉
A massive thank you to everyone who has donated so far. With the boiler currently undergoing a specialist overhaul at Rileys and we are both aiming for that “fully operational” status. Every mile I run helps ensure this 1954-built legend returns to hauling passengers by the beautiful Quantock Hills.
If you can spare a few pounds to help me close the gap on the final 50%, it would be the perfect fuel to get me across that finish line in London!

 

 

 

80064 BOILER GOES TO LANCASHIRE

Monday February 9th saw another step forward with the restoration of B.R. Standard 4MT    2-6-4T when the boiler left a muddy yard at Williton for work to be carried out at Riley and Son. This another important stage along the way to the target of a 2028 return to service on the WSR and two West Somerset Railway supporters will be working hard to raise funds towards the work via their running shoes. 

Sunday April 26th is the date of this year’s London Marathon with thousands of runners pounding the streets of the capital for a distance  of 26 miles and 385 yards. Founded by 1981 by long distance athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in the subsequent four decades it has attracted both elite runners and huge numbers of participants putting themselves to the test in order to raise funds for charities and good causes. Many people have watched the television coverage and set out to train and get fit in order to take  part in subsequent years. 

This year two runners will be raising funds towards the restoration of  80064, now owned by the West Somerset Railway Association after it being donated to the WSRA by the 80064 Locomotive Group. Work on the restoration is underway at Williton on the West Somerset Railway as well as the boiler work to be carried out in Bury. 

Joe Rogers is an experienced distance runner who has in the past run from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead, calling at stations along the route of the WSR He is also the author of a number of books including “Railway Enthusiasm in 21st Century Britain” published by Amberley Publishing in 2024. 

Reece Bartle-Coates will be taking part in his first marathon, being one of the many participants who are training and improving their fitness ahead of crossing the starting line on the last Sunday in April. 

Both Joe and Reece have GoFundMe pages. Joe’s is at https://2026londonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/joseph-rogers-wsra-2026 whilst Reece’s page is at https://2026londonmarathon.enthuse.co/pf/reece-bartle-coates. 

WSRA Chairman Edward Martin commented;- “The Association is very grateful to Joe and Reece for their commitment to fund raising for the restoration of 80064 and we hope that that each mile they cover will be generously supported. We must also thank local businesses that supported our pre-Christmas raffle to raise funds for the same purpose. We were hoping to raise a four figure sum but were delighted that it realised £1922.” 

Should anyone wish to support Joe and Reece’s Marathon efforts without using GoFundMe  they may care to send a cheque for £26.38p  (or multiples thereof) payable to West Somerset Railway Association, to West Somerset Railway Association (MR), The Railway Station, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 3BX.

 

Flue tubes are out

It’s the first week of March and the flue tubes have now been removed to allow the engineering inspection to undertake a thorough internal examination which will inform the scope of work required to return the boiler to service.  The first image is a view from inside the firebox showing the empty boiler barrel.

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A reminder that WSRA supporter Joe Rogers is running the London Marathon in April to help raise funds for the restoration of this locomotive.  He’s now into some serious training so please consider supporting him in his endeavours to support the restoration of 80064.

Click here to support Joseph Rogers running the London Marathon to raise funds for 80064

The Smoke box is out

It’s the first week of February and the Smoke Box is now out and Joseph Rogers is in serious training for the London Marathon to fundraise for 80064.

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WSRA supporter Joe Rogers is running the London Marathon in April to help raise funds for the restoration of this locomotive.  He’s now into some serious training so please consider supporting him in his endeavours to support the restoration of 80064.

Click here to support Joseph Rogers running the London Marathon to raise funds for 80064