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.