Somerset Traction

The main route to Devon and Cornwall passes through Somerset, with routes from Bristol and Westbury converging at Cogload Junction - 5 miles east of Taunton. To the south of the county is the former London & South Western Railway route from London Waterloo to Exeter via Yeovil Junction. Castle Cary on the section from Westbury to Taunton is the junction for the route to Yeovil Pen Mill, and southwards to Weymouth. The principal passenger train operator throughout the county is Great Western Railway (GWR), although Arriva CrossCountry runs a regular service to Exeter and Plymouth/Paignton/Penzance from the north. South West Trains solely operates the Waterloo to Exeter route, but has recently started to encroach on GWR territory by operating services to Yeovil and Weymouth from Salisbury via Warminster and Frome.

In recent years freight traffic to the South West has become sparse, but Taunton still retains Fairwater Yard, to the west of the station, and is home to Network Rail’s High Output Renewals Train, which is operated by Freightliner Heavy Haul. Somerset is also home to the longest preserved railway in the country, the West Somerset Railway (WSR).

Featuring previously unpublished images, Mark Jamieson illustrates the variety of traffic the county of Somerset has enjoyed over the years, from summer holiday trains to railtours and freight workings.