The West Somerset Railway is one of Britain's longest heritage steam railways and arguably its most picturesque. It runs for twenty miles from Bishops Lydeard, just outside the county town of Taunton, to the seaside holiday resort of Minehead. Closed by British Railways in 1971, it was gradually restored and reopened in stages over a number of years. It is run largely by volunteers, supporting a handful of paid staff. After a struggle against all financial odds in the early 1980s, the line has blossomed into one of the West Country's leading tourist attractions and one of the country's most successful heritage railways.
