Alan as DMU driver with the last ‘staff and ticket’ movement between Williton and Crowcombe Heathfield in 2006.
After 29 years service to the WSR, the Trust will miss the support of Alan Meade who has retired as a Trustee and as leader of the Model Railway Group at the Gauge Museum.
Alan, who was 80 in March and lives in Axminster has found the journey by public transport to Bishops Lydeard to be difficult and of course, the travel ban resulting from the Coronavirus crisis and the risk of infection has meant that he has been unable to travel since the end of March.
His career on the railway included time as a guard, guards’ training, DMU driver and managing the model railway group. In this role he encouraged and enthused a whole generation of young volunteers, many of whom have gone on to fill other important posts on the railway, including that of General Manager. Under his leadership, a steady stream of young people queued up to join the group, until Coronavirus stopped everything in its tracks.
Brought up in Eastleigh, Alan’s encyclopaedic knowledge of Southern practice and performance was a healthy counterpoint to the Great Western obsession that many of us have, and this was reflected in the number of light pacifics and rakes of green coaches that appeared on the layout when he was PIC.
We shall miss his wise counsel and good humour and wish him well in retirement.
The Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway has been awarded Full Accreditation by the Arts Council. The Museum, which is run by the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust, holds a wide range of artefacts which display and tell the story of the history and heritage of the West Somerset Railway and the Great Western Railway.
Administered by Arts Council England on behalf of the UK Accreditation Partnership, Accreditation is the benchmark for well-run Museums and Galleries.
It means that the Gauge Museum is properly managed and governed to the nationally agreed industry standard and shows the museum takes proper care of its collections, sharing them with visitors and keeping them safe for future generations.
Accreditation opens up exciting funding opportunities, allows museums to host touring exhibitions and gives access to professional advice and support. It also gives confidence to donors and sponsors who may wish to support the museum in preserving heritage and inspiring future generations
Steve Williams, Trust Vice Chairman and Trust Accreditation Lead said: “This is a fantastic outcome for the Trust and marks the combination of three years of hard work by a small and dedicated team of volunteers many of whom now make up our Museum Management Team. This means that the Trust is recognised as working to a high standard of Museum and collections management and care. We now have to ensure that we deliver to those standards and continue to make the Gauge Museum as welcoming and as interesting an experience for visitors and volunteers alike”.
Ian Camp, Trustee and Museum Curator said: “This achievement represents a significant milestone for our museum. The progress we have made is the result of the unwavering dedication and hard work of our team over the past several years. Their commitment has been instrumental in reaching this important point in our journey.
We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to Rachel Bellamy, our Museum Development Officer, whose support and guidance have been invaluable throughout this process. Her expertise has helped steer us in the right direction and ensured that we met the necessary standards for accreditation.
Securing this recognition marks another important step towards fulfilling our vision of being a professional museum, managed and operated by a group of passionate and committed volunteers.”
Helen Anson, Trustee and Museum Professional Adviser said: “This is a defining moment for the Heritage Trust. By gaining accreditation we have demonstrated our deep commitment to our museums service, setting high standards in organisational health, collections care and management and visitor experience. The contribution from the whole team has been outstanding and their passion for embedding excellence across the organisation will ensure that we continue to build on this success over the coming years.”
Having gained Accreditation for the Gauge Museum, the Trust will in 2026 be pursuing a similar outcome for its other site at Blue Anchor station on the WSR which is now opened to visitors again following an extensive programme of refurbishment and reinterpretation.
The West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust is pleased to publish the minutes of its August Board Meeting on Thursday, 7th August 2025.
Please click the Board Meeting link to access the document as a pop-up tab. Alternatively, to view all Trust Board Meetings since 2016 –view the collection.
The Trust is pleased to announce that the Gauge Museum Blue Anchor has reopened in April. The website on the Gauge Museum Blue Anchor has new photos of the Museum’s interior and new panels showing lots of information.
Please do have a visit to the new webpage under Museums > Gauge Museum Blue Anchor drop down. Alternatively click here.
Thank you for spending your time visiting the Railway and the Heritage Trust.
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