Plans to restore 'very valuable' steam engine
BBCA charity has renewed fundraising efforts to restore a 76-year-old steam engine.
West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) said it needs up to £3m to return Ditcheat Manor to working order.
The locomotive is currently on static display at the Designer Outlet Centre in Swindon.
Edward Martin, WSRA chair, said it would be "amazing" to see it return to the West Somerset Railway heritage line.
Ditcheat Manor is one of nine surviving Great Western Railway 'Manor Class' locomotives built between 1938 and 1950.
It ran on various lines in the Midlands, Wales and West of England, including briefly on the West Somerset Railway in 1998.
WSRA bought Ditcheat Manor in 2008, three years after its boiler ticket expired, and discovered it needed "extensive and expensive" repairs.
The locomotive has been on static display since 2010 and is currently on the concourse of Swindon Designer Outlet.
WSRA has estimated it will cost up to £3m to restore Ditcheat Manor to its former glory, although the extent of repairs needed is currently unclear.
"Until a full assessment is done we're not quite sure of anything," Martin said.
"It's not easy to assess a locomotive while it's on public display in a shopping centre."
West Somerset Railway AssociationThe charity said it does not yet have the money required to pay for the restoration but has renewed fundraising efforts, including installing new signage at the shopping centre calling for help.
WSRA is prioritising finishing two ongoing steam engine restorations at its Williton workshop before turning full focus to Ditcheat Manor.
It said it will therefore not be until at least the early 2030s before it could be back on the rails again hauling passenger trains between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead.
"It's a very valuable locomotive," Martin said. "We just hope we can achieve the goal in not too long a time frame."
He added: "It would be just amazing to get it back on this railway".
Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
