SOMERSET and Dorset Railway Trust has been given notice to quit its Washford Station headquarters, which it has rented from West Somerset Railway for the past 50 years.

The trust (SDRT) management said this week that the notice to terminate the agreement and leave the site by February, 2021, was a “complete bolt from the blue” and had come without warning or prior discussion.

The SDRT claimed that this was despite the WSR signing an extension for a new 50-year tenancy in 2018.

SDRT chairman Ian Young said: “The reason cited by the WSR solicitors is that the railway wishes to use the site for their own purposes.

“We are seeking legal advice and a response has already been sent to the WSR via their solicitors.”

The trust was formed in 1966 after the closure of the Somerset and Dorset Railway and took over the then-derelict Washford station, sidings and buildings in the 1970s.

The station, first opened in 1874, has been built up into an award-winning tourist attraction with a museum and displays of restored historic rolling-stock.

A trust spokesman said: “This is very disappointing news for the trust, which has been a great supporter of the WSR and ignores the remarkable achievements the trust has made over the last 40 years at Washford.

“The site has been transformed by the trust and we have expended huge amounts on creating the works areas and covered accommodation, as well as the extensive track layout and restoring the station.”

A statement from the WSR board claimed that money from the ale festival was the sole financial contribution from the Somerset and Dorset trust during last year’s WSR financial crisis.

WSR said that future plans for the Washford site would include more vehicle and equipment storage, covered winter accommodation and restoration workshops.

The station would be improved, the museum expanded and there were plans for developing the site as a visitor attraction.

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