WITH the days of having a whip-round to buy the coal long gone, the pioneers of the hugely successful West Somerset Railway will be back on board tomorrow (Saturday) to celebrate the heritage line's 30th anniversary.

Around 75 people who were instrumental in setting up the railway in the late 1970s will be treated to an official reception on the Quantock Belle dining train.

And to make the trip all the more memorable, their carriages will be hauled by the first steam train to be built in Britain since the 1950s, the Tornado A1 Class Pacific locomotive 60163.

Founding volunteer John Pearce will be among the special guests and said today's railway, with its extensive timetable and many special events, was a far cry from the early days.

He said: "We were so poor that we had to have a whip round to raise funds to purchase the coal.

"It took enormous dedication to be a volunteer in those days as often tools and equipment were brought from home and the railway was managed from the members' kitchen tables."

Although it is now a thriving business, the railway has not forgotten its roots and still has upwards of 900 volunteers working along the line.

Many of the original founders are among the active volunteers, while the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA), a registered charity, has more than 5,000 members whose subscriptions continue to support the heritage line.

David Holmes, the current chairman of the association, said: "Efforts to get the railway off the ground commenced in earnest in 1974 with the first organisations meeting of the West Somerset Railway Association chaired by John Pearce.

"All the activity that we are so proud of today is directly attributable to this group of founders and, on behalf of the WSRA members today, I want to offer them our sincere thanks."

l The West Somerset Steam Railway Trust is seeking new volunteers to work on its ongoing heritage coaches project.

The trust has now acquired enough ex-GWR coaches for its restoration project and is is looking for a fundraiser and project managers to oversee the scheme.

The project is being managed by a committee of representatives from the trust, the West Somerset Railway Association and the West Somerset Railway itself.

Members are hoping to begin work on Collet 6705 carriage, which was repatriated from the US last year, as soon as possible.