THREE new role and advisor appointments have been made to strengthen the West Somerset Railway board of directors.Former WSR managing director and Heritage Railway Association (HRA vice-chairman Mark Smith, who became a plc director late last year, now becomes the company’s new vice-chairman.

Martin Brown has been appointed as safety and compliance adviser to the board initially, but with a view to his becoming a full director in due course after a trial period. He is currently Crossrail’s, or the Elizabeth Line’s, health and safety director.

Following the recent decision to split the signalling and guards inspector functions and roles after the ORR review last year, long-serving WSR volunteer Chris Pratt has now been appointed as acting chief signalling inspector by vice-chairman Mark Smith.

This new role is part of the continued plan to take the WSR forward in best practice fashion, and the WSR has thanked Steve Bailey for covering the combined role in the interim but, given the WSR is the largest standard gauge line in the UK, it made perfect sense to split the inspector roles between Guards and Signalling.

For the full story, buy this week’s Free Press (March 15).