"SIX for two hundred and thirteen." The guard announces vehicles and tonnage to the driver of 2-6-0 No. 9351 standing at the head of the West Somerset Railway (WSR) 12.35 'Fish & Chips Special' from Bishop's Lydeard to Blue Anchor. It is a warm day at the end of June and the railway should be teeming with visitors. Coach parties should be at their peak and schools ought to be organising steam railway outings as end-of term approaches. But Covid-19 has struck and the 'twice-vaccinated' are only now starting to venture outdoors. Today will see just two return journeys to Blue Anchor, compared with six on the equivalent date pre-Covid (two steam sets, one diesel) and seven in the summer peak timetable (three steam sets, one DMU).
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