The East Somerset and Cheddar Valley Railways by Richard Harman

Official railway publications tended to use the term \u2018Wells Branch\u2019 to refer to the GWR route between Yatton and Witham. In fact, the line originated as two entirely separate branches, both terminating at Wells and ultimately joined by a short length of Somerset & Dorset Railway metals. At one time, Wells hosted three separate stations on three independent lines, all within half a mile of each other. The Somerset Central Railway was first to arrive in the city of Wells with a standard gauge line from Glastonbury in March 1859. Three years later, the East Somerset Railway opened its broad gauge branch from Witham to Wells, worked from the outset by the GWR. To the west, the Cheddar Valley & Yatton Railway reached Wells in April 1870. Establishing passenger train connections between the three stations, serving both broad and standard gauge lines, proved a nightmare for the Board of Trade inspectors. The author unravels the intricacies of the developments at Wells and .