Chard, which had been by-passed by the main lines from London to Exeter, expected to be included in the final outcome of the schemes to connect the Bristol and English Channels. When these all failed, it was not until 1863 that the first train arrived on the branch from the LSWR. Local interest, however, was mainly in a line to Taunton, and this was achieved by the B & E in 1866. So Chard had two stations for a while, and, though they were soon connected by a loop line to a joint station, the two companies remained apart, with different gauges, separate signal boxes and staff. After the conversion to standard gauge, the rivalry between the two companies continued, and not until 1917 was throughrunning from Taunton to Chard Junction on the LSWR undertaken by the GWR. The line was closed in 1962.

The West Somerset Mineral Railway is one of the most interesting of Somerset's branch lines. Linking the Brendon Hills iron mines with Watchet harbour, where the iron ore was shipped to South Wales, the line was opened in 1859. The construction involved a cable-operated 1 in 4 incline of over three quarters of a mile to the summit near Raleigh's Cross. Mineral traffic was heavy for over 20 years, and there was also some passenger service, but the line closed in 1898. Reopened for a short period in 1907, it was finally abandoned in 1919. Many of the surviving features of its unusual construction as well as the varied and attractive scenery through which it passes, make this line well worth exploring on foot.