A door opening very slowly ...

(Pic copyright Rail Thing/Steve Sainsbury)

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING - REVERSING BEECHING

Way back in 2009, when the New Somerset and Dorset Railway was formed, we were living in a very different world! Roads still seemed to be in the ascendant, and rail enthusiasm was still considered a tad eccentric.

Things have changed a lot in 8 years! Rail reopenings are gathering pace and some interesting closed lines are coming into the spotlight. One of course is the S&D!

I got an early morning phone call today from Radio Solent who had got the press release from the government re rail reopenings. I was invited to do a piece for the 11.30 am slot, live! I managed to wing it without stuttering or swearing, the net result being that the New S&D got yet more publicity and I managed to name check all five restoration groups along the route. I also managed to name check all the bigger places en route (Blandford, Sturminster Newton, Wincanton, Midsomer Norton and Radstock), all of which will benefit enormously in so many ways when the line returns.

That door is opening very slowly. Real energy crunches are still a way off, but already the rail restoration movement in all its variety is beginning to move into the mainstream. The important thing is to organise LOCALLY, so your line gets a profile. Most Beeching closures should be reversed over the next few decades, but there will be inevitable shortages of cash, materials and manpower as restoration picks up. 

Please do your bit!

(Pic is Ropley on the Mid Hants Railway back in 1976, now totally restored and transformed ...)

Midford May Meeting

MIDFORD

FACEBOOK - S&D - MIDFORD FUTURE

The New S&D will be holding a meeting on Saturday 21st May from 2pm to 4pm at the John James Room, Windmill City Farm, Bedminster, Bristol (near to Bedminster station and 75/76 bus routes) - where Midford station and its future will be the main topic! EVERYBODY (members and potential new members) are invited to attend - hopefully by the end of the afternoon we'll have a team ready to restart clearing at the site and planning the rebuilding of this iconic station! Operating trains is still a long way off, but we do own the site so subject to planning can proceed with rebuilding.

If you are interested in coming please email me on leysiner@aol.com so we have some idea of the numbers!

S&D 50+

MIDSOMER NORTON SOUTH

The Jinty arrives (all via Somerset and Dorset Railway Facebook)

Also in steam - the SDRHT's very own Sentinel (via Somerset and Dorset Railway Facebook)

The last Jinty at Midsomer Norton - July 2005 (pic copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

FACEBOOK - FRIENDS OF THE S&D

The S&D just keeps getting better and better. The next two weekends will be celebrations up and down the line of the original (and now quickly being forgotten!) closure. Midsomer Norton will be leading the way with two engines in steam, the Gartell will be operating 2 foot gauge versions of the last trains and the last Pines, Shillingstone will be showing off its two steam locos and Spetisbury has a small display. Let's see how many of you can visit all four sites (with a stop off at Midford as well of course, with big news from there being announced after all this is over!)

I shall be going down to Midsomer Norton on a sunny day (if available) or a gloomy one if not! There's no way I'm missing this. I was there for thr 2005 visit of a Jinty and it was an amazing experience. I seem to only have the one photo of that event though, it was the year before I switched to digital!

Midford

MIDFORD

24.5.1980

26.9.2013

FACEBOOK - S&D MIDFORD RAILWAY FUTURE

RAILFILE - MIDFORD STATION

One of the most iconic and photogenic stations in the whole of Britain is Midford, just south of Bath. Situated on the single track section that starts just at the beginning of the viaduct and runs to Bath Green Park this was one of the busiest and most intensively worked single track mainline sections in the UK. Although closed with the rest of the S&D in March 1966 the station is now on its THIRD preservation attempt and is now owned for railway use in perpetuity. 

More info (from Wikipedia)

Midford railway station was a single-platform station on the Bath extension of the Somerset and Dorset Railway, just to the north of the point where the double-track became a single track. It served the village of Midford. The station was closed with the rest of the line in March 1966 under the Beeching axe, though it had been unstaffed for some years before that.

There was a small goods yard to the north of the station, towards the entrance to the Combe Down Tunnel, which loaded Fuller's earth from Tucking Mill. South of the station, a signal box presided over the double track junction: the railway then ran across the Midford valley on a high viaduct that still exists.

For about four years from 1911 to 1915, Midford had a second railway station, Midford Halt located on the GWR Camerton Branch, which passed under the S&DJR viaduct.

Services

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Wellow Line and station closed		Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway LSWR and Midland Railways		Bath Green Park Line and station closed

The site today

After a long period in private hands the site is now part of a surfaced cycleway and footpath — the Two Tunnels Greenway. The platform and remains of the goods shed survive.

The station is now owned by the New Somerset and Dorset Railway who have plans to rebuild the station building and relay the track, when the cycleway will be diverted or accommodated. The site has been cleared to uncover the remains of the old station. 

The New Somerset and Dorset Railway

The New Somerset and Dorset Railway formed in early 2009 aims to restore the complete line to mainline operations, so it is possible that Midford will one day see passengers again.

As the initial objectives of the New S&D are focused on the southern end of the line (notably Blandford-Bournemouth), in the short term Midford will be restored as a cafe and information centre, along much the same lines as the existing Shillingstone Station Project.

• 

  The remains of Midford railway station, September 2007
   
• 

  East-west beneath north-south: Camerton branch viaduct (left) dwarfed bySomerset and Dorset Joint Railway viaduct at Midford

Spetisbury S&D in 2015 and 2016

SPETISBURY

(Pic and text courtesy Kevin Mitchell at Spetisbury)

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING - NEW SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY

So today was our last work party for the year, but we shall be back at the station on Sunday 10th January. It looks like being a big year for us in 2016, when we remember the 50th anniversary of the closure of the S&D on the weekend 5th/6th March, and the 60th anniversary of the closure of Spetisbury station on 17th September.
Thank you to all our supporters over the last year - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Spetisbury Station Project team.

Shillingstone - making space for steam!

SHILLINGSTONE

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(All 29.11.2015 via The Somerset and Dorset Railway at Shillingstone Facebook group). 

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING - HERITAGE AND COMMUNITY RAILWAYS UK

BLOG - FRIENDS OF THE S&D

It's fantastic watching the progress from Shillingstone, which has had its ups and downs over the years! Today was time to move stock clear to allow for the arrival of the two steam locomotives that are coming.

The little Ruston loco was busy pulling bits and pieces of rolling stock including the mark three coach - punching well above its weight! These pics really remind me of Midsomer Norton ten years ago! The S&D is stirring all along the permanent way.

New S&D AGM 2016

HURN

FRIENDS OF THE S&D

The next AGM of the New Somerset and Dorset Railway will be on 16 January 2016 at the Avon Causeway Hotel, Hurn near Bournemouth, from 1.30pm to 4pm.

This is a very important meeting as we shall be looking at bringing in a lot more committee members and volunteers - if you care about the S&D it will definitely be the time to start making a difference!

The New S&D will be just short of 7 years old in January 2016. We own Midford and are of course cosmetically restoring Spetisbury. I've been Chair since the group formed in 2009, prior to that I was a committee member holding several posts at Midsomer Norton. I shall be stepping down as Chair at the start of the AGM as I simply no longer have the time to do anything outside of promotion, a role I hope to retain! I'd originally announced I'd be officially retiring as Chair in August 2016 but events have simply caught up with me (as anyone who's been following The Rail Thing will realise!) So if you feel you have the skill set needed for this role please let us know!

The venue is a Pullman coach at the site of the former Hurn station on the Ringwood to Christchurch line, which closed in 1935. There's still plenty of railway interest there so worth a visit just for that. We've always allowed non-members to attend meetings including the AGM, but not to vote of course.

We have two main vehicles for S&D activity on the route - The New Somerset and Dorset Railway and Wessex Links Ltd. It may be that we need to redefine each part's focus, so there's a lot to discuss.

It's important that anyone planning to attend give us notice of attendance as the venue's owner needs to know numbers. Food and drink will of course be available at the Avon Causeway (highly recommended!) and if more than 10 want to eat before the meeting we will need to pre-book the meals.

So would ALL members please email me on leysiner@aol.com to let me know if you are coming or not - non-members should also let me know if you are planning to come just so we have some idea of numbers.

Spetisbury S&D 1.11.2015

SPETISBURY

(Text and pic by Kevin Mitchell 1.11.2015)

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING - REVERSING BEECHING

RAIL THING - FRIENDS OF THE S&D

After a misty start it turned into T shirt weather again for today's work party. We are now looking ahead to next year and the events to mark the 50th anniversary of the closure of the S&D. Our aim is to make the 'up' platform building remains as tidy as possible, as this is the main focus point of the site. Of the three rooms, we want to clear the booking office and gents' waiting room of the bricks we have stored there, moving them into the ladies' waiting room. So to start off, we cleared the ladies' waiting room foundations and cleaned and photographed the ventilation for the natural chalk floor. Then we started to move the many re-useable bricks into the foundations.

50 at basingstoke

One for Paul Beard!

A class 50 on an Exeter train at Basingstoke station 9.8.1986.

The Salisbury-Exeter route was much neglected in the 60s and 70s - incredibly closure was ever considered at one time. It was run down, singled over most of its length and often employed underpowered locos. The 50s however were good for this route, and could be said to be part of the line's revival which since the 80s has seen stations reopened (Feniton and Templecombe) and the line partly redoubled. The next few decades should see the line electrified throughout, nore stations reopened and hopefully some of the branches rebuilt (Sidmouth, Lyme Regis etc). With the New S&D reopening Templecombe should become an interchange station once more, and even the Seaton Tramway should be re-extended to Seaton Junction allowing exchange traffic.

phoenix rising

To Midsomer Norton today. The S&D really is coming back, in small bits to start with, but now has an umbrella organisation dedicated to restoring the whole route as part of the 21st century network.

Midsomer Norton is beginning to look like it did in its heyday, despite the obvious compromises that need to be made whilst it remains a 'stand-alone' site on a resurgent S&D.

The site was derelict in the early 1990s, and was expected to become a characterless housing estate, but locals mobilised and saved the site as a tourist initiative. The station building was restored, the trackbed cleared and levelled, track relaid, the signalbox completely restored and now even the famous greenhouse is reappearing brick by brick. And now Midsomer Norton itself has become the inspiration for the much more ambitious New Somerset and Dorset Railway, which is now mobilising resources along the whole route in a stunning initiative to bring modern transport back to this neglected part of Britain.

transformation at woody bay

(25.6.1980)




26 years later! (30.7.2006)

The Lynton and Barnstaple was one of Britain's finest railways and should never have been closed.

It's taken decades but the line is at last reappearing, and what a fantastic job they're doing of it! Not only is the stretch around Woody Bay now operating again, but other sections of the route have been purchased for eventual rail use. The intention is to rebuild the whole line - anything less would be a disgrace - and even to extend the line further into Lynton to connect with the Lynton to Lynmouth Cliff Railway. In fact the L&D has been a huge influence on the drive to rebuild the Somerset and Dorset Railway, which now also has a group dedicated to restoring the entire route and not just silly little bits of it!

settle and carlisle

(all 8.8.1984)

The survival of the Settle and Carlisle railway was probably the turning point for Britain's railways, the point where suddenly everyone begun to realise that not only had the Beeching-era closures come to an end, but that soon they would begin to reverse.

I've only visited the line once, back in 1984, and I've never travelled on it, despite being born in Carlisle! It's something I will have to do in the future.

If the Settle and Carlisle can successfully run then the Somerset and Dorset, which serves far more large towns, should indeed be open again in the not too distant future. This disparity underlines the importance of retaining rail infrastructure even where a line has closed. Restoring the S&D is going to require a lot of compulsory purchase and/or new build to get it back to Bournemouth and Bath. The route should have been retained, it only closed a decade before the turn round in rail fortunes. It's a national disgrace that this was allowed to happen.