First Take's excellent 2010 DVD 'The Somerset and Dorset Railway' is now available through the New S&D. Remember ALL profits go towards restoring the line.
This is possibly the best S&D DVD yet. At 90 minutes it has plenty of time to give the background history of the whole route, including the branches. It also visits all the main stations and iconic locations en route, both through excellent archive footage (some Ivo Peters, some new) and present day visits. Midsomer Norton, Shillingstone and Washford are also featured - Geoff Akers is as eloquent as usual talking about the line on the up platform at Midsomer Norton.
One of the best bits for me was an in depth look at the importance of Bournemouth West, and the holiday traffic from the Midlands and the North, to the development of Bournemouth as a major resort. The S&D created Bournemouth, to a much greater extent than the LSWR, yet Bournemouth West is almost forgotten today.
But the best thing about this DVD is that, for the first time, it's looking also at the future of the S&D, and not just in the form of a couple of tiny heritage groups. It's almost taken for granted throughout that the S&D has an important role in the future as a vital trunk route, and that consequently the line will be rebuilt. The message is getting across and what was once considered a fringe or even impossible idea is now becoming more and more mainstream thinking.
Remember that by buying this DVD from us the profits will go directly to actually restoring the line as a proper community and trunk route for our children and grandchildren!
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