Welcome to the 'New Somerset and Dorset Railway'

The original Somerset and Dorset Railway closed very controversially in 1966. It is time that decision, made in a very different world, was reversed. We now have many councillors, MPs, businesses and individuals living along the line supporting us. Even the Ministry of Transport supports our general aim. The New S&D was formed in 2009 with the aim of rebuilding as much of the route as possible, at the very least the main line from Bath (Britain's only World Heritage City) to Bournemouth (our premier seaside resort); as well as the branches to Wells, Glastonbury and Wimborne. We will achieve this through a mix of lobbying, trackbed purchase and restoration of sections of the route as they become economically viable. With Climate Change, road congestion, capacity constraints on the railways and now Peak Oil firmly on the agenda we are pushing against an open door. We already own Midford just south of Bath, and are restoring Spetisbury under license from DCC, but this is just the start. There are other established groups restoring stations and line at Midsomer Norton and Shillingstone, and the fabulous narrow gauge line near Templevcombe, the Gartell Railway.

There are now FIVE sites being actively restored on the S&D and this blog will follow what goes on at all of them!
Midford - Midsomer Norton - Gartell - Shillingstone - Spetisbury


Our Aim:

Our aim is to use a mix of lobbying, strategic track-bed purchase, fundraising and encouragement and support of groups already preserving sections of the route, as well as working with local and national government, local people, countryside groups and railway enthusiasts (of all types!) To restore sections of the route as they become viable.
Whilst the New S&D will primarily be a modern passenger and freight railway offering state of the art trains and services, we will also restore the infrastructure to the highest standards and encourage steam working and steam specials over all sections of the route, as well as work very closely with existing heritage lines established on the route.

This blog contains my personal views. Anything said here does not necessarily represent the aims or views of any of the groups currently restoring, preserving or operating trains over the Somerset and Dorset Railway!

Thursday, June 09, 2011

help wanted

When I was a kid I used to spend a lot of my time exploring old railway stations - Lavant, Fittleworth, Midhurst, Chalder, Bramber, Winchester Chesil, Wimborne and many more spring to mind. So when I got this request I thought it would be easy to comply, but actually the world has changed enormously since the early seventies and I couldn't think of a single surviving decaying railway station. Can you?

This train of thought was triggered by the following email - can any of you help or is Ben, as I suspect, thirty years behind the times? I've suggested he do a film on a reopened railway station, which will be far easier! But if you can think of anywhere please post to the comments section ...

Hi there,



I'm not sure if you will be able to help me, but I hope you can :-)


I'm a Film Production student studying at the Arts University College at Bournemouth. Me and a a fellow film student had an idea for our up and coming 'image and sound' project that would involve an old disused railway station. The 4 minute piece would be a kind of 'time travel' from old to new as the shot develops and moves down the station.


I was wondering whether you might know of any particular stations which are no longer used, but still resemble a railway station - even still having tracks if possible.


Thank you,

Ben.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gedney on the M&GN between Spalding is derelict but intact. Even running in board remains - no tracks though

Anonymous said...

There are some good quality photos of Gedney station today at:
http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=10357

Knoxy said...

you can see that on google maps street view..

Anonymous said...

Has there been any further work done at Midford?

Steve Sainsbury said...

Yes, I'll get the pics/info posted ASAP.

John said...

Teigngrace on the Heathfield stub of the old Moretonhampstead branch could be a good bet,not sure if this line is used much at all now.Plenty of photos on Google image.

Howard said...

Lydd Town, and possibly others, on the Dungeness branch in Kent. Track intact as still use by nuclear flask trains (this might make photography a sensitive issue?).

Anonymous said...

Can anyone give me the postcode for Gedney station?

Knoxy said...

not sure about postcode but here is the station

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/28557

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

in Broadgate

if you get used to following old railway lines on google maps you can't fail to find it?

Anonymous said...

Foss Cross on the MSWJ is abandoned and heavily overgrown

Rob Sissons said...

Folkestone Harbour station in Kent is currently derelict with tracks still partially in situ.

Anonymous said...

Manchester Mayfield must be the best example of an extant derelict terminus station. Closed to passengers in 1960! See:

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/manchester_mayfield/index.shtml

Anonymous said...

Newhaven Marine: http://abandonedplaces.livejournal.com/376671.html