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!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

midsomer norton museum





This is the museum at Midsomer Norton South, based in the old stable block at the top of the site. The museum experience also includes the gun emplacement which is about 50 metres away. Midsomer Norton was on one of the defensive lines against the Nazis in World War II.

There are some really nice items in the museum including signs, tickets, paperwork etc and is well worth the £2 charged.

The musem was funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund money and is certainly money well spent.
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4 comments:

Brian said...

I have not seen the "gun emplacement", but reference to a defensive line suggests maybe a "pill box" in one of the various strategic "Stop Lines" many of which were disugused for obvious reasons. There was a mock (paper) version of "Operation Sea Lion" by present day top military commanders equipped with much declassified/historical information not all previously available.

It was reported to show the "Stop Lines" would in fact have succeeded in slowing a German advance to a standstill. This assumes of course everyone stood their ground to the point of death, each to buy but a little time. That aspect (thankfully) we never found out the truth of. Nor can we know the state of weather for "Sea Lion", which smiled on our D-Day kickback only just enough.

"And now for something completely different....."

A £1.3m Park-and-ride :

"Nobody knows that it is there. It's gone off half-cock and made the council look stupid."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-14717672

Mister Magoo, You've Done it Again.

Brian said...

I have not seen the "gun emplacement", but reference to a defensive line suggests maybe a "pill box" in one of the various strategic "Stop Lines" many of which were disugused for obvious reasons. There was a mock (paper) version of "Operation Sea Lion" by present day top military commanders equipped with much declassified/historical information not all previously available.

It was reported to show the "Stop Lines" would in fact have succeeded in slowing a German advance to a standstill. This assumes of course everyone stood their ground to the point of death, each to buy but a little time. That aspect (thankfully) we never found out the truth of. Nor can we know the state of weather for "Sea Lion", which smiled on our D-Day kickback only just enough.

"And now for something completely different....."

A £1.3m Park-and-ride :

"Nobody knows that it is there. It's gone off half-cock and made the council look stupid."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-14717672

Mister Magoo, You've Done it Again.

Anonymous said...

See my comment re."27 August"

KAH

Freddie said...

An interesting article in "Surveyor" magazine recently showed that patronage of Park-and-rides is tailing off across the country. It showed that there were sound economic reasons behind this and suggested some transport planners hadn't caught up with reality.