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, November 01, 2011

tramways spreading


It's nice to see that smaller cities are proposing tram systems.

Preston in Lancashire is promoting a four route scheme which seems to have across the board support from councillors and the public.

The trams will be powered by renewables and the most interesting fact is that each tram, which will carry up to 200 people, will use LESS energy than ONE family car! Anyone who doubts that this sort of transport - modern, sleek, fast, clean and energy efficient - will not replace cars and lorries - old fashioned, clunky, slow, dirty and energy wasteful - is living in cloud cuckoo land.

More here.

(Pic is Preston in Melbourne - but this is close to what is proposed in our very own Preston!)

2 comments:

Tom said...

Yet another (young) and progressive city showing up the powers-that-be in Bristol for the Luddites and backward thinkers that they are.

Steve Sainsbury said...

Bristol is an embarassment, even more so because they were planning a tram network TEN YEARS!! ago -
and still no sign apart from some infrastructure work that they've labelled 'cycleways' but are clearly future tram routes. The worse thing is that I live right next to the previously planned Hartcliffe terminus which would have allowed me to give up my stupid car! STILL waiting, as are hundreds of thousands of others in this most backward and un-Green of cities.