2012

2012 has been a great year for the S&D. At the New S&D end we've continued tidying up Midford ready for rebuilding, whilst Spetisbury has progressed even more quickly with a strong team down in Dorset. The New S&D itself has grown a good deal (despite our continued deliberate low profile!) with membership now well over 150.

Midsomer Norton have started running regular trains using a DMU and are continuing to extend southwards, whilst still waiting for the right time to start looking northwards as well. The station itself is a delight and is well worth a few hours of anyones time!

Shillingstone have also gone up a few gears with the station and signalbox nicely restored/rebuilt with the down platform shelter now progressing. A good amount of track has also been laid at the site.

Gartell is as quietly wonderful as ever, currently the only line on S&D metals to be running regular steam, all on the two foot gauge.

Washford are progressing despite the deadline of 2020 on their lease at the current site at Washford, which I visited this year. There is a HUGE amount of affection for this group which we hope fervently will return to the S&D proper when the lease does run out.

No longer a dead line, the S&D now has FIVE sites either operating or being restored, with regular train services on two sections.

Affection for the S&D is stronger now than it has ever been and it would be a brave person indeed that didn't believe that at some time in the next fifty years the line won't be open throughout!

inspiration ...

The main inspiration for the New S&D was the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway's associated land purchasing group, Exmoor Associates. They now own 17.9% of L&B trackbed, making them the largest landowner on the line. The New S&D is slightly different as we have membership and sadly were not set up or absorbed by the existing S&D groups at Midsomer Norton and Shillingstone, but the principal aim of acquiring trackbed and infrastructure is identical. This is done though our non-profit making landowning arm, Wessex Links Ltd.

Snapper Halt Is Ours!

We are pleased to be able to announce that we have completed the purchase of Snapper Halt and the adjoining trackbed.

Snapper Halt served the adjacent hamlet of Snapper and the nearby village of Goodleigh. After the closure of the railway in 1935, two of the railway’s coaches were left isolated at Snapper having been purchased at the railway’s auction. The first was coach 6991, which was left in the platform and of which the remains were eventually burnt. The other was coach 6993, now better known as Ffestiniog Railway coach 14 – the buffet car in B-set, which was rescued by volunteers from the FR. Coach 6993 was left a little way out of the station, further along the trackbed we have secured in this package.

Snapper Halt itself is in remarkable condition considering that it is now 75 years since the railway closed. Whilst the surrounding area is somewhat overgrown, the waiting shelter is virtually intact (begging to be restored) and the platform edging is still in place in its entirety under the vegetation. Other features in the package being purchased include bridge 15, and the remains of one of the stone-constructed platelayers’ huts.

We had been in regular contact with the owner of the land at Snapper for a number of years and following her passing we have remained in discussions with her heirs for the securing of the land. It is not often that the opportunity comes up to buy a station on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, not least one with a significant stretch of trackbed, and so naturally we are delighted to have been successful yet again in this acquisition.

Between Exmoor Associates and the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust, we have now collectively secured 17.9% of the trackbed required for the rebuilding of the whole railway between Lynton and Barnstaple. Exmoor Associates is now also the single largest owner of L&B trackbed.

We would of course like to thank everyone who has supported this latest push, it is great to have now secured this important piece of the jigsaw. If anyone is still interested in joining Exmoor Associates who hasn’t done so already, please still get in touch – we are expecting another significant length of trackbed to come up for sale soon so we will be needing your support!

xmas ...

 

A very Merry Christmas and Happy 2013 to all supporters of the S&D the world over.

climate change proofing

I doubt there's a person left on the planet who doesn't now accept that climate change is not only happening but that it is far worse than even the biggest pessimists forecast.

As well as railways I've a keen interest in the weather so not totally without knowledge, and it's pretty clear to me that this year's extreme rainfall events are very abnormal, not so much in their intensity but in their frequency. Here in Bristol in 2012 we've had FIVE 'month's worth of a rain in a day' events with rainfall well over 50mm, one of which (yesterday) was over 60mm and another over 70mm. In the UK as a whole we've had about twelve of these events. We'd normally expect one or two a year.

There is now a whole new groundswell that Peak Oil won't save us from Climate Change, that it's simply too late. I'm beginning to agree with that, which is a HUGE turnround for me! We can't stop Climate Change but we can adapt to it.

This week's events have caused massive problems for the Network, especially around Exeter. The section where the Barnstaple (and future Ilfracombe, Bude, Torrington, North Cornwall and Plymouth) services leave the GWR main line has been particularly badly hit, yet this happens regularly. Some commentators have suggested that the lines may not reopen for THREE WEEKS! Unfortunately the alternative route (that Beeching would have loved to have closed!) via Salisbury has also suffered from flooding, though not as severe. In effect the whole of Devon and Cornwall are cut off.

Yet surely the solution, at least at Exeter, is simple? Why not just rebuild the routes around the junction on a low viaduct, so that the water just flows under them and also safely off the track, which could be mounted onto steel girders? Even a modern diesel train can run through a few feet of water, if the driver can be sure there's no washed out ballast etc.

My point is that we are going to rely 100% on our railways to get around and move freight in the future. Flood spots are well known, as are those sections prone to blizzards, drifting and high winds. We'll also need to allow for greater expansion as heatwaves become more common.

As for the S&D we have two major problem sections - the climb over the Mendips (Shepton has always been notorious for snow!) and the Burnham branch, which lies on the Somerset Levels. In both cases these routes will need to be totally weatherproofed so the line can stay open no matter what the weather.

The same policy needs to be adopted by the entire Network. Where the S&D leads the rest should follow ...

more christmas!

Another Xmas greeting from Spetisbury, this time courtesy of Kevin Mitchell. Hopefully it won't be too long before this really is the scene at Spetisbury!

dean's message

Dear New Somerset & Dorset Railway Member,

I want to wish everybody a Merry Xmas and a Happy New year, especially the volunteers who have helped in the work so far at Spetisbury Station. It has been a good 1st year, and lets hope next year carries on from this.

All the best,

Dean Cockwell
Project Manager (Spetisbury)
The New Somerset & Dorset Railway

another piece falls into place

(Both copyright Stuart Seale)

A couple of photos from Midford today. These show the work now taking place to the north of our section at Midford. Whilst we plan a diversion via the old Limpley Stoke line to give us access to the Network in the medium term, our longer term plans do include this section for restoration of a rail link, probably working as a one way section so that it can (hopefully!) remain single track.

The work is of course in connection with the Two Tunnels Scheme, which should bring an increase in the number of cyclists using the route and visiting Midford. I'm sure that many cyclists are rail enthusiasts (in the broadest meaning of the term) and vice versa, and the extra footfall should encourage rapid development of the site - I can see members cycling out from Bath, spending a day working at the station, having a drink and/or meal at the Hope and Anchor, then cycling back to Bath in the evening. Makes me want to move to Bath!!

superfast info

 

The easiest way to get info on what's happening at the two New S&D sites at Midford and Spetisbury is to sign up for their respective Facebook groups. Both sites now have active working parties just about every weekend so there is always plenty of work to do and good company. Working parties are always announced on the Facebook groups but not always here or on the website.

 

To sign up simply click here for Midford Facebook Group and here for Spetisbury Facebook Group.

spetisbury 16 December 2012

 

An excellent set of photos (all copyright Kevin Mitchell) recording the last formal work party at Spetisbury for 2012. NINE volunteers turned up for this party, and it did actually become a bit of a Christmas party as evidenced in one of the pictures.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if serious moves towards rebuilding the station started in 2013. The team, drawn together by Project Manager Dean Cockwell, has done an amazing job of clearing the station, which closed in 1956, 10 years before the line closed to passengers and 13 years before it closed completely (but temporarily!)

missive from dorset

Recently received is issue 5 of Platform, the excellent magazine of the Shillingstone Railway Project. There are features on the Great Dorset Steam Fair (which was of course inspired by the S&D), bios of the new management team, a piece on Cunarder, a look at Shillingstone's celebration of the Last Pines and even a piece of fiction.

Cover price is £1 and the magazine is available from the group.

There are now FOUR quality magazines featuring the S&D, led by the superb 'Telegraph' from Midsomer Norton, followed by the Washford group's long-running Bulletin and of course the Shillingstone Platform, all being breathlessly chased by the New S&D's recently launched 'Right Lines'. It's amazing that there is still so much to report on this extraordinary line, but with activity at 5 sites along the route perhaps we shouldn't be that surprised!

spetisbury tomorrow

(Radstock North)

SUNDAY 16th DECEMBER - SPETISBURY WORK PARTY

 Dear Member/ Volunteer, I am going up to the station on Sunday, and hope that you can join me. I hope to be there between 10:00 and 11:00am. This will be the last organised work party of 2012, and would like to see some new faces up there.
 Would you let me know if you can make it and come up to help.

Best regards,
Dean

next stop spetisbury

SUNDAY 16th DECEMBER - WORK PARTY

 Dear Member/ Volunteer, I am going up to the station on Sunday, and hope that you can join me. I hope to be there between 10:00 and 11:00am. This will be the last organised work party of 2012, and would like to see some new faces up there.
Could you let me know if you can make it and come up to help.
Best regards,
Dean

(Dean's email is on the sidebar)

yuletide at midsomer

 

Midsomer Norton have just confirmed that the DMU WILL be running during this year's Christmas events. With the short notice of confirmation could EVERYBODY please spread the message - not only will this help the line financially but also it is a really special event for kids and adults alike (especially if we get the forecast snow!) and it would be a shame for anyone to miss it!

midford tomorrow

There will be another working party at Midford this Sunday, 9 December. All welcome to join us from 10:30.

spetisbury tomorrow

SUNDAY 2nd DECEMBER - WORK PARTY

Dear Member/ Volunteer, I am going up to the station on Sunday, and hope that you can join me. I hope to be there between 10:00 and 11:00am. More clearing of the platform surfaces to do. Could you let me know if you can make it and come up to help.
Best regards,
Dean

present idea ...

Superb new release from our friends at 1st Take is Branch Lines to Gloucestershire. This is of course available from our website at £14.95 and each one sold raises £5 for the New S&D.

Blurb to accompany the DVD is -

The Beeching cuts prompted a massive reshaping of Britain’s railway network in the 1960s, when almost a third of the country’s track was closed. Most of the victims were minor routes which linked rural locations; they were axed as they were simply deemed uneconomic. But they remain fondly remembered today and this film is intended as the first in a series which will celebrate the branch lines of England, in association with railway author and historian Colin Maggs MBE.

You will see a wide range of routes, from those initially worked by horses to one which boasted the longest railway bridge in England. These lines provided vital services for the industrial heartland of Bristol, and key places such as Gloucester Docks and Lydney harbour. They also reached out to towns and villages in the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and many other parts of the county.

The story is illustrated by extensive use of rare archive photographs, and is enhanced by informed commentary from Colin Maggs, who has seen so many changes in the county’s railway network during a lifelong interest in the subject. You will also enjoy stunning modern film, excerpts of archive footage and visits to two of the county’s preserved lines - the Dean Heritage Railway and Avon Valley Railway – and the GWR Museum at Coleford. There are also fascinating interviews with former railwaymen and those who recall how important such branch lines were to rural areas.

Numerous locations are visited, including Avonside Wharf, Severn Beach, Mangotsfield, Westerleigh, Yate, Thornbury, Berkeley Road, Coaley, Dursley, Stroud, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tewkesbury, Cirencester, Kemble, Tetbury, Lydney, Cinderford and Chepstow.