Midford today and tomorrow

MIDFORD

BR Class 4, 2-6-4T 80134 brings a Bath to Templecombe train into Midford station towards the end of S & D services sometime in 1965 (Source)

FACEBOOK - HERITAGE AND COMMUNITY RAILWAYS - THE NEXT GENERATION

Just a quick reminder to all New S&D members that we are having a two day working 'weekend' today - Sunday 9.10.2016 and tomorrow - Monday 10.10.2016 up at Midford. Members should start turning up from around 10am on each day, towards the latter part of each day there will be a barbecue (please bring food!) over the bonfire from each day's cuttings!

The work will involve cutting and clearing, with some smaller trees being pruned by Mick Knox's chainsaw. The weather's looking good and there is no better location on Britain's railway network than Midford. There is also the fabulous Hope and Anchor pub right next door to the station for those wanting sustenance at lunchtime. Come and join the S&D adventure at its most iconic location.

(Sadly due to sciatica I won't be able to make it, but I'll be there in spirit!)

midford this sunday

 

MIDFORD FACEBOOK GROUP

 

There will be a work party up at Midford this Sunday. It looks like a few more people are now getting actively involved with restoring the station, probably as a result of the influx of new members we've seen since the Masbury Appeal hit the outside world!

 

Stuart is now inviting through Facebook events (as well as all the usual channels including this blog!) and details will be on there.  

 

The station is now just about cleared (although the summer does tend to be something of a battle with the weeds) and we'll soon be looking at actually rebuilding the station. We are just waiting for the Masbury Appeal to be concluded (I have a meeting at Midsomer Norton on this very matter this Saturday) and we will probably launch a similar Midford Appeal (but with a much smaller target). There's no better spot to work and the Hope and Anchor next door does fantastic food!

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!!

looking ahead - midford

Having done an intense 3 day photo and measuring study of every facet of Midford, I firmly believe this is room for a single track railway and cyclepath from north of Tucking Mill viaduct to Wellow Trekking Centre, excepting a diversion for cyclists before Midford goods yard, over Long Arch bridge and along Midford platform. Hope and Anchor patrons can park on the site of Midford B goods yard.

The formation between Long Arch bridge south portal cutting slope and Midford platform is 25 feet wide minimum, 15 feet for railway and 10 for slewed to edge of drop-off cycle path, with appropriate fencing and masonry.

Pway materials (30 feet flat bottom, sleepers and ballast) could be delivered to “A” goods yard and the crane / loading gauge, weighbridge and huts put back with 2 box vans.

Thanks to Nick Howes for this.

cometh the hour, cometh the man!

(Ashcott, late 1960s)

I've just had a very interesting phone call from a specialist in heritage planning, environmental law, environmental impact assessments and our favourite, compulsory purchase orders. He's done this for nearly 20 years and is very well known in heritage circles.

And he's offered these services free of charge, to assist the rebuilding of the whole S&D.

I'd hoped that this would happen once were we taken completely seriously, and I knew that would take some years, but clearly the acquisition of Midford, the imminent clearing of Spetisbury, plus of course the establishment of heritage and narrow gauge sites at three other points on the route, has made any such doubts history. I really don't think anything - short of a direct hit from an asteroid - can stop the rebuilding of the S&D now!

midford 1972

Original here.

New S&D webmaster David Bailey has tracked down this excellent shot of Midford in 1972, taken a few years after tracklifting.

This looks very much like the station does now, though soon the buildings will return.

Lovely touch of 1970s style pessimism (already proved wrong thanks to the Tuckingmill Tramway) in the blurb which accompanies this picture. It does seem odd that just 40 years ago people really believed that this line would not be rebuilt!

Hard to imagine that we used to get off the train here and all the countless thousands of people that passed this spot on express trains from the frozen North to balmy Bournemouth ... all passed into history! Nothing passes this way anymore and nothing will ever again only the leery personal chariots making for the pub on the road down below ...

breakthrough at last

(Evercreech Junction 1980)

At last restoration of the S&D has hit the mainstream. John Sargeant mentioned reopening of the S&D on BBC1's prime time 'One Show' yesterday.

Ten years ago it wasn't even mentioned, except in the hidden but very forward thinking constitution of the SDRHT at Midsomer Norton. But the idea has built over time. Parts of the S&D are now restored, so the first step has been taken. I think very few of the volunteers at these sites don't harbour at least a  secret desire to see the whole line rebuilt! And with the founding of the New S&D and excellent member take up we really are now beginning to build the framework  for full restoration of the line. What was perhaps once a pipedream, except for a few visionaries at Midsomer Norton, is now just an everyday thing, no big deal at all.

It's no longer 'if' it will happen, but 'when'. That doesn't downplay all the hard work that lies ahead of us, but it will clearly get easier every day. By working with the tide of future history rather than against it, failure simply can't happen.

So John Sargeant's mention is just the first of many. Once the information offices are open at Midford and Spetisbury things will really start rolling!

Direct link here.

From my hearing it looks like he has information we don't - he definitely declared that Bath to Bournemouth will be reopened in the next few years!

keeping things moving

So how exactly ARE we going to keep going once all the cheap oil's gone? When will you give up driving, if you haven't already? When petrol hits £2 a litre? £3? £5? £10?  Or when the roads become too damaged and dangerous to use? Or when you go to twenty garages and not one of them has any fuel available?

A lot of people have already given up driving. You still see a few learner drivers on the road but how many of them will never actually own and run a car? How many young people will never even attempt to drive?

So how WILL we get around?

Rather than doing a big study I thought I'd narrow it right down. The pics are of the Hope and Anchor at Midford. This is the last pub surviving in the village. Some of their customers walk in or even cycle in, but most drive.

So how will this pub survive after Peak Oil hits us all? Simple - everything will come in by train or bike. They are wonderfully sited to allow both customers and freight to continue to arrive by rail. Perhaps some enterprising villagers will run a horse and cart service to reach outlying parts of the village? Or perhaps some local boffin will build an electric vehicle to do the same thing (as long as it has great suspension!). But whatever happens the starting point will be the station. The pub of course will have the easiest route of all, the platform ending just about by the pub entrance.

I can see, in twenty or thirty years time, a steady succession of passenger trains dropping off people (and picking them up) just to visit the pub. A pub that can offer the lowest prices for miles around because they get their supplies in so easily!

Frieght traffic will be very different from what we see today with the railways replacing 'white van man' for smaller deliveries, either by running dedicated pick up goods trains, or simply adding a few deliverable items to the guards compartment or a wagon or two attached to the slower passenger trains.

Everything will be more slowly paced, vastly more energy efficient and will use human power rather than machines to get things moving.

midford update

These two excellent shots of Midford appeared in the Railway Magazine for April 1964, and show shots on 6 June 1963 and 1 February 1964. There's excellent detail here of the buildings etc. (Photos are courtesy of Trevor Eastwood, photographers are E T Gill and D H Ballantyne).

We had a small meeting here in Bristol to discuss the next steps with Midford. Both Tom and Stuart Seale were present, they have done most of the work up there.

The next step is to apply for planning permission for the whole site. Tom has agreed to draw the plans up. Hopefully we'll be applying in the next month or so. The first step once we have planning permission will be to rebuild the oil store which will serve as a secure store for tools, leaflets etc. Then we'll rebuild the station building. It will be rebuilt as closely as possible externally to how it was in the early 50s, before the canopy was destroyed in an accident. Internally it will function as an information centre and a New S&D office, so there will probably only be one internal partition. There will be display boards on the S&D, the other restoration groups on the route plus Washford, information on climate change, peak oil, modern transport systems and future energy sources, together with a shop area selling books and other items on the S&D, general railways and peak oil, climate change etc. The information area will hopefully also include a working model of the station as it was in the old S&D days.

We will also need to get water and electricity back on site. The rebuilding of the station will move us to a whole new level of funding etc, so the restoration will need to go hand in hand with a very big promotional push in the railway and local press.

If you have the skills and enthusiasm to help us in this next stage please do get in touch (email leysiner@aol.com or phone 0117 3738973).

When the Two Tunnels route is opened (next March is the target) Midford station and the Hope and Anchor pub will become much busier. We plan to put lockable cycle racks near the station building, emphasising our commitment to the future and sustainable transport.

Of course we shall also be repeating everything we've done at Midford down at Spetisbury, all being well!

the past and future collide ...

(Picture copyright Stuart Seale)

Check out Chris Nevard's superb blog when you get the chance. He's a superb modeller and gifted photographer and a big fan of the S&D. This blog post includes a brilliant picture of the viaduct at Midford, using Photoshop to superimpose one of the Bachmann 7Fs crossing the viaduct.

Whilst the photo aims to recreate 1959 it also gives us a good idea of how things will look in 2029, if you wait long enough for a heritage steam train in amongst the heavy freight and passenger trains using electric haulage!

midford today

Tom and Stuart have been back up to Midford. This is their latest report -

Tom and I went down to Midford for an evening the other week and put in a few hours and returned again today for the full day.



We knew we had a fair bit of excavating but didn't realise the floor of the Gents toilets was buried quite so deeply. All the years of fly tipping is making life difficult.


Today we cleared over 40 wheelbarrow loads which we calculated came to over 1 1/2 tons and meant wheeling the barrow in total over 2 miles to drop off the spoil and another 2 miles to collect the next lot. We enjoyed the lunchtime refreshment in the Hope and Anchor!


We were very pleased to find the floor of the Gents toilets and, although we resisted using it, found that the urinal trough was there still intact.


We think we have more than 2 days work still to go in digging out at the station. You can see the depth we have had to dig in the photos where Tom is on the tiled floor of the Gents.

midford 3.4.2011

All photos copyright Tom Seale

These are the latest shots taken on Sunday. The base of the station building is now being cleared. The time when we will need to plan and construct (and finance!) the buildings are getting closer every day. If you have the skills to help us do this (construction, drawings etc) please email me on leysiner@aol.com asap so we can start getting a team together for this next step.

I've also added a dedicated album for the restoration of Midford which can be accessed through the side bar or by clicking on the picture below.

Midford 2011

midford monday

Overall shot looking south.

Remains of the up signal still in position just beyond the north end of the platform.

Two general views showing how much clearance has taken place since September.


A really nice trip yesterday up to Midford to meet one of the Midsomer Norton workers. It was his first visit to Midford in 45 years - his last trip was when the line was still running!

We had a meal in the Hope and Anchor which is poised to benefit enormously from the revival of the station and the eventual restoration of the line which will mean that their customers will still be able to enjoy the excellent food even after the end of road traffic!

If you do visit Midford try to pop into the pub when you are there, and let them know you're visiting the station! The food is excellent!

back to Midford

Sorry for pic - see reason below!

Me and Debs are going to Midford on Monday to meet an S&D supporter and have a meal at the Hope and Anchor. Expect stacks of new (appropriate!) photos on Monday evening!

media frenzy ... and more

Paul Perton has offered to handle the media for us from now on. We've deliberately kept a low profile up to now as we didn't want to bombard the press before things started happening, but with Midford now under our belt there certainly won't be a shortage of hard news! Even without a media officer we have had quite a bit of coverage in the railway press already. Paul is a media professional in South Africa but distance has never been a problem for fans of the S&D!

I think the most important thing to stress over the next few years is that the New S&D is a sustainable transport organisation about as far removed from the public's notion of 'railway preservation' as possible. Even a lot of railway types still haven't quite understood what we're about, despite the abundance of information available on this site.

We are already generating a fair amount of hard news, which is always of more interest than musings on what we plan to do in the future etc.

On a related point we will be contacting all the local authorities, parish councils, MPs and main businesses along the route in the new year to let them know our plans. Phase 2 of the S&D restoration should begin in earnest in 2011. A higher media profile and networking with the relevant people along the route will be a big part of that.

midford ...

Some views from the future railway around Midford - all courtesy Mick Knox.

A few points about Midford - so that everyone knows what's going on there!

Midford will be restored - subject to planning approval - to 1950s condition. It will serve as an information office for the WHOLE route, and will have an office, some sales items (books, souvenirs etc) and perhaps models of the area, plus a full information point for the station, line and area.

EVENTUALLY it will become a wayside station on the New S&D with regular passenger services to Bath and Bournemouth.

Until trains are viable (possibly 10-20 years' time) track will not be laid except for cosmetic purposes. The cycleway will continue as before and is fully supported by the New S&D.

Volunteers are welcome to go up to Midford at any time to do restoration work - but please bear the following in mind!

Please under no circumstances park in the Hope and Anchor car park at any time, even when the pub is not open. There is plenty of car parking on Twinhoe Lane, by the gate that gives access to the cycleway. From there it is a very pleasant walk to the station over the viaduct! Please carry tools etc by hand.

Please email or phone me first just so I know there is somebody there and to give you an idea of what work needs to be done.

Within a few weeks we will have New S&D reflective jackets available. Please wear these whenever possible.

You are an ambassador for the line. Please talk to anyone who is interested in the line and if you have them please hand out leaflets. Be friendly and professional at all times!

Please keep the cycleway clear of tools etc at all times.

Please take ALL litter etc home, including cigarette ends.

Please respect all the wildlife in the area, always check if clearing that you are not destroying a nest etc. If in doubt please leave well alone.

Please use the Hope and Anchor pub for drinks and food!

midford today

Excellent afternoon up at Midford, clearing back some more of the undergrowth in the station building area. I found this concrete foundation which is almost certainly the base of the parcels office. It's nice to think that the rebuilt station building should be able to utilise some of the original structure!

One of the passing cyclists was Rupert Crosbee, area manager for Sustrans, and we had a nice chat about the plans for the station!

resource

A very useful resource for the restoration of the section of line between Midford and the Long Arch Bridge is this excellent work by Mike Arlett, out of print but still available on Amazon.

As well as a comprehensive history of the S&D at Midford there are also numerous photos that will help put things back as they were.

Remember that restoration of Midford is now proceeding and all members are welcome to go to the station and do some work. At the moment we are still at the clearance stage, which will probably take a few months.

Just a few rules if you do go up - please email me first at leysiner@aol.com so I'm aware you are there and can let you know what work is needed to be done. If possible please try to go with at least one other person. All work is currently done at your own risk so personal insurance is recommended. It is a good idea to wear steel toecapped boots if possible. We'll be getting New S&D reflective jackets made shortly - when they are ready ideally we'd like all people working on site to wear them. This makes us look more professional and, more importantly, visible. If people pass and ask what we're doing please take time to let them know what our plans are. You will be ambassadors for the project even if you are shy or just want to cut stuff down! If you have them please take some leaflets to hand out - if you need some please email me. No fires please - just pile up anything that's cut down, clear of the platform edges and, of course, the cycleway. Try to buy a drink or meal in the Hope and Anchor and let them know why you are there. Don't leave tools or anything else on the cycleway - it needs to be left totally clear at all times, this is one of our obligations as landlord. Take home ALL litter, including cigarette ends!

midford - day one!

Posters go up so that walkers and cyclists can understand what's going on. Within minutes we'd had people showing a great interest in what we were doing and leaflets were very popular!


The very first pieces of undergrowth fall victim to the long handled shears.


Will from Wells tramples down some undergrowth.


After an hour and a half a lot of the station building area has been cleared.

So the very first day's work party at Midford has come and gone. Being a Wednesday afternoon only me and Will Dowling could make it. First job was to put up posters at a couple of strategic sites explaining what we were doing at Midford. I then walked the whole length of the line we own to the south end of the Long Arch Bridge. Then back to the station where I tried to work out where the station building and the lean to oil store were situated. Will turned up at this stage and we started clearing the undergrowth where the station building used to stand, and got a lot cleared in a very short time.

Passers-by were 100% in support of what we were doing. Amazingly the very first walker was a member of both Washford and Shillingstone!

There's a lovely atmosphere up at Midford and the scenery is stunning. I'm hoping that I can get up most weeks to progress clearance and to sign up new members.

We both parked up by the old goods yard south of the station, there's a grass verge with space for about 4 cars and it's then just a 3 minute walk back across the viaduct to the station. There's restricted parking at the Hope and Anchor, but hopefully in time we can rent or buy a few spaces there.

The platform is in very good condition and the restoration should be quite straightforward providing the funds can be raised. We will be putting in planning permission soon, probably for the whole site, with the oil store being built first, so there will be a place to store tools and perhaps some sales items, and also be a shelter when the weather turns nasty!

All in all a fanatstic day at a fantastic place, which should soon be restored to its rightful place in railway iconography - right at the top!