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)

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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!)

Two Day Work Party and Barbecue at Midford

MIDFORD

(Both pics copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

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There will be a two day work party and barbecue up at Midford on Sunday 9 October 2016 and Monday 10 October 2016. ALL New S&D members are invited to attend, non members are welcome to join in advance. 

Work parties will begin each day at around 10 am. If you need more info please email me at leysiner@aol.com. Steel toe-capped boots are recommended and please bring your own tools - hedge trimmers, clippers, shears etc, also a wheelbarrow if you have one!

Midford - we're back!

MIDFORD

(All pics 3.8.2016 copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

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Well, it's official. Midford work parties have started again, and yesterday saw 5 of us cutting back undergrowth plus some smaller regrowth trees at the station and further along near the Long Arch bridge.

We made a good deal of progress, despite a 2 hour pub break!

What really stood out was the amount of cycle and pedestrian traffic on the path through the site - a huge increase from a few years ago before the Two Tunnels route was opened. It suggests an excellent future for the site, even before the trains return!

After the pub we took a look at the cutting and decided on a weekend (or perhaps Sunday/Monday) big clear out in October, together with a barbecue, Final date to be set, but please keep it in mind. All members are welcome to come along and help! Further news as I get it.

Midford Wednesday 3 August 2016 Work Party

MIDFORD

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There will be a New Somerset and Dorset Railway work party at Midford this coming Wednesday (3.8.2016). ALL New S&D members are invited to come along and help with ongoing clearance of the site. You can become a member on the day if you wish. Bring your own tools - most of the work will be the cutting back of undergrowth. Parking is limited in Midford, there are a few spaces dotted about including space for one or two cars above the station site. 

Members should be aware that insurance for the site has lapsed pending setting up a new insurance scheme, so the work will be very low risk. If concerned please arrange your own insurance for the day. It may be that we have set up insurance by Wednesday, we are waiting for the responsible member to get back to us on this. If there is a change I'll announce it on this page and elsewhere.

Work will start around 10am and the day will almost certainly include a long break for lunch and/or refreshments at the adjacent Hope and Anchor pub!

Lift off for Midford!

MIDFORD

26.9.2013 copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing

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The New S&D had an important meeting yesterday, the main aim of which was to increase the amount of active members at committee level, look into setting up as a Trust and, most importantly, start using the one asset we have - the station and 200 metres of trackbed at Midford, possibly the most scenic and iconic location on any British railway.

We now have two extra committee members, three potential trustees for the new Trust and the core of a working team at Midford. We also now have a Project Manager for Midford, Peter Sandell.

So if you fancy spending hours or days or weeks over the coming years working in this wonderful location please get in touch. I can be reached at leysiner@aol.com, contact details for Peter will appear very soon.

We expect working parties to start again in the next few weeks, once we have set up insurance for the site. Work will involve cutting back undergrowth at first, but the intention is to start rebuilding the station as soon as we can. This will create a fantastic asset for the Midford Valley, and the fifth active restoration project and location on the S&D!

Steve Sainsbury MA

Chair, New S&D

Big Developments!

SPETISBURY

MIDFORD

(Spetisbury 23.4.2010 copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

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The recent meeting of the New S&D has produiced some very interesting developments at the New S&D. The Spetisbury team have decided that they no longer need the backup of the New S&D for costs and publicity and have formed a separate group to develop the station. This is wonderful news as it means that money is freed up for developments at Midford and (hopefully soon!) at least one other location on the S&D. The Spetisbury Team can get on with rebuilding their site ready for the trains when they return - and we can focus on other things.

It's been suggested (by myself and others) that Midford should follow a similar route, with a new group being set up with its own memberships, sales etc with the focus PURELY on the site at Midford, which of course would be made available for them at no cost by the New S&D and Wessex Links Ltd. Entirely up to the members of course, and perhaps it will be covered in our February/March 2016 meeting in Bristol (details to follow). Thoughts on this welcome in the comments section of course! 

This would leave the New S&D to focus and concentrate on media, publicity and lobbying. Interestingly this process is already underway, I've just come off the phone with Steam Railway and the BBC also want to include the S&D in a major programme they are running covering the reinstatement of railways in southern England. I'm preparing press releases and pushing the line through the Rail Thing group and the website (as well as this blog) - expect to hear a LOT more about the S&D rebuilding over the coming year!

The other component is Wessex Links Ltd, which was the company set up when we took the Midford site on. At the moment myself and Anna-Jayne Metcalfe are the sole directors (Dean Cockwell having left to concentrate ion Spetisbury) - so if any of you want to take on this far from onerous role please email me at leysiner@aol.com

This meeting must have been the most productive ever for the S&D, or at least the new S&D! There's a buzz around here that perhaps had become a little lost over the (entirely expected) grind of the last few years as we threw all our efforts into building a presence at Midford and Spetisbury.

These changes will be reflected on the website, around the Internet and elsewhere over the next month or two - members will of course be free to decide which of the various groups to continue with. The New S&D will of course honour the life memberships - and hopefully gain a lot more in the coming months as we turn our big guns on the wider world out there!

(Fun work at Midford 8.2.2012 copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

midford on thursday

 

Midford int he rain - looking good!

 

Looking towards Wellow - and car access on site at last!

 

H&S!

 

Mick getting ready ...

 

Posing with chainsaw

 

The rain at its heaviest!

 

MIDFORD FACEBOOK GROUP

 

Reward - butchers sausages cooked on the still smouldering embers from Tuesday!

 

 

A REALLY good day at Midford last Thursday, tree clearing again. Mick Knox was down from Milton Keynes with his chain saw, local boy Tom also brought his!

It was rainy and quite gloomy when we arrived but within a couple of hours enough trees had come down to let the light in.

Our neighbour Pat also turned up and we discussed the remedial work on the concrete facing of the embankment that abuts his house down below us.

Stuart, lacking a chainsaw of his own, cooked some sausages for the chainsaw boys!

To me this is always the best part of rail restoration, the hands on stuff out in the open. Meetings and office work leave me cold, even though that takes about 95% of my New S&D time.

There's a real buzz all along the route now, with Masbury very close, new local groups forming in Shepton Mallet, Evercreech and Whitchurch, Shillingstone going great guns and a real feeling that the whole route is stirring at last.

We are now planning to launch the Midford Appeal in 2014, with the aim of raising the funds to rebuild the station and oil store, which will transform the site.

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!

S&D Day

 

I got the chance to visit TWO S&D sites yesterday, for the first time! First stop was Midsomer Norton where the signalbox/greenhouse section looks amazing. The greenhouse in particular looks like it's been there for a hundred years or more. It was nice to see the stone cold frame to the south of the signalbox as well. The whole site looks amazing.

Then, via Bristol (Wulfric wanted to see two of our cats for the first time), I popped in at Midford. This is the first chance I've had to visit two of the S&D sites in one go. It's a strange feeling, a nice one of course! You could now, in a day, travel south from Bath and visit FIVE active sites (hopefully soon six!) all being restored along the line. I don't think there's any other place in Britain (or even the world) where so many sites on the same line are being restored and rebuilt. The S&D is really coming back ... and in so many places!

The vegetarian choice at the Hope and Anchor wasn't impressive so, with the road south to Frome being closed at the viaduct, we headed back towards Bath and popped in the Cross Keys for a fantastic curry. And who should be there but Stuart and Tom Seale, the heroes of Midford! We're having a big session next Thursday (4.9.2013) so if interested please pop along, if only to see me in a flourescent jacket and Mick Knox yielding a chainsaw like someone out of a 1970s horror film!

midford this sunday

There will be a working party this Sunday, 21 April at Midford to wire up our fence along Tucking Mill Lane and then to clear some small trees on the embankment below a neighbour's property, which has been causing him a nuisance. From about 10:15am. All welcome to join them!

midford this easter sunday

 

Stuart and Tom Seale will be forming a working party this coming Sunday (31 March) at Midford to replace the broken concrete fenceposts alongside Tucking Mill Lane and also to tidy up the Station area before the opening up of the tunnels on Saturday 6 April. All welcome to come and join them from 10:15ish.

midford tomorrow

There will be a work party at Midford tomorrow (Sunday, 24 February 2013) from 10.30.

To let Tom and Stuart know you're going you can sign up to the event on Facebook by clicking this link.

It's going to take more than six inches of snow to keep the hardy New Somerset and Dorset rebuilders from their work!

Tom and Stuart Seale will be forming a work party at Midford Tomorrow from 10:15 ish. All welcome to join them but wrap up warm!

midford tomorrow

 

Tom and Stuart Seale will be down at Midford from 10:15ish tomorrow, Sunday 6 January. All welcome to join them.  They plan on thinning out some of the smaller trees on the embankment to prepare the way for Mick Knox's visit later in the month.

midford tomorrow

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

midford sunday

Stuart and Tom Seale will be at Midford tomorrow, Sunday 18 November, as from circa 10:15am. Should be there until it gets dark. Everyone welcome to join us. The plan is to cut down trees near the Long Arch Bridge.

midford tomorrow

From Stuart Seale

Tom Seale and I are planning a work party at Midford this Sunday (14.10.12) (from say 10:15am), primarily to clear the top of the Long Arch Bridge and surrounding area. Anyone who would like to join in would be welcomed. Bow Saws and loppers the tools of the day.

midford - today!

From Stuart Seale

‎Tom Seale and I will be down at Midford doing some tree clearance work from 16:45 tomorrow (Wednesday 12 Sept) if anyone fancies a bit of graft.

midford this coming sunday

From Stuart Seale

‎Tom Seale and I will be forming a work party at Midford this Sunday, 22 July from 10am (ish). All welcome to join us.

midford yesterday

(All pics 8.7.2012 copyright Stuart Seale)

Stuart Seale, Tom Seale and Will Cummings 

formed a work party at Midford yesterday to clear the bank above the station. It is amazing how quickly everything is growing this year. Tom strimmed the top of the bank and Will drilled into the tree st...umps so as to introduce some weedkiller (we need to kill the trees once and for all as they create too much recurring work). We had a great day and the weather was wonderful, if not a little on the hot side.