midford 1987 and 2010

Two excellent shots copyright Brian Clarke.

First is from the Midford platform end on the afternoon of Wednesday 27-10-10 with Tom's excellent bonfire site visible as a white patch to the right.

Second is the same view as seen 9-9-87. Most notable is the patch of sky at top right, you could see a long way down the valley in those days. At left you may notice some breezeblocks stacked which were from building the wall at Hope&Anchor carpark. The loco was dressed up to look like a GWR pannier tank by (if I remember correctly) a company at Stratford upon Avon, before delivery to the tourist line in Cotswold Wildlife Park. Thats why it is lettered "CWLP" on the side. It was built at Bedford in the 1950's for Anglian Water.

something new

I've always wondered how I'm going to bring all my photos on to this blog and I've hit on the solution of setting up an entirely new, general, rail blog called 'The Rail Thing'. So if your horizons stretch beyond Somerset and Dorset, you like odd places and corners of the world as long as there are rails, you're keen on trams as well as trains and want an unusual slant in the narrative please bookmark The Rail Thing.

right lines 2

The second issue of our magazine RIGHT LINES is due at the end of February. I want to at least double the size of the previous one, so please send in your articles, letters, photos, comments etc etc. Particularly welcome are progress reports on Midsomer Norton, Gartell, Shillingstone, Washford, Blandford Arches etc etc. Also more than welcome are articles of either a historical or personal nature on all aspects of the S&D.

I want the magazine to become the best by any railway group in the UK within a year or so. I can't see we'll ever exhaust the potential content, and there is always a new angle, not to mention that the S&D is now up and running again in places and new history is being created. For example the above four photos all feature the Midsomer Norton diesel in it's previous unlamented Prussian blue livery!

Please send all articles and photos either electronically to leysiner@aol.com or by post to New S&D, Right Lines, 10 Bellamy Avenue, Hartcliffe, BRISTOL, BS13 0HW.

tornado cassandra!

I recently rather mischievously suggested that the Channel Tunnel trains that were broken down inside the tunnel should have been hauled out by diesel or steam locomotives.

In an amazing example of life imitating art this is what happened on Monday -


Passengers were rescued by a steam locomotive after modern rail services were brought to a halt by the snowy conditions in south-east England.

Trains between Ashford and Dover were suspended on Monday when cold weather disabled the electric rail.

Some commuters at London Victoria faced lengthy delays until Tornado - Britain's first mainline steam engine in 50 years - offered them a lift.

They were taken home "in style", said the Darlington-built engine's owners.

Train services in Kent were hit hard by the freezing conditions at the start of the week.
　
The weather-related disruption included three days of cancellations for Eurostar services through the Channel Tunnel.

Tornado, a £3m Peppercorn class A1 Pacific based at the National Railway Museum in York, was in the South East for one day, offering "Christmas meal" trips from London to Dover.

Its "Cathedrals Express" service, the last mainline journey in its first year of operations, was about to depart when staff heard about the stranded passengers.

About 100 people were offered free seats, according to Mark Allatt, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust - the charity which built Tornado.

He said: "It was a nice way to finish for Christmas, though I think some of the rescued passengers didn't realise they'd even been travelling on a steam train until they got off."

Mr Allatt, who was on the service at the time, said he only saw a handful of other trains between London and Dover throughout Monday.
He added: "If any of the train operators want to modernise their services by using steam trains, I would be happy to give them a quote."
A spokesman for Southeastern Trains congratulated Mr Allatt on his "moment of glory".

He said: "I'm sure those passengers were saved from a lengthy wait, all credit to him."

Source.

Thanks to David Bailey for the link!

double-headed steam back on the S&D!

The first double headed steam train on the S&D since...when?

The camera of Mike Lucas captures the fine moment as GLR No6 Mr. G and GLR No9 Jean head down the S&D. This was especially run for the 2009 S&D reunion, when staff from the days of the 'old line' got together. Due to the length of the train, six coaches - double the normal length - special written instructions were issued to GLR staff and the train was put in the hands of the most experianced enginemen and senior guards.

(Thanks to John Penny for this gem!)

boscastle link

A potential visitor to the New S&D in the future - please take time to look at this website for more info.

Thanks to Mark Warr for this link. It's good to see that some people are already putting some thought into the sort of visitors that we will be attracting in the not too distant future!

authenticity

D1120 at Midsomer Norton 6.11.2009

This is a sight for sore eyes! This was the first time I'd seen the resident diesel at Midsomer norton in its new livery. What an incredible improvement on the odd Prussian blue livery it used to sport!

I never got the way certain rail enthusiasts spent years getting the infrastructure looking right only to have the whole illusion destroyed by inappropriate liveries. Midsomer Norton is supposed to represent the station as it was in 1955 or thereabouts. Yet up till last year this diesel appeared in what to all intents and purposes looked like an industrial locomotive livery.

Another feather in Midsomer Norton's cap. And a historic picture. How much longer before diesel locomotives vanish entirely as their fuel sources dry up?

website developments

One of our big projects is to create a superb S&D website. Up to now it's mainly been about the future, but I believe there is a continuum right through from the original opening of the line in 1854 through the temporary closure period, to its current stirrings and through to its 21st century role as a vital sustainable transport link.

I feel that the website should also serve as an important resource for S&D fans, past, present and future. To this end we've already half completed the 'stations' section, and have just made the first steps towards building a 'locomotives that have worked on the S&D' section, which will be an enormous job!

The ideal is to have a site that first and foremost keeps our diaspora of fans and members in touch with what's happening on the ground, at Midford, Midsomer Norton, Shillingstone, Masbury, Gartell, Washford and Sturminster Newton but which also contains within its depths every single piece of information you will ever need to write books, articles, build models etc etc. I'd like eventually a huge photo resource of the line at all points in time, video library and even an oral history section (with transcripts).

To this end all photos, stories etc etc, as well as offers of help with content, from ANY angle (not just the historical!) are most welcome!

last chance to ...

... visit the Gartell Light Railway for this season, comes this Sunday (25/10/09). They're open from 10.00 and first train is at 10.30. Clocks go back the night before so use the extra hour in bed to be refreshed and ready to go and see them! Signed from Templecombe in the North and Henstridge lights in the South, you can't miss it. Take a leisurely trip down the Blackmore Vale behind a steam engine - they have two, remember! Food and drink are available on site, and the GLR is an ideal family destination.

(There are Santa trains in December for which booking is essential).

I am going to try to get down on Sunday so hope to see you there.

(All photos courtesy John Penny).

shillingstone fleeting visit

I managed to quickly visit Shillingstone on the way back from the New S&D meeting as the evening cast long shadows over the site. I'd always wanted to catch it in this light! Developments since I was last there in February included track now appearing between the platforms and the loco being moved to this (eventual) up running line.

There is loads of support for the New S&D at Shillingstone and we hope to soon be working very closely with them on the reinstatement of this most attractive section of line southwards to Blandford and northwards towards Templecombe.

gartell impressions

Some fantastic shots from the Gartell Railway taken in July and August 2009 - on a camera phone! (By Adam).

This is becoming a real treat for steam fans and is currently the only section of the S&D which sees regular trains. Notice the S&D touches such as the crest and Pines headboard. I suspect, though stand to be corrected, that the trains sport the unique S&D headcode.

The Gartell is open twice more this year (apart from Santa Specials) on Sunday 27 September and Sunday 25 October. I'm in Majorca for the September day but will try to make the October opening.

train at shepton mallet - 2009!

A used ticket for the train across the viaduct.



Tinkerbell and the train.


New S&D chair and Midsomer Norton shop regular Paul Mitchell cross the viaduct under steam power.

Well it WAS an experience! Steam over the big viaduct at Shepton Mallet in 2009. Okay, it was a miniature railway and the track was less than 200 metres long, and the whole thing was rather overwhelmed on a viaduct built for double track standard gauge, but this is early days yet. The fact that S&D infrastructure is beginning to see new uses is fantastic, and everyone who sees and uses this has the potential of joining the clamour for S&D revival.

Kilver Court is a fantastic destination both pre and post-New S&D. The gardens were built for the workers at Showerings' Brewery back in the 1860s and the viaduct sets them off fantastically. The new Kilver Court Gardens have made an excellent job of restoring the gardens and providing superb visitor attractions, such as the shop and cafe. John Baxter, Chair at Midsomer Norton, was manning a sales stand right in the entrance, so there was a good S&D presence there. Even as we drew into the car park we spotted Paul Mitchell from the Midsomer Norton station shop. Debs gave up her ticket so he could ride across the viaduct.

I'm hoping that this becomes a regular annual event and also that Kilver and MN realise they have a lot to gain by working closely together, Kilver providing an excellent interim destination for the railway currently bulding south from Midsomer Norton.

sid at gartell

(Photos courtesy John Penny 27.8.2009)

Three shots of 'Sid', a Maffei 0-4-0 of 1925 being tested for the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway following extensive work at the GLR workshops by John Uphill. Still a way to go as you can see, the chimney is only temporary and the boiler cladding will be put on at the L&B apparently. Certainly a very 'basic industrial' but it goes very well and rides quite well for a loco of this wheel arrangement. Interestingly, it still has repairs visible following an attack by a Spitfire. It will NOT be in steam over the weekend but the GLR IS fully open for services on Sunday and Monday over the bank holiday.

Don't forget that there will be (7¼" gauge) steam over the viaduct at Shepton Mallet this weekend as well, so there's never been a better time to come and see what's happening on the S&D. Combine it with a stop at Shillingstone and Midsomer Norton and you'll get a real feel for the potential our fantastic route has to offer.