Two above - track already laid on the gartell extension towards Templecombe. The existing route joins this line in the far distance.
Looking northwards on what will become the Templecombe extension. Judging by the inscription on the crane this land is already owned by the Gartell engineering business!
The sign that greets passengers who alight at Park Lane. It would be nice if, as a holding operation, the line WAS walkable all the way to Bournemouth West! Eventually of course this section will be relaid as a standard gauge main line. The New S&D will hopefully work with the Gartell to develop this unique narrow gauge (and eventually dual gauge) section of the S&D, the Gartell Railway becoming a valuable extra attraction on the route.
I do feel that narrow gauge railways will become very commonplace throughout the UK, for both industrial and passenger use, filling a vital gap in connecting industry and people to the main standard gauge network as the road network vanishes.
3 comments:
Wouldn't it be better to say than to have dual gauge, To run the Gartell by the side of the New S&D? for a start the gartell uses small lighter Rail? It is great The New S&D has links at the Gartell, but isn't the trackbed also owned by the Gartell family so to make friends wouldn't it be good to work with them.
That's what I meant - to run the narrow gauge alongside the standard. There is room for two lines on this stretch even though it was a single track section of the route. Even if (when?) the line is double tracked there is still room for earthworks for double SG and a NG line alongside. The Gartell Railway service is so intensive (with up to 4 trains in each direction per hour) that this is the only way it could work. I thought the post stressed how important it is to work with existing groups on the route - that's certainly our intention and not just with rail groups of course. We don't want any angst at any point with any landowner because we are of course doing this for everyone!
Wasn't there a plan about 100 years ago to build a new line from the west end of Templecombe Station to Henstridge, thus eliminating the reversal? (Someone with more S&D knowledge can no doubt give more accurate details)
This could be worth looking at again to make the new S&D more efficient and as a by-product would mean you wouldn't need the bit of line Gartell uses. A win-win option?
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