Welcome to the 'New Somerset and Dorset Railway'

The original Somerset and Dorset Railway closed very controversially in 1966. It is time that decision, made in a very different world, was reversed. We now have many councillors, MPs, businesses and individuals living along the line supporting us. Even the Ministry of Transport supports our general aim. The New S&D was formed in 2009 with the aim of rebuilding as much of the route as possible, at the very least the main line from Bath (Britain's only World Heritage City) to Bournemouth (our premier seaside resort); as well as the branches to Wells, Glastonbury and Wimborne. We will achieve this through a mix of lobbying, trackbed purchase and restoration of sections of the route as they become economically viable. With Climate Change, road congestion, capacity constraints on the railways and now Peak Oil firmly on the agenda we are pushing against an open door. We already own Midford just south of Bath, and are restoring Spetisbury under license from DCC, but this is just the start. There are other established groups restoring stations and line at Midsomer Norton and Shillingstone, and the fabulous narrow gauge line near Templevcombe, the Gartell Railway.

There are now FIVE sites being actively restored on the S&D and this blog will follow what goes on at all of them!
Midford - Midsomer Norton - Gartell - Shillingstone - Spetisbury


Our Aim:

Our aim is to use a mix of lobbying, strategic track-bed purchase, fundraising and encouragement and support of groups already preserving sections of the route, as well as working with local and national government, local people, countryside groups and railway enthusiasts (of all types!) To restore sections of the route as they become viable.
Whilst the New S&D will primarily be a modern passenger and freight railway offering state of the art trains and services, we will also restore the infrastructure to the highest standards and encourage steam working and steam specials over all sections of the route, as well as work very closely with existing heritage lines established on the route.

This blog contains my personal views. Anything said here does not necessarily represent the aims or views of any of the groups currently restoring, preserving or operating trains over the Somerset and Dorset Railway!

Sunday, April 01, 2012

spot on


After a barrage of increasingly daft posts from Compulsory Purchase Boy tearing into the S&D and all the people working to bring it back (posted on to the CPB blog which is now a resource and tool for psychologists and mental health care professionals) it's very heartening to get a comment like this which is absolutely spot on!

Good to see extensions being built, this is a line I have yet to visit and wish to do so however I will do so after the extension is opened. Yesterday I visited the station site at Shillingstone whilst on the way home to Cornwall and was very heartened to see what the volunteers have achieved. Excellent effort all round. Well done to all. Whilst standing on the old down platform I had very pleasent chat with a local lady out walking her dog and asked her if she could remember the line before it closed and she said it would be lovely to see the trains return. I look forward to seeing miles of track laid and trains running one day. I have also just joined the SDHT and have enjoyed their excellent Telegraph Magazine.

Highest price of diesel seen so far £1.54.9 litre at Exeter services, thankfully I had filled up my car back on Monday before the stupidity of certain ministers came to the fore. I personally believe that boy racers etc days are numbered and indeed I was reading the latest edition of Railnews that my mother recieves (Late father worked for Southern Railway and BRSR) and was very heartened to read of the number of youngsters who are taking up railcards. The percentage increases are quite staggering when I consider that BR was considered to be old fashioned and railways were a thing of the past. The late Sir John Betejeman visited the S & D in March 1963 and he stated on his film that railways were not a thing of the past (the film is a video now return to Evercreech Junction and is very enjoyable. I also believe we need our railways back as the rebuilding of them plus maintenance and running them will give good work to young people and hopefully start to end the appalling rundown of our society. Beeching killed more than railways, he killed a way of life for many and prosperity for many.
Peak oil is here, we need to say goodbye to our love affair with oil and bring back the tried and trusted methods of those previous generations who built this country of ours-The S&D bought prosperity to many, it can do so again and will.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Further to comments of yesterday, I have watched my DVD (The Somerset & Dorset railway) where it shows clips of the past and the state sponsored vandals of 1967 (How I hate that era)destroying the S& D and interviewing the former staff, it showed how we have as a society really lost the plot when we allowed Beeching to destroy this wonderful line along with a good many other lines. The staff were not well paid however they had that family pride in what they did and there was none of the dreadful dehumanising of society that we read about today where it seems that is is me me me then me again to make sure and s@@ the rest of you Jack. Also the point that one lady came about living in Henstridge she now has to rely on someone to drive her about plus it takes 3 buses to go from Evercreech to Bath, some progress or what!!! This country needs to stop funding overseas aid, the EU and getting involved in other peoples wars and our so called leaders need to grow one, listen to the people and act accordingly. That way this country will become prosperous again with a happy population. I live in Torpoint in East Cornwall and have learnt that it can take a resident up to one hour to bus into Plymouth from Tavistock for work/shopping school etc, The faster steam trains could do it in half the time. So much for petrol heads etc! and their stupidity of the 60,. I was born in 1963 the tail end of the baby boom, did no one ever ask of the future twenty years later when we would all be left school etc. Thanks Beeching and Marples for the destruction of a proud line and system and society that was just and fair and decent. I look forward to a ride on the legendary S& D at Midsomer Norton, Gartell and one day Shillingstone and hopefully other locations as well. Compulsory purchase boy needs to be consigned to the dustbin of history like a dinosaur. To those of you who go out to these lines and voluntarily give up your precious time thank you for what you are doing, I hope it will fire up the younger generations into giving up virtual worlds and the shllow culture of celebrity that we seem to have to day. The real heroes to me are that generation who lived through two World Wars and endured the most appalling sacrifices and then had to rebuild our country 1946 onwards. People like the late Ivo Peters who must have spent considerable time and money with capturing the memories and images of the line and of course the S& D staff like the late Donald Beale. We owe it to them to rebuild the S& D and many other lines like it.

Anonymous said...

WAS AT EXETER LAST WEEK AND GOT FUEL (DIESEL) FOR £144. CHEAP I THOUGHT

Steve Sainsbury said...

£144 - for a litre or a tank full?

Steve Sainsbury said...

Sorry - this was actually a Compulsory Purchase Boy comment (the £144 a litre nonsense!) First one he's got through for months, only because there was the chance to make a point!

He then went on to send dozens of capslock abuse comments, which I normally just laugh at, but he's now decided to attack the workers at Midford, which is totally out of order. He's already had a go at the volunteers at Gartell, Shillingstone and Midsomer Norton, now has it in for the people at Midford. Look out Washford and Spetisbury, you'll be the next victim of our babyfaced anti-rail psycho dinosaur!

Okay, he's fourteen, and probably is retarded to some degree, but there are rules even for people like him.

Attack me (because you think I'm someone else!!), even attack railways in general, but don't you EVER attack the people that are giving up time and money to bring back the S&D.

You now have your own blog where all your stupid comments ARE published, and I already have a number of mental health professionals analysing your nonsense.

If any S&D people would like access to CPB's very own blog please email me with your email details and I'll send you the link.

Anonymous said...

It makes me wonder about the DNA of people like compulsory purchase boy. The evidence is plainly out there for all to see with the state of britain today. Stop knocking those who are volunteering their time and money to do the right thing for us all. In fact CP boy why don,t you do something constructive for once in your silly little life and help other people out, you might even enjoy being part of a team and community! The volunteers at Midsomer Norton, Shillinstone, Midford Gartell etc have done a fantastic job of bringing back something of beauty and peace-railways become part of our countryside instead of drowning them out like the horrible droning sound of motorways. Funny how people do not wax lyrical about spotting at the side of a motorway. Nor do people enjoy motorway service areas, however they enjoy places like our preserved railway station. It is called quality of life. Something that cannot be measured and cannot be bought from a supermarket shelf. Do everybody a favour CP boy and dry up-you are obsolete and belong back in the 60,s with Beeching and Marples!