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!

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

templecombe 1967


Yet another great shot from Picasa (source here) showing Templecombe, looking south towards Henstridge, possibly in 1967 - the photographer isn't sure.

Some one has over-ridden the interlocking and pulled off both pegs - for the road into Templecombe station and the road onwards to Henstridge and beyond - it doesn't matter because no trains had come this way for years and nothing ever will ever again ... it was eupemistically called "The Reshaping of British Railways" but all it meant was one third of the network trashed and thousands of dedicated railwaymen and women lost their livelyhoods.

Accompanying text (above) yet again displays that 1970s hubristic certainty about the future that has already been proved wrong in so many places, as it will do here. This may well be the last part of the S&D main line to be restored, but it will be restored and trains will run here in numbers not seen before, this becoming a very busy route to the south coast from Bath, Bristol, the Midlands, the North and Exteter and the west country. I'd be very much surprised if it will stay single for long!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think the picture is actually facing North towards Wincanton as you can see the splitting signals for the main line and the spur to Templecombe upper.