Thanks for posting. Wonderful memories of an era so sadly gone and never to be seen again. RIP Ivo and all the lovely men and women of the S&D.

Having been born in the middle of Dr Beeching's axe newly discovered the history of and the sad demise of the S&D JR and other wonderful lost railways, one cannot help but appreciate and realise that a very tragic act of sabotage had been dealt to our national and regional railways.

@jez215

7 жыл бұрын

Davinia overto

As you go around in your cars clogging up the motorways & polluting the atmosphere lets just consider the circumstances of the demise of such wondrous things as the old running roads. With the the advent of Beeching there was a Minister by the name of Ernest Marples. Dear old Ernie was mixed up with a bunch of road constructers by the title of Marples/ Ridgeway. So along with the previously mentioned rail assassin, between them they did a little bit alright already. Hopefully you now appreciate the corruptness of all concerned. Although I lived a fair distance from the S&D I did have the pleasure of travelling on a shortish section of it, from Templecombe to Blandford Forum for the purposes of National Service. Plus from Blandford To Bournemouth West on my way back home for a weeks leave prior to me given posting.

Lovely colour film, really enjoyed watching, thanks for sharing.

The S&D has had a couple of miles of it's track relayed around Midsomer Norton station. There has also been some studies carried out (not DfT of NR) regarding the reopening of the line.

At least we can travel on the Somerset and Dorset railway at midsummer norden railway station

Thank you for this marvellous footage! I am attempting to retrace the old trackbeds of the S&D using old maps, to see what can be relaid and used for a heritage line. A small group of volunteers have already started at Midsommer Norton and are running trains on the very short section they have. The next hurdle is Chilcompton tunnel, which has been filled in at one end (but easily dug out using machines). At the other it has been illegally occupied by a ‘shooting range’, as the trackbed still technically belongs to the S&D board! They need to be asked to peacefully leave so the tunnel may be reopened for route availability. PLEASE SUPPORT the volunteers in Radstock, Midsommer Norton and the East Somerset railway. The hope is for all 3 to one day merge reopening the entirety of the S&D

@trainmaniacstudios8216

6 жыл бұрын

www.railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php Will save you a LOT of effort. Hope you find it useful :)

@juleshathaway3894

4 жыл бұрын

An interesting post, firstly how do you know the shooting club are using Chilcompton Tunnel illegally? Considering the stringent legislation in place surrounding the use of privately owned firearms I would very much suspect that the Midsomer Norton Target Shooting Club is fully licensed and inspected and operating the "shooting range" entirely within the law and with permission. Also the "S&D board no longer exists and the ownership of the trackbed would have passed via the Southern Railway ultimately to the British Railways Board who then would have sold it on piecemeal if anyone wished to buy it. Even IF the railway projects at Radstock, Midsomer Norton and the East Somerset Railway did merge it would not mean the reopening of the S&D in its entirety as the Radstock project and the East Somerset are NOT and never were part of the S&D.

Davinia, you have hit the nail squarley on the fishplate! I was born 1946 and experienced the sooty eyes and spam butties of trainspotting up until the good doctor surgically removed the heart from a tried and tested successful transport system which, regretablly had been hopelessly underfunded and tragically mis-managed. Sabotage, yes, but authorised by Government accountants, those who weild the sharpest knives!

@florencegomer7937

5 жыл бұрын

Beeching ... cut the heart and soul out of the country on a scale never to be seen again. Brexit ... hold my beer. s'funny it's always the Tories?

@juleshathaway3894

4 жыл бұрын

@@florencegomer7937 The majority of the closures of the 1960's post Beeching Report were authorised by Barbara Castle......LABOUR transport minister. Yes Marples had a vested interest in road building (understatement) and was no friend of the railway, but Labour went back on its manifesto word regarding stopping the closures and sharpened the axe further. S'funny it's NOT always the Tories.

Timeless footage!

Train in the Sommer, Christmas or Excursion and everyday life

A political closure, hated by the western, usage surveys carried out at times of low patronage, traffic deliberately routed away, excuse of the cost of double heading steam over the steep inclines but never utilised diesels until after closure when Class 42/43 'Warships' hauled stone trains bringing in stone for the M5 motorway construction over the Somerset Levels and the 'Asset recovery' trains used class 22 'Northbrits' and Class 35 'Hymeks'. Nor were D.M.U''s that were designed to save money, ever used. Type 4 diesels (42/43, 47, 52 'Westerns' could handle 12 mark 1's up Dainton Bank so they could have handled the gradients on this line. Yes it would have lost a lot of it's charm with the end of steam but it may have survived and seen many a steam charter in future years.

@annescholey6546

3 жыл бұрын

Nobody at BR was done for fiddling the accounts of the Settle Carlisle line after 1989. A precedent?

What route would an Exmouth/Cleethorpes train have come? Exmouth, Exeter Central, then the southern line to Temple Combe??

anyone actually travel down to Bournemouth on this line from the North? I am making a doc and would love to speak to you if you have

@smokeless7774

8 жыл бұрын

As a kid in the late 50's early 60's,one of our favourite picnic spots was the shallow cutting of Carter's siding off Corfe Mullen junction. This was a real sun trap and laden with blackberries. We would play on the track and I can remember the bullhead castings being stamped as far away as the GNOSR! (Naughty boys!)

7F with speed

P