|
|
PHOTO
GALLERY GROUP 117
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
145
|
146 |
147 |
148 |
149 |
150 |
151 |
152 |
153 |
154 |
155 |
156 |
157 |
158 |
159 |
160 |
The
Somerset & Dorset Railway. This famous cross-country
line, which conveyed millions of passengers from the Midlands and
the North to their annual holidays on the South Coast, closed 50 years
ago on 6th March 2016. To mark this event – one of the most
controversial of all the Beeching closures – we publish below
a few memories from the northern end of the line. Author Robin Atthill
and Binegar station master Norman Down went to great lengths to expose
some of the 'dirty tricks' employed by British Railways to get the
line closed; one of the most damaging ploys was to carry out passenger
surveys during summer holiday weekends when services were disrupted
by multiple engineering works, and when thousands of regular school
passengers were on holiday. Dr. Beeching always maintained that his
closures were essential 'surgery', but the S&D is not the only
lost line about which there hangs a whiff of 'closure by manipulation',
e.g. by the diversion of all its freight traffic on to other routes.
By the 1960s, both government and BR management believed that the
railway network 'had' to be reduced; so it is difficult to avoid wondering
to what extent BR managers might have helped unwanted lines to fail. |
|
Above:
The imposing frontage of Bath Green Park station, which looks
down Bath's St. James Street West, reveals that this was not a small
station, and the fact that it was closed gives a sense of scale to
the removal of the entire Somerset & Dorset network from Britain's
railway map. Trains used to depart from here to destinations as diverse
as Blandford Forum, Bournemouth, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Poole
and Sheffield – actually a better range of destinations than
is served today by direct trains from the surviving Bath Spa station.
21st July 1962. (Ben Brooksbank fromWikimedia
Commons, used under the terms of this Creative
Commons Licence) |
|
|
Above:
The S&D station at Radstock was called 'Radstock North'
and is seen here looking north towards Bath. Note the large but
wire-less telegraph pole in the left of the picture, which hints
at the former importance of this line. The lack of signs and lamps
on the right hand platform reveals that this photograph was taken
after passenger closure in 1966, i.e. during the 'half life' period
when Radstock yard – out of sight in the far middle distance
– was used as a collection and marshalling point for coal
from Writhlington Colliery. Only a short length of the S&D was
retained for this traffic, for the coal trains headed south towards
Midsomer Norton but soon stopped and reversed over a new BR link
which enabled them to reach neighbouring Radstock West and Frome
via part of the former GWR line through the town. August 1967. (Robin
Summerhill) |
|
|
Above:
45 years after the above photograph was taken, the site of
Radstock North looked like this, the distinctive gable of the building
on the left providing a point of reference. The road in the foreground
is the A362 where the S&D level crossing was situated; the parallel
GWR level crossing was to the right, just out of view beyond the trees.
The existence of two level crossings in such close proximity caused
great disruption to road traffic, especially during the summer holidays,
and has been suggested as another reason for the authorities wanting
to 'do away with the trains'. However, one needs to remember that
the 1960s were the age of the car; to an extent, motorway building
and railway closures were different sides of the same coin. 5th November
2012. (Robin Summerhill) |
|
|
Above:
An enlarged view of a 3rd class ordinary adult return from
Radstock North to Chilcompton issued by the Western Region of British
Railways. The 1/2d fare is just under 6p in modern money. The right
hand side of the ticket is the outward portion and should have been
torn off and retained by the ticket collector at Chilcompton. (Robin
Summerhill Collection) |
|
 |
Left:
One of the few places nowadays where one can see
any part of the former Somerset & Dorset Railway as
it used to be is Midsomer Norton South, which has become
the home of the Somerset
& Dorset Railway Heritage Trust. The Trust currently
operates a third of a mile of railway, which – thanks
to landowner lease agreements – is being extended
towards Chilcompton, the next station to the south. 24th
September 2011. (Jeff Vinter) |
|
|
|
Above:
Heading south from Midsomer Norton, the Somerset &
Dorset approached Chilcompton Tunnel via this cutting, where a southbound
express is seen on its way up the grade to the summit at Masbury.
This is a summer Saturday service, the 07.00 from Cleethorpes to
Bournemouth West, which before the war left the S&D at Templecombe
on its way to Sidmouth and Exmouth. The photographer asked, 'Who
on earth would have travelled the whole way?!' The answer is, 'Members
of the Cleethorpes Boys' Brigade', who found this service unbelievably
convenient for their annual seaside holidays in east Devon. The
train is
headed by LMS 2P 4-4-0 No. 40564 piloting SR Bulleid Light Pacific
No. 34101 'Hartland', which took over at Bath Green Park. 22nd August
1959. (Ben Brooksbank from Wikimedia
Commons, used under the terms of this Creative
Commons Licence) |
|
|
Above:
The south-facing portals of the twin bore tunnels at Chilcompton
once echoed to heavy freight and long distance passenger trains, like
that seen above. Now they are used by the Midsomer Norton Target Shooting
Club. 5th November 2012. (Robin Summerhill) |
|
|
Above:
In years gone by, when stations used to have parcels offices,
a parcel label like this would be affixed to any item making an unaccompanied
journey in the guard's compartment. The Southern Railway obligingly
recorded the month and year of printing on these little bits of railway
ephemera, so we can tell from this example that it was printed in
July 1927. The '787' in the top right hand corner was the SR's stock
number, a practice inherited from the LSWR; occasionally, this number
would be missing from an SR label if the printer forgot to typeset
it. (Jeff Vinter Collection) |
|
|
Above:
An extract from the timetable published by the Southern Region
of British Railways for the period 11th September 1961 to 17th June
1962. Note the 9:45 departure from Bournemouth West, which was the
famous Pines Express (Bournemouth–Manchester), a 'restaurant
car train' with through carriages for Sheffield and Liverpool. Bear
in mind that the timetable for the peak holiday period between June
and September would have featured many more trains than this, including
services like the Saturdays only Cleethorpes–Bournemouth West
express seen above. Click here
or on the image above for a printable version of this timetable page.
(Jeff Vinter Collection) |
|
|
Above:
An enlarged view of a special ticket issued for the final
year. A number of specials ran over the Somerset & Dorset Railway
in 1966, this example by the Stephenson Locomotive Society being unusual
in that – despite the January date on the ticket – it
actually ran on 6th March 1966, the very last day of operation. (Robin
Summerhill Collection) |
|