New Somerset & Dorset Railway

[Buffer68]

The New Somerset & Dorset Railway, whose aim is to eventually rebuild the line from Bath to Bournemouth - not entirely as a Heritage line but to provide rail links for local communities once more, has a brand new website which is at: www.somersetanddorsetrailway.co.uk

If you enjoy our website and have one of your own perhaps you would be kind enough to put a link there to ours. We need all the support we can get. Thanks.

Also check out the group page on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2388023865

There are contact details on the main website or you are welcome to PM me with any questions you may have - I am on the committee and also live very close to the S&D. This is obviously a huge project and not one we are taking on lightly and it will take many years to complete but without dreams and goals nothing becomes reality.

 

[33011]

The New Somerset & Dorset Railway, whose aim is to eventually rebuild the line from Bath to Bournemouth - not entirely as a Heritage line but to provide rail links for local communities once more, has a brand new website which is at: www.somersetanddorsetrailway.co.uk

If you enjoy our website and have one of your own perhaps you would be kind enough to put a link there to ours. We need all the support we can get. Thanks.

Also check out the group page on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2388023865

There are contact details on the main website or you are welcome to PM me with any questions you may have - I am on the committee and also live very close to the S&D. This is obviously a huge project and not one we are taking on lightly and it will take many years to complete but without dreams and goals nothing becomes reality.

As a very big fan of the S&D i for one would love to see this happen but i'm not going to hold my breath.I suppose anything is possible with the odd diversion here and there from the S&D track bed and it would be a dream come true even if a large section could be used as a preserved railway this would still be an excellent achievement.

 

[anthony263]

If this route is re-opened i will be one of the first passengers and i am sure that you would get a lot of support from local people but also from a few MP'S

 

[D107]

If this route is re-opened i will be one of the first passengers and i am sure that you would get a lot of support from local people but also from a few MP'S

Will the MP's be allowed to claim the fare on their expenses......?

 

[anthony263]

I hope they dont. I want to shoot my local mp spending taxpayers money on a crate of wisky to give at a charity auction.

Anyway i think if the line is opened all the way from Bath to Bornmouth then i am sure that it will be very well used especially with a lot of people wanting to holiday in the uk. I suspect blackpool etc are going to be very busy this summer.

 

[43021HST]

I think its a bit far fetched but then again I bet when they were proposing the first heritage lines people were saying that.

 

[33011]

As for re-opening the whole route this may put a spanner in the works

www.twotunnels.org.uk/

 

[pinkpanther]

As for re-opening the whole route this may put a spanner in the works

www.twotunnels.org.uk/

Perhaps in the short term, but as this is a long term project which will require external funding (a purely heritage line model just isn't feasible for a route of this scale, and to be honest that's probably not what the people along the line really want) I'd imagine this sort of obstacle is no greater an issue than the likely need to issue compulsary purchase orders at several points along the line to regain parts of the trackbed. The majority of the trackbed along the old route is however clear of obstructions, and steps are being taken to safeguard it for future rail use.

In the short term, the heritage line model is a viable one and a good way of raising awareness of our long term aims. By the time re-opening the whole line is contemplated the groups at Shillingstone and Midsomer Norton should already have a significant amount of track laid and in operation. The idea is to ultimately blend that with a modern railway in a basically similar way as BARS are planning to do up on the Weardale line.

At the end of the day we can find roadblocks and obstacles everywhere we look, but unless we attempt the "impossible", it most certainly won't happen. There are plenty of lines up ands down the country which have proved that.

Of course, if you really have misgivings you are welcome to come along to the New S&D social/meeting at the Railway Hotel in Blandford on 23rd January (details are on the blog) and ask about the obstacles we face/argue it out over a beer or three.

We're well aware of those obstacles, believe me - and we certainly don't think they'll just magically "go away" either!

 

[MrC]

.....At the end of the day we can find roadblocks and obstacles everywhere we look.....

You ain't kidding! TBH just at the Poole end most of the old trackbed is long gone and buried under the Holes Bay and Broadstone relief roads unless you can realign somehow alongside the road. Then there's new LCs or bridges required at Creekmoor etc. And I really can't see Broadstone Golf Club agreeing to a reinstatement as the line cuts right through their land. And this line wouldn't even be that useful as a commuter line into Poole/Bomo as it misses out Wimborne etc. There'd be more chance getting support if the old Poole-Wimborne-Brockenhurst line was reinstated (which is in part being considered) which would alleviate the traffic on Gravel Hill etc.

Good luck but I really don't see this happening in my lifetime.

Mr Negative

 

[pinkpanther]

You ain't kidding! TBH just at the Poole end most of the old trackbed is long gone and buried under the Holes Bay and Broadstone relief roads unless you can realign somehow alongside the road. Then there's new LCs or bridges required at Creekmoor etc. And I really can't see Broadstone Golf Club agreeing to a reinstatement as the line cuts right through their land. And this line wouldn't even be that useful as a commuter line into Poole/Bomo as it misses out Wimborne etc. There'd be more chance getting support if the old Poole-Wimborne-Brockenhurst line was reinstated (which is in part being considered) which would alleviate the traffic on Gravel Hill etc.

Good luck but I really don't see this happening in my lifetime.

Mr Negative

Hello Mr Negative,

Remember that there is nothing that says the original alignment has to be used for all locations (and yes, the Wimborne-Ringwood-Brockenhurst line is on the table here).

I repeat that re-opening the whole S&D is far beyond the scope of what would be possible for a purely heritage type operation, and hence is likely to require a) external funding, b) compulsary purchase orders where critical parts of the route are obstructed or new alignments are necessary and c) the same sort of planning process as used on the national network (an LRO with a 25mph restriction is not going to be adequate for a line of that length).

We're under no illusions that this is a long term (at least 10-15 year) project, but the first stage is to raise awareness, organise and get people thinking.

In the short term, the heritage side of the operation is developing nicely already (e.g. Midsomer Norton are finally breaking out towards Chilcompton, and Shillingstone are starting to lay track). That's a great start, and one which is essential if the S&D is to make the most of its history as well as (eventually) developing as a modern railway to serve the people of the area

As I said before, come along on the 23rd and grumble at us over a pint or two. All are welcome, regardless of which spanners you believe you can throw in our direction.

We're just getting started, believe me.

 

[Ivo]

Little question for the brave souls behind this idea. Where do you suppose the route would run in Bath? Green Park is a car park and market these days; not to mention the tunnel issue. Part of the reason I ask is that it is very unlikely that I could make it to Blandford (it's just too far), so any ideas would be appreciated. And any meetings in the future located a bit nearer this end of the line wouldn't be beyond my agenda, that's for certain.

 

[pinkpanther]

No problem. I don't have enough knowledge of the northern end of the route to answer this one with authority (I'm a relatively recent member), but I'll do my best.

First of all: the reason the meetings are currently being held in Blandford is that New S&D efforts are initially being focused on the southern end of the line (notably Blandford-Bournemouth/Ringwood), and as one of the largest towns in north Dorset Blandford is of course crucial to that effort. It's also a town whose population has doubled in the last 20 years, and with ATOC already making a case for reopening the nearby Ringwood-Brockenhurst line it makes a great deal of sense to start there.

At the northern end of the line operations are initially going to remain concentrated on the heritage/information centres at Midsomer Norton and (soon) Midford. Nevertheless, Bath is a crucial strategic objective in the longer term, so when the New S&D starts to focus on more detailed plans for the northern end of the line I'm sure we'll hold meetings up your way as well.

By the "tunnel issue" I presume you mean the Two Tunnels project? That being the case, it's worth being aware that the use of much of the trackbed (e.g. the North Dorset Trailway) by third parties such as SusTrans is subject to clauses that the land be safeguarded and available for future rail use. I've no doubt the parts of the trackbed in question are subject to similar clauses, so we'll cross that bridge (if you pardon the pun) when we come to it.

Three routes into Bath are currently on the table: a) the original line (which would simply run through the car park you mention) but would also (if physically possible) have a second connection to the GWR line, b) a diversion just north of Midford linking to the old Camerton-Limpley Stoke route giving us an entry to Bath Spa from the east, and c) restoration of the Midsomer Norton (or Radstock) to Bristol route.

At this early stage I'm sure you will appreciate that it is important for us to remain flexible and adapt to changing circumstances and opportunities as they arise. This is a long term project, and no doubt many things will change through necessity along the way. Please feel free to join in and come along for the ride.

 

[Ivo]

All right then, thank you. Blandford may be one hell of a trek from here, but I do have a concessionary bus pass (I have Asperger Syndrome), so I could get there in theory. It would just take time

As for routes in Bath... Hmm. I'll get back to you on that one. I'll try to sift through various pathing details at Bath Spa, open rights of way, etc etc. And as for the Two Tunnels... Meh. You would probably be better off coming from the east (and serving what is considered The Enemy in my area, by which I mean a station at Claverton for the University of Bath) anyway.

 

[pinkpanther]

All right then, thank you. Blandford may be one hell of a trek from here, but I do have a concessionary bus pass (I have Asperger Syndrome), so I could get there in theory. It would just take time

As for routes in Bath... Hmm. I'll get back to you on that one. I'll try to sift through various pathing details at Bath Spa, open rights of way, etc etc. And as for the Two Tunnels... Meh. You would probably be better off coming from the east (and serving what is considered The Enemy in my area, by which I mean a station at Claverton for the University of Bath) anyway.

Thanks for the feedback and ideas. I'll certainly pass it on; no doubt we'll have an interesting discussion on the subject at the meeting/social on the 23rd.

There are indeed significant pathing issues at Bath Spa at present, but remember that's just one little bit of data in a very big melting pot. We're not doing this isolation, so a full line reopening would bring with it significant pressure/incentives on NR and the relevant TOCs to work with us to resolve pathing/routing issues among others.

At the end of the day although the obstacles to reopening are significant, if we don't give it our best we simply ensure it will never happen.

I think the Weardale Railway is a good example of what can be achieved if you put your mind to it. A year ago only something like 6 miles of their 18 mile trackbed was in a fit state for use, with the national network seemingly out of reach 12 miles away at Bishop Auckland.

And yet, in around a year they have cleared (including replacing a substantial section of track which had been stolen) and reopened the full 18 miles of track, achieved a reconnection to the national network and are in negotiations to start coal flows to/from power stations in the midlands. The first train from Kings Cross to Stanhope (the current terminus of the line, but they're now looking at extending westward too) runs next month.

I wouldn't have put money on them doing all that a year or two ago, but they did it anyway...