Places - Lost in Time: The Somerset and Dorset Railway
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- čas přidán 17. 11. 2023
- Hello, and welcome back to Places - Lost in Time, a series that looks back on the tale of places and locations that have existing within living memory or photographic record, but are now lost to the pages of history.
This time, we look to the rolling hills of Somerset and Dorset, where for nearly 100 years, the eponymous joint railway provided an important route between the Midlands and the south coast, as well as connecting together the perpendicular mainlines linking London and the southwest.
Sadly, the Somerset and Dorset only knew a few years of consistent profit, as following World War I, this predominantly rural route, that avoided nearly all of the major traffic generators of the region, fell quickly victim to the rise of road transport as a viable alternative to sluggish steam trains, and today only a few isolated reminders exist to signify the route of this much-loved railway.
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References:
- Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust (and their respective references)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references) - Auta a dopravní prostředky
I still remember when Mum told me that when she was a child and well before she emigrated to Australia her and her family rode on The Pines Express on the first leg of their trip to Ireland. Thank goodness Ivo Peters filmed the line otherwise we would have never been able to enjoy seeing the S&D on film.
I do think it’s funny how some completely useless lines remain as parliamentary services to this day, but some lines that were very important have disappeared completely due to Mr. Beeching.
Another great video. Thanks Ruairidh!
Not sure of any useless lines, unused stations yes, but not whole lines.
@@a1white My local Parliamentary line was a very important cross-country link when it was widened to four tracks ca.1890, but the next century saw the diminution of much of its traffic (esp. coal) and the diversion of its passenger movements to a more roundabout route. What's left, mostly single track, is still required for freight work. There are a few stations on the line and it's unlikely that they'd attract any local passengers (there's nowhere to park). The only (unlikely) chance of a formal reopening to passengers would come from the 'pro-active' establishment of a funded service by the local metropolitan transport authority.
Mr Beeching didn’t close anything - government ministers did, in this case the a Labour government that had promised to halt closures.
@@Bungle-UKDr Richard Beeching was appointed chairman of the British Railways Board by Conservative Minister of Transport Ernest Marples who had his fingers in many civil engineering companies ie: road builders.
He knew that no government minister would be stupid enough to announce such wholesale closures so he got Beeching to do the dirty work for him.
Marples made a fortune, one way or another, and ended up skipping the country to avoid the tax man. Beeching, however, was left the carry the can to this day.
@@damianharris2167 none of which explains the closures. Beeching couldn’t and didn’t authorise any closures, they had to be signed off by ministers. The overwhelming majority of closures happened under the following Wilson Labour government, well after the departure of Beeching and Marples. Labour campaigned on a platform of stopping the closures, the exact opposite once elected. The real villains here are Wilson and Barbra Castle.
Best channel on CZcams. No begging for likes or subscribers as you earn those through thoroughly entertaining videos. 👍
Great stuff, but a basic map would have been nice to help us understand where the branches and connections were. Thanks.
Follow the terrible road network east and west out of Dorset as you struggle to go north. Then pass through Blandford and wonder, why is there no train line here. Imagining how a transport infrastructure might look.
Agreed, a map would’ve been nice.
Of all the Beeching cuts, this one hurts the most having grown up in Somerset. My grandad talked all about the stations in Glastonbury and Wells last time I visited. If it still existed it would be very well used
Along with the Waverley route
beeching cut nothing, 99% of closures were the labour party
@@bobtudbury8505 acting on recommendations in the Beeching report
@@andrewganley9016 For me it's the Friargate line between Derby and Nottingham but at least I can watch the four minutes RJ Willis filmed
This is a sadly missed railway. It would have been useful to mention the restoration of some of the trackbed at Midsomer Norton and Shillingstone as well as the narrow gauge railway that runs near Templecombe. The significance of the last scene is the unique class 7F built specifically for the S&D of which two have survived.
So much entrepreneural endeavour lost due to a range of factors in an arera vulnerable to loss of trade
in both passenger and industry traffic. The loss of the latter to the roads is particularly regrettable.
I recall Bath Green Park station when I lived near the city as a boy in the 1950s. Some very useful
information and some memorable images here reminds us of just what was lost. Thank you.
The Bath to Templecombe section was the first route I've driven in DTG's Train Simulator when it was called Rail Simulator. I decided to have a late night session playing on the complete route for the first time in perhaps almost a year, thinking about the negative impact the line's removal had on the towns and cities it served as I neared the end. Needless to say I was happy and a bit surprised to see this on my homepage!
Haha haha, yes, I have that route in train SIM as well. Always enjoy it, it would be good to see it extended southwards
i do hope this line will be remade in the future... the current one is very outdated, unchanged since 2007. it does make me wonder if early diesels ran on it...
The line probably closed for the same reason as the Withered Arm my friends story goes that his father was a Porter at Holsworthy in North Devon. They had a lot of passenger traffic on Saturdays and Sundays all year holiday makers, also commuters in the morning and evening. So Beechings men deliberately came to do their survey on numbers Midday Tuesday, line closed buses lastest for a few years now most villages are isolated. Another reason for S&D closure was some trains required up to 3 locos and a total of 18 crew members (remember a steam Loco required 3 shifts a day to keep it working plus overtime) they cured this with the 9Fs, but even then surly they new Diesels were coming and a Warship yet alone a Western or Brush 4 could have done the job!
Lovely film of S&D, how wonderful it was for the traveller to see the countryside without all the trackside trees and vegetation.
Wonderful film footage and information on the early years of this railway, can you imagine if the Bath to Bournemouth route had survived long enough to become an escape from today's grid locked roads.........Beeching and Marples road dream has turned into a night mare.
To add to the "What is left". You now have 2 heritage lines running. One is the Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust at Midsomer Norton & the North Dorset Railway Trust based at Shillingstone Station. There is also the Gartell Light Railway that runs a narrow gauge line, that utilises part of ther S&D route as well.
I live just outside Blandford and although it closed over a decade before I was born, I still feel it was a shortsighted decision. Thanks for the interesting look at what would’ve been my local railway!
Everyone favourite lost railway. ❤
Barbara Castle closed the S&D in 1966.
Actually it was Tom Fraser who authorised the closure of the S&D being, as he was, the Minister of Transport from 16 October 1964 until 23 December 1965 at which time he was replaced by Barbara Castle. Altogether he signed off over 1,000 miles of rail closures and it was he who also introduced the 70 mph speed limit on motorways in December 1965, initially as an emergency measure.
It's funny to hear about the extension and subsequent closing of the line from Highbridge to Burnham as they're barely a mile apart!
As I'm sure you appreciate, it was all about toes in the sand. Not possible at Highbridge but come the laying of track to the seaside ~ in fact down a jetty and beyond the river Severn/Bristol channel high tide mark at its fullest extent ~ there was the possibility of holiday specials.
Build it and they will come.
And so they did.
I wonder how long it took for the Slow and Dirty to recoup its investment.
The death of the rail industry everywhere breaks my heart.
From the Wikipedia article about the Radstock accident, in the Aftermath section (with a small addition for clarity I added in square brackets): "Although the [telegraph] clerk at Wellow, Arthur Hillard, might normally have been expected to be blamed, it was obviously unjust to place the entire responsibility on a fifteen-year-old youth who was doing the job of several senior staff, in an environment of such corporate misconduct." Can you just imagine how he must've felt when he found out about the crash? Trying his best to juggle that ridiculous workload, and while he could hardly be held responsible for it, still playing a role in the disaster?
Well said
Lovely portrayal of a fine railway section
Excellent video. One point to be made. After closure of the S&D, the spur at Radstock North was to the Bristol and North Somerset railway which then went onto Froome and not to the GWR main line as stated. The B&NS was single line throughout.. I have very fond memories of the S&D, travelling as a child several times from Manchester to Bournemouth on the Pines Express to holiday in Bournemouth. Since I lived in North Manchester at that time, the scenery over the Mendips and through the Stour valley was breathtaking, even at that age. I have never forgotten those journeys. However, we need to remember that even in 1962 when the expresses were discontinued, car ownership in this country was only a small fraction of what it is today and so I doubt if the car was even in part responsible for the line's demise. That was the Western Region. The Pines was always full.
Some fabulous old footage of the S & D on this video.
Wonderful footage and it's obvious that Beeching wasn't the first to make drastic cuts ! However , if the tracks had been kept l'm sure it would have been beneficial to do so .....hindsight is a wonderful thing !!! And as wonderful and nostalgic as it is to see all the steam trains , you can begin to appreciate how expensive and labour intensive it was to maintain these magnificent workhorses ! Thankyou
Excellent production. Well done, that man.
Another brilliant documentary and a subject very close to my family and me, being brought up in Glastonbury. I agree with another comment that a map would have given a perspective of the railway route. Closing the line very much isolated many communities. The only scheduled single bus route in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s was the Badgerline 376 Bus to Bristol. All other were just local and change at Wells bus station (now closed). The big assumption to the Tories, that everyone could afford a car, well that was wrong. Today, to get to Bristol you have to use the A39 and the A37 roads, all of which have not or never been upgraded, it is still the same as it was in 1975 when I first went on the 376 bus. Now, average speeds on routes at peak times are less than 18mph. Plus the quarry lorries on the A37 and all heavy freight have to go on these roads with no alternative, blighting many communities. I really wish we could re-instate parts of the S&D Railway, I know that will never happen, but at least we can dream of happier times when we had the S&D railway.
That name,the Pines Express, endured into about the mid 1990's and was a service of the Cross Country TOC going from Bournemouth to Manchester sometimes in summer starting in Weymouth.I have a feeling it was class 47 hauled rather than a HST therefore it probably had an 86,87 or 90 put on it at Birmingham.When Sir John Major dished out Cross Country to his sidekick, Sir Richard Branson, the name was dropped and I expect Sir Richard probably called it something like the Dame Melinda Messenger or such like!
In the 1950s the weekday Pines Express used Manchester Mayfield station, adjacent to Piccadilly (then known as London Road Station).
Fun Fact:
Eric Spear was inspired to write the theme tune to 'Coronation Street' by a visit to the Somerset and Dorset Railway, apparently the brass section on that track was influenced by the steam whistles he heard.
Thank you for sharing yet another fine video - maps of the route would have been a welcome addition - nonetheless, still a masterpiece. 🤩
The S & D like so many other closed routes should have been mothballed - a nice-to-have option - simply to preserve the corridor for future generations‘ needs. Life has changed a lot since the 1960s.
The reason they didn't mothball the corridor is as old as time - £££, sold off so a few now long dead individuals could enrich themselves with money they didn't need. That was probably a motivating factor.
Excellent documentary as always, thank you.
Fascinating, many thanks.
Nice video! The line had a complex and interesting history, not easy to condense into a short piece like this but you've done a great job 👍
Great history video but can I make a suggestion, it would have been so much better if you included maps showing locations as you explained the regional expansion and towns.🤔
Superb video, great to see all the mixed freight and mixed coaches in one train.
Great video. I often used to confuse parts of the S&DJR with parts of The East Somerset Railway (The Strawberry Line) when I lived in Wells (which once had three railway stations!)
Great video as ever!
This would have been my local railway, as i grew up in Wincanton, which had a Cow & Gate factory which recieved milk by rail originally. There are two sections of the line presereved as well as Green Park station. Midsomer Norton station in Somerset and Shillingstone station in Dorset have been preserved. Also a small section of the aproach to Bournemouth West survived as part of the Bournemouth train care depot.
Is there any footage of the Midland and South Western Junction railway? This line had a lot of interest and character.
Fine video. Thank you!
Never forgave the Western Region of BR shutting the S&D. What a tourist line it would be today, so short sighted.
Excellent video.
Great video mate!
Linear park (Bath) to Wellow through the relatively recently re-opened "two tunnels" remains of this. You can walk or cycle there should you want to.
Great video!
I infrequently used the line from Radstock to Bath Green Park when attending high school - 1954 - 1960. Also used the Great Western Line from Radstock to Bristol Temple Meads for shopping or en route to Weston-Super Mare.
An interesting video but that would have been greatly enhanced by interspersing route maps between the stills (found on Wiki) and a mention of the broad/standard gauge complexities..
My grandad lived in Blandford Forum and used to talk about his days trains spotting on the S&DJR
I was surprised that you didn’t mention that the GWR/GWRegion wanted their hands on the S&DJR so that they could it down.
They bit by bit, killed it cut after cut until it wasn’t a viable railway, and that they’d wanted for a very long time.
Also, there are a variety of heritage centres open today who are trying to open parts of the line for tourists to visit, some with short lengths of line and other, just a station museum.
superb vid
I remember Bath Green Park Station from when my brother was at Uni down there. We walked Linear Park once, which I believe was a part of this railway back in the day.
Good summary, thank you! Approaches to Bournemouth West live on as a traction depot \m/
To its supporters: Serene and Delightful.
To its detractors: Slow & Dirty. By
Its fate: Sabotaged and Defeated.
Its fate was sealed with the rise of road transport & the view that money spent on roads was investment whilst money spent on railways was subsidy.
I will always say that its closure was a crime, especially this one.
Midsomer Norton station has been beautifully restored and about a mile of track to the South of it relaid with regular steam services.
A small section of the line has been reopened from Midsomer Norton South and is being extended.
Great footage, but could do with some maps!
Excellent video. How about one on the Woodhead Route please?
It's been said that the closure of the Woodhead route started with its transfer from the B.R. Eastern Region to the London Midland Region in 1958.
YESSSSS
Another excellent documentary. Could you produce one about the Woodhead line please??
Lovely video. Very interesting and well researched
What a great diversionary route this classic line would have been maybe even a preserved line
Historic movie film.
So now the worst Traffic on the South Coast is around Poole,Wimborne,Bournemouth.So now it’s suburbs are now all connected into one suburb from Wimborne to Poole.
It’s right now that a rail service is needed in that area because of this Traffic Problem because of migration into the area,the largest in the UK for 50yrs,
Terrible tunnel vision that has just created another traffic problem and because of that a car pollution health problem.
Another great tale from you, though this one as an enthusiast I knew very very well...
A question, if I may - the last few videos from yourself have sounded somewhat poorer in narration sound quality. Have you changed your microphone recently?
A lot of these secondary routes as the Somerset and Dorset, would still be useful today if the main line has problems,really cars took over and the general public,did not use the railway ,a shame as now the roads are congested and many potholes and still town's which were on this line ,could use freight trains !
Perhaps it’s time for the Government to start reopening railway lines and to bring back the railways that once shaped the UK’s industry and economy. Especially this former railway line in Somerset and Dorset.
Odd that we now struggle with Cars Climate Charge and now people commuting further to work and finding roads look longingly over hedge at empty trackbed like commuters into Bristol who's Councils are actively looking at new options for commuting possibly Trams Or Light rail or guided etc.
John Betjeman proved right we bevsorry when se good by to the lorry..
My favorite British railway. Oh, and this is from an American.
I know the S&D, nicknamed Slow & Dirty
Or, Swift & Delightful, of which only the latter was true.
My late uncle, who lived at Midsomer Norton in a house backing onto the line, used to call it the Smoky & Dirty.
Quite a lot of Somerset but fewer Dorset mentions - what about the well preserved Shillingstone station for example?
@Ruairidh MacVeigh lovley vid only thing is someone not from england but realy interested in its history without maps to show the places that are mentioned its very hard to really understand and properly get how the and railways were formed along the towns etc just a small thing but i feel causes a big issue watching it
Benching carries the can but others were just as much to blame. Tory transport minister Ernest Marples drew up the parameters with saving money the only criteria. Yet it was Wilson’s Labour government that swept away most of the lines under Barbara Castle and, to an extent, Tony Benn. Scores, if not hundreds, of appeals were summarily dismissed..
Great video but needs a map!
Such a shame they didn't preserve the track bed
Do you actually think that this former railway line could soon reopen. So sad that most of our railway lines had to close due to costs of maintaining the railway lines and railway stations across the UK. But at least we still got railway lines that still exist today especially the ECML, WCML, GWML, Midland Main Line and others.
In 1948, on the same day as BR was formed, the road haulage companies were also nationalised to form British Road Services (not fully completed u til the early 1950s). This means that there were no private road hauliers to compete with BR for freight except for short distance services. The railways had to compete with the small independents and BRS for freight as the integration of freight services was not included in the Transport Act 1947.
Excellent but you didn’t mention ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’ 😀
Very sad ! It wasn't called British Rail by some whim , it was all paid for by Britons am I correct ? During a later Tory gov P.M stated "We have to change this , it has debts of one million pounds " After the withdrawal of most steam , then Maggie decided to privatise the system saying I clearly promise that fares will only rise in parallel with the cost of living,& WE have decided to sack those lazy smoking tea drinking porters at this Kings Cross Station. On BBC you should have seen her face & the Boos when several porters trolleys came down the platform loaded with luggage . I don't think mum could afford a tip , but a porter loaded my sister & I , plus suitcases at Paddington to board the King hauled Cornish Riviera Express. We were tired from Tollesbury by Osborne bus then steam to Liverpool Street from Whitham , crowded bus to Paddington .I was just 8 then & still have my cousins gift ,, to read again "Tom Sawyer "
A 79 year old Essex boy in Spain now with my famous ,being a lefthander a 76 year memory bank .Good to see donations for new Locos , Clean Steam will rule again , we gave it & many inventions to the world !
Bourrnemouth to Bath is one of the worst car journeys to make. They should never have closed that line. It would be very popular today.
Beechy boi ruined the network and now we are struggling to reopen lines.
Gud vid™️
Criminal closure
The more I hear about how things were going at the time the more I understand why the Beeching closures took place. It wasn’t really Beeching’s fault at all
Too many rail fans blame Beeching for closures when he didn’t close anything, government ministers did. In this case, the Wilson Labour government signed off the closure despite having campaigned during the election to halt closures.
Many lines just carried coal
Dr Beeching 🤦♂
Should be reopened :(
99% of lines closed inc this was the labour party never beeching, carful who you vote for very soon, liebour does not have your back
(a) Dr Beeching may or may not have recommended its closure, but it was closed by "your bloody Harol' Wilson". (b) the number of Manchester businessmen wanting to take their secretaries for a naughty weekend in Bournemouth had declined precipitously since WW2 (d) who on earth wants to go to Bournemouth as slowly as that? (e) who on earth wants to go to Bournemouth anyway?
Closing this line meant that going to Teignmouth in Devon fron Bournemouth required going up to Reading which was a waste of time and money unless you wanted to walk between two Dorchester stations usually in the rain and changing again at Exeter.