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!

Monday, October 03, 2011

swiss style east anglia



This is great - if very short! Classic film of the amazing Wisbech and Upwell Tramway, a rural diesel worked freight tramway in East Anglia that survived until 1966 and wasn't lifted until 1970. How did this one escape the preservationists?

This may of course well become the model for future light railways serving smaller towns and villages (though steam or electrically driven of course), and as the roads empty the 'conflict' that the road dinosaurs used to bring up will quickly vanish. The rural tram will soon become a very familiar sight throughout the UK.

1 comment:

Brian said...

Presumably buying the advertised DVD disc gets more roadside tramway footage but would have to chase that down at the address shown if any more info eg running time (too distracted by lush new photos of Copenacre RN depot tour that you cant see,just up on DP).

This looks like is done annoying/lazy way just copying cruddy obsolete VHS onto digital rather than properly going back to source cine film and getting a crisp digital copy. If thats so then personally I wont be rewarding this by purchasing a copy. However I would do, "at twice the price", if its the properjob as subject well deserves.

What an old grouch you likely say, well maybe so.....