new S&DJR

[YorkshireBear]

just picked up a leaflet for this group who are aiming to restore the line.

few questions if anyone knows, is it feasible?

And the light railway that uses the trackbed, what will happen to it?

cheers in advance

 

[trains2064]

A think with a blank cheque anything is possible.

The SDJR will never die. Hopefully something big enough will be rebuilt say Radstock to Evercreech junction that will be big enough for WC pacifics and 9f's to pull 6 or 8 MK1's.

 

[AndyJB]

A think with a blank cheque anything is possible.

The SDJR will never die. Hopefully something big enough will be rebuilt say Radstock to Evercreech junction that will be big enough for WC pacifics and 9f's to pull 6 or 8 MK1's.

Pretty much impossible to restore the whole line.

Numerous bridges gone, housing/industrial estates on many parts of the former trackbed, supermarkets where stations once stood, cycle paths across parts of the old formation....

Certainly possible to restore select sections of it (as some groups are doing), but the whole line? Not possible.

 

[Chris125]

There has been much discussion of the 'New S&D' on other forums and no, its not going to happen.

To be blunt, the idea that 'Peak Oil' will result in a future government spending perhaps a billion pounds on rebuilding a relatively sleepy cross-country railway is nonsense. If fuels prices rose fast enough to spell the end of private car use without an affordable electric/hydrogen alternative, and rebuilding the S&D was more cost effective than a bus service (however it was fuelled), im afraid rebuilding rural railways would not be a huge priority - the economy would be in meltdown.

..however, even if there was a huge scheme of rebuilding lines the S&D is never going to be very high on the list of reopenings. Its just too expensive for the likely amount of traffic on offer.

Chris

 

[E&W Lucas]

http://somersetanddorset.blogspot.com/

It's basically a one man fantasy exercise. If you look at the RH side of the linked page, you'll see how half baked it is. Volunteers working without insurance (makes you wonder if they've gt public liability cover either), and where's the evidence of proper training, risk assessments, etc. Stuff that anyone that's had any sort of real world workplace responsibility knows that you need to have in place.

What's achievable on the S&D is demonstrated by the groups at Midsommer Norton and Shillingstone. If you're thinking of helping or donating, I'd suggest that you consider either or both of those two first, as they are living in the real world.

http://www.sdjr.co.uk/pages/general.html

or

http://www.shillingstone-station-project.co.uk/Latest News.htm

 

[Domeyhead]

The problem with this and similar schemes is that even if it was feasible and possible to reconstruct the S&D (and I agree with all the above scepticism in spades) you would not get the line that we know and love. Of course we love watching Ivo Peters' films of pick-up goods ambling into country stations, idle porters chatting to waiting passengers and signalmen attending to flowerbeds between trains, but that has all gone never to return. Had the S&D survived or if in some weird parallel universe it was reinstated what you would get would be a sterile single track railway with passing places controlled from a signalling centre miles away, and anonymous sprinter trains running a clockface timetable between unmanned platforms with bus shelter accomodation and no more. There would be no expresses, no local freight, no staff, no sidings, no signalboxes, in short, nothing that made the S&D the stuff of our nostalgic dreams. It would in fact be identical to the existing Weymouth -Westbury line. Preservation and heritage restoration would be limited to a few station buildings at best, and operations would be massively restricted by the commercial considerations (ok, there is no commercial consideration but bear with me).
All this dewy eyed sentiment and half baked idealistic rubbish about reinstating the S&D would in reality create a clone of every other community rail partnership line, not the line of the fifties. Even if there was a business case, would you really be getting what you actually want?

 

[Kinghambranch]

My views on this have already been aired so I won't bore people who have clearer crystal balls than I by repeating them. However, I agree that there are 3 S&D projects on parts of the original S&D that are based on firm, currently realistic aims, namely the narrow gauge Gartell Railway, the Shillingstone Station restoration project and the Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust at Midsomer Norton. The latter has recently started public services in the form of brake van rides over a short stretch of the original S&D. I am a member and supporter of the S&D Heritage Trust and it has done a great job thus far in recreating a very good restoration of Midsomer Norton in the 1950s. A number of heritage railways run popular S&D events but at MN it can be done "for real", albeit by a small diesel loco pulling a couple of brake vans. However, many heritage lines started that way. The S&D is also being opened up by the opening of coombe down and devonshire tunnels, albeit for cyclists and walkers but much better than being blocked and neglected. History tells us that the S&D extension of the 19th Century led to its undoing but its adoption by the Midland and the LSWR was to be its saviour, at least until the 1960s. Regardless of the future, the S&D (or at least some bits of it) is coming back to life and Midsomer Norton and Shillingstone are good examples of this. Will the whole line reappear? Well many would like it to!

 

[Domeyhead]

Kinghambranch I know we locked swords on this topic previously so I agree there's nothing to be gained by falling out again. However one thing that genuinely interests me in your answer is if there was a radical change of policy and the government agreed to fund the reconstruction of the whole S&D using as much of the route as possible but as a modern low cost railway as described (unmanned bus shelter stations, colour signals, DMUs etc etc) would you still support it if it meant sweeping away most of the heritage infrastructure in favour of modernity? I'm guessing you will argue that they can live together side by side but let's assume the line is to be operated by a TOC with no interest in preservation. Would you be in favour?

 

[Kinghambranch]

Well now, that is a $60,000 question, if only that it depends so much on the what if scenario!

Rather like this one:

What if the new Defence Technical College at MOD St Athan, a £13.5 Billion 30-year PFI which started its pre-contract work a few years ago was cancelled? Well it has been, today! (Not having a contract signed helped I'm sure.) I get to stay where I am!

If the whole of the old S&D from Bath to Bournemouth was reinstated (and it would be very unlikely to use the entire original route) then it would have to be reinstated to serve the public desire to transport goods and passengers as its S&D namesake did before it. At the moment we have the luxury of recreating past railways on a small scale and we do it pretty well. However, I do believe that you cannot and should not recreate the past entirely. Your assumptions are somewhat restrictive and possible a little unrealistic (but one could argue that about the whole scenario question you have asked me about!) but my answer would be yes. IF the S&D was to be reopened as a through route from an historically significant town to a very popular seaside resort then it would have to make money and form part of a national rail network. Although people can quite rightly "have a go" at "wild" ideas, the fact that a number of people in Blandford and other places along the route are asking questions about reconnection with the National Network says something. Interesting times ahead but they are some way ahead. Today it was Defence's turn to get a "Shoeing" and tomorrow it's the rest of you. Keep smiling and think of the S&D.

 

[AndyJB]

To repeat a post that I posted in another thread here pertaining to the same subject:
I, personally, think that opening the S&D being reopened throughout is unrealistic due to much of the formation having been lost to housing/industrial estates, roads, bypasses, and the removal of numerous bridges/viaducts. Certainly, the Bath end has lost Green Park Station to Sainsburys, the Midland Bridge was demolished, Dartmouth Avenue bridge demolished and Monksdale Road bridge demolished.
Some interesting pictures of some of the area in the gallery at this link: http://www.twotunnels.org.uk
Furthermore, as per the link/website, the former trackbed through Bath to the Devonshire and Combe Down tunnels is to be converted into a cycle path.

Saying that, it would be fantastic if they could somehow link the parts of the line that have or are being reopened.

Although, as mentioned, the Avon Valley Railway could potentially find it's way back to the outskirts of Bath eventually. In fact, it's probably fair to say that the potential for reopening sections of the old Midland Bath - Mangotsfield route is considerably greater, since the trackbed is largely unaltered (save the fact it's a cycleway) and most of the stations are intact. Though it may be wishful thinking, I love the idea of seeing Mangotsfield with a train in one of it's platforms again!