New Somerset and Dorset Railway

[Buffer68]

The aim of the New Somerset and Dorset Railway is to rebuild the railway from Bath to Bournemouth West and also to include the route to Glastonbury and Wells. Purchase and restoration of Midford station is a big priority but lobbying, land purchase and track re-laying when and where possible. Other parts of the old S&D are well on the way to being restored, such as Midsommer Norton which I visited a few weeks ago and was well impressed. Also, coming towards Bournemouth, we have Shillingstone - the station building is fully operational and track relaying is currently in progress; in a few weeks time, it is hoped that a Ruston diesel will be the first loco to run in over forty years.
The hope of the New S&D is to join these vital parts and add other restored infrastructure. Obviously in places things will be tricky. For example what was Bournemouth West is now a car park and a new housing development in Sturminster Newton will obliterate any re-usage here. However with the planned regeneration of the railways even on Network Rail, surely the New S&D will one day provide a vital transportation link once more.
For more info, go to; http://somersetanddorset.blogspot.com/ here there is lots of updates and links to other involved sites etc. This is a vast project that needs lots of support so do have a look. I will post more news next week after attending the inaugural meeting.

 

[rogACE]

best of luck,

more railways need to re-instated to get rural folks especially out of their cars where possible and for tourism as well.

i have just spent 2 weeks on the Minehead line with Tornado (ok, we had a celebrity with us lol) but the line was mobbed.
they have a 4-500 team of volunteers and the 20 mile line is amazing.

for the S and D to be restored partially or maybe in full could be terrific.

whilst we are in the EU (for now) grab some money off them, stop building roads, stop adding third runways, and start getting a few railways going again.

slightly off-topic but a bit relevant over transport spending....
i have just watched the BBC news with some road safety campaigner whining about un-safe 'A' roads, and we should spend millions on upgrading them with 'safety' extras....
umm, well why dont you just slow down and maybe think before you overtake then you wont get killed (or kill someone else) derrr:roll:

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Will this be a preserved line? 25mph to Bournemouth will take a while, unless it will be like GCR with special permitted speeds?

Bath may be a problem of its own, the Green Park site is now a Sainsbury's and possibly the only station you could build is outside of Bath.

Not meaning to burst your bubble, it is a great idea, obviously would be the new longest preservation line in the UK, but the speeds concern me, if it was to run from Bath right the way through...

 

[DJ_K666]

Will this be a preserved line? 25mph to Bournemouth will take a while, unless it will be like GCR with special permitted speeds?

Bath may be a problem of its own, the Green Park site is now a Sainsbury's and possibly the only station you could build is outside of Bath.

Not meaning to burst your bubble, it is a great idea, obviously would be the new longest preservation line in the UK, but the speeds concern me, if it was to run from Bath right the way through...

Surely the Transport & Works Act order would make provision for this. If CDL fitted stock was used then the speed could be anything up to 50-60 mph.
I`m fairly sure the Light railways order has been superseded now.

 

[Buffer68]

In opening the line from Bath to Bournemouth, the aim is to incorporate preservation groups but to have a proper main line with modern stock - however to restore/rebuild the stations to how they were so that stations are not just "bus shelters".

There is a lot to do and we don't pretend that it will all be done in five minutes - take one step at a time but we need as much support as possible ; the more support we have, the sooner we can once again provide communities with the public transport links that they deserve.

Our new website is: www.somersetanddorsetrailway.co.uk not finished yet but providing lots of info and updates.

 

[DJ_K666]

Surely the line could reopen with platforms plus temporary structures like portacabins. That would get the revenue in, and when funds permit they could rebuild the building and move the portacabin/bus shelter to the next station further down the line. Would a small station be provided east of West Pennard? This would bring in a lot of revenue at Festival time (Michael Eavis has said "That would have been handy for the festival" in an interview, when mentioning the S&D running across the site)

Also, weren't a lot of the platforms pre-cast concrete, Southern style? That would allow a site for mass producing them and make rebuilds cheaper. Some would have had brick or stone faces, again a brick production facility would be an idea. Did any stations have tarmac platform surfaces? Could these be artificially aged to make it look like they never went away? I know if you paint live bio-yogurt onto mortar it ages it, so does it do so with brick or tarmac?

 

[6024]

Theres a few places round my way that could be a problem
Stur Station is a supermarket
Templecombe ain't too bad
Stalbridge is a factory
Hensridge is a housing estate

 

[Wyvern]

I have a soft spot for Green Park. Each weekend for a number of months I would catch the "Pines" from there to Gloucester Eastgate where I would change to the Devonian.

 

[Stuart Galbraith]

I have a soft spot for Green Park. Each weekend for a number of months I would catch the "Pines" from there to Gloucester Eastgate where I would change to the Devonian.

It was a great shame they shut that line. They would probably solve half of Baths transport problems at a stroke if they reopened the section to Westerleigh junction. Instead they want to open a bus route.:roll:

Re S and D, they are going to have to use a different route in a number of places, not least Blandford Forum which has pretty much consumed the old line in new buildings. Looking at the blog, they do seem in favour of a new line though so doubtless they will be able to resolve it. As for stations, I go with GWR pagodas. Relatively cheap and they look rather better than the horrid platform buildings as at most unmanned stations.

Good luck to them. Its not going to be easy, but at least its a different approach than yet another bypass.

 

[Zoe]

Will this be a preserved line? 25mph to Bournemouth will take a while, unless it will be like GCR with special permitted speeds?

As far as I know there are no heritage railways are permitted to run above 25 mph in passenger service. I know the GCR do run trains at faster speeds but these are not in passenger service, for example Mail by Rail.

 

[E&W Lucas]

As far as I know the no heritage railways are permitted to run above 25 mph in passenger service. I know the GCR do run trains at faster speeds but these are not in passenger service, for example Mail by Rail.

Spot on.

I wouldn't hold your breath on this scheme. It's been floating about on various forums for some time, and I'll be very surprised if it ever progresses beyond that.

There's already two groups restoring former stations. That shows what can realistically be achieved. If a great swathe of the route could be reopened, they would have done so by now.

 

[Domeyhead]

I'd be interested to know whether this new group have produced a route survey explicitly listing every blockage that would either have to be purchased and demolished (or avoided by a new land purchase), every property now in private ownership that may have to be re-purchased, and all structures that have to be replaced.
I'm sorry to pour cold water over a dream but if it has taken a highly professional Skipton-Colne reopening campaign over a decade for a distance of only around 10 miles and still not a single metre of route has yet been reinstated, how on earth does anyone seriously think that this silly pipedream is ever going to happen?
If you consider Network rail's costs for relaying line on unbroken routes they already own you are probably looking at £250million to repurchase, rebuild and relay the S&D without even going into Bournemouth West or Green Park.
This is not even aspirational - it's embarrassing.

 

[Greenback]

I don't think it;s going to happen. I'd like to be proven wrong, but I just can't se it. Perhaps Mr Beard could let us know of any recent progress?

 

[Christopher125]

If people are going to invest time, energy and ultimately money into a scheme it has to be realistic and to be blunt, this isnt. While Peak Oil and Climate Change are valid issues, they are never going to make rural routes like the S&D viable - the traffic on offer is never going to justify the vast expense of rebuilding and operating the line.

Chris

 

[Kinghambranch]

I joined the Somerset and Dorset Heritage Trust at Midsomer Norton a few years ago as I was impressed with the work they were doing, and continue to do, to recreate MSN station and its environment as it was when it was part of railway folklore (for want of a better expression). However, the New Somerset and Dorest Railway Group goes further than this and is linking together a number of separate organisations, including Gartell Light Railway and Shillingstone amongst others, to push for a concerted effort to reopen the whole line or as much of it as possible. They are about to purchase the old Midford station site and are gathering support along the whole length of the old S&D. It seems that more and more people want their trains back - not for heritage alone but to travel from A to B. I first noted the new S&D and its plans a couple of years ago and snorted with derision at it. Well, I've stopped snorting now because its clear to me that, if enough people make enough fuss, and can get enough money together with a sound business case, then they will achieve what they want. ( A big "if" but its happening nevertheless) There is of course, much now in favour of reopening the S&D including the fact that the UK Government has clearly stopped investing in roads. The Oil industry has not invested sufficiently in refineries and there is no doubt in my mind that my grandchildren will be the ones snorting with derision at cars and lorries in museums - "did you really drive around and move your goods in those crappy dangerous, inefficient things?"

The only thing that's wrong with the whole issue is that we and our predecessors allowed BR to dismantle the S&D. The land should have been purchased as it came up for sale and protected. However, a place on the board of directors of hindsight is a wonderful thing!

A New Somerset and Dorset? Why not?

 

[Domeyhead]

Why not? Because you can't get into any population centres any more for a start. Bath has gone, Bournemouth has gone, Blandford has gone, Wimborne has gone, Evercreech Junction has gone, Glastonbury has gone, and I dare say all others where the line ran through the centre of somewhere significant. Have you done a route survey? What was its conclusion?
Everyone reading this thread dearly wishes that your penultimate statement was true including me, but nobody had your foresight back then. What you are left with might enable you to purchase a few miles here and there, but how do you intend to raise the capital to join them up with all those massively expensive diversions and civil engineering challenges?
I suggested £250m even without speculation and uncooperative councils and landowners.
It's massively difficult to extend anywhere. Consider the K&ESR - there is not one structure blocking the trackbed back from Bodiam to the national network at Robertsbridge (apart from a couple of missing bridges) and they already have an operating generating income, yet they were unable to keep expanding and now their place has been taken by another group who (dare I say it) have even less hope of joining up the two lines. Look at the GWR at Cheltenham, only 2 miles from a mainline connection with nothing but a missing overbridge yet they are having to look north instead. Look at the Bodmin and Wenford who should have got back to Wenford and were thwarted by one single Nimby campaigner! And you have 70 miles of continuous obstacles to overcome. If you have time, money and energy to spare you would be better helping one of the above railways achieve their "impossible" objectives - and you would have more chance of success too.

 

[TheExmoorBeast]

Do you have to be so utterly obnoxious?

There's no harm in dreaming or having ambitions, even if the chances of them coming to fruition are slim or remote. If everyone had the same attitude as yours no one would get anywhere.

 

[SWT Driver]

Why not? Because you can't get into any population centres any more for a start. Bath has gone, Bournemouth has gone, Blandford has gone, Wimborne has gone, Evercreech Junction has gone, Glastonbury has gone, and I dare say all others where the line ran through the centre of somewhere significant. Have you done a route survey? What was its conclusion?
Everyone reading this thread dearly wishes that your penultimate statement was true including me, but nobody had your foresight back then. What you are left with might enable you to purchase a few miles here and there, but how do you intend to raise the capital to join them up with all those massively expensive diversions and civil engineering challenges?
I suggested £250m even without speculation and uncooperative councils and landowners.
It's massively difficult to extend anywhere. Consider the K&ESR - there is not one structure blocking the trackbed back from Bodiam to the national network at Robertsbridge (apart from a couple of missing bridges) and they already have an operating generating income, yet they were unable to keep expanding and now their place has been taken by another group who (dare I say it) have even less hope of joining up the two lines. Look at the GWR at Cheltenham, only 2 miles from a mainline connection with nothing but a missing overbridge yet they are having to look north instead. Look at the Bodmin and Wenford who should have got back to Wenford and were thwarted by one single Nimby campaigner! And you have 70 miles of continuous obstacles to overcome. If you have time, money and energy to spare you would be better helping one of the above railways achieve their "impossible" objectives - and you would have more chance of success too.

Let's be blunt here. If the government wanted to put the S&D back it would do so, just by using CPO's to remove the necessary obstacles such as houses, offices etc. You can expect a considerable number CPO's to be used when they announce the route of HS2.

If they (the proposers of the scheme)have any sense then they might want to apply for funding from the EU, as it could be seen to be an enhancement to the rail network & afterall if the Welsh Highland Railway can get such money to restore a link then why can't they?

It would be superb & they could always charge XC,FL et al, for access if they were to successfully link it all up again.

As TheExmoorBeast has pointed out there's no harm in dreaming or having ambitions, even if the chances of them coming to fruition are slim or remote. So stop being a damned killjoy.

 

[Kinghambranch]

Well, whilst I agree that most of the original large stations on the S&D are gone or, in the case of Bath Green Park, used for something else, I believe that the plan for renewal of the S&D may include stations at new sites. The geography has changed since 1966 and many towns that have lived quite happily without a railway since then, such as Wincanton and Blandford, are now asking for their railway back.

I have done no route survey but some members of the new S&D have and they are only too well aware that the reintroduction of a railway such as this will need the support of everyone in positions of authority including national government, local government and businesses. Whilst planning and talking to people along the route they have found, for example at Blandford, that a significant number of people want the railway reinstated and new support groups are being formed as financial and planning issues are tackled; it was this last point, more than any other, that made me stop sniggering at this scheme.

You would not know this Domeyhead (or maybe you do as you may be a GWR shareholder as well) but I have been a shareholder, volunteer and supporter of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway since 1977 (even when it was only a society rather than a heritage railway) so I have been practising what I preach for most of my working life. The GWR had the foresight and bravery to buy 18 miles of trackbed from just south of Hunting Butts Tunnel near Cheltenham Race Course to just north of Broadway and that was considered a very risky thing to do at the time. We did not buy the land south of that and, as you say in your last post the GWR is only 2 miles from a main line connection and yet the good planners of Cheltenham allowed a non-railway bridge to replace a perfectly decent structure and now any reinstatement would be most costly as the trackbed has been nibbled away over the years. Going north to Honeybourne was always on the cards anyway and, with the imminent doubling of the Oxford-Worcester line, will make Honeybourne perhaps more like it was in the early 1960s again. I can't comment on the Bodmin and Wenford but people who say it cannot be done should not get in the way of the people who are doing it! I suppose I'm like a reformed smoker who savagely harangues all the "puffers" in the room because he's "seen the light" I probably am an irritant. However, since the S&D once carried people from the Midlands to the South Coast, there is a chance that it will do again but if it was easy, it would have been done by now of course.

 

[Ivo]

I don't actually think that Green Park would be as hard as you are all making out. The station building and platform space are still intact. Yes, there are markets around sometimes. But there is sufficient room around the building to accommodate them. But the Sainsbury's store itself is actually a separate entity to the rest of the station market. The only real problem is the Midland Bridge, but even then it would simply be a matter of converting it. If Sainsbury's new more car park space then they can build a bridge themselves! As for the route to the south, the route is still intact for the most part (at least, north of the tunnel anyway). The would be problems in crossing the A36, but I would have thought that a 400metre tunnel could negate that one (yes, I know, too costly). Otherwise though, I honestly believe that you could get right through to Bristol without too much effort, although I doubt that SusTrans would be best pleased.

 

[TheExmoorBeast]

There's going to be considerable difficulty in restoring the S&D in the Wincanton area.
The viaduct at Cole is missing (demolished) as is the bridge over the GWML, then you have the building on the alignment through Wincanton itself, the only possibility would be to go West of Wincanton where there's not much development before swinging round to rejoin the old alignment further on.

Then there's the much bigger problem of the main A303(T) dual carriageway to the South of Wincanton which sliced through the old alignment & would require a substantial bridge or viaduct to be built.

These are major obstacles, however they're not insurmountable.

 

[E&W Lucas]

Any re opening of the S&D would have to be a government (in whatever guise) funded project. To be of any practical use, it would have to be to "heavy rail" spec, not a 25 mph light railway.

I think there's some confusion as to what this project is about. If it's a serious attempt to lobby for the reopening of the railway,why has it been lumped in with heritage & preservation schemes? As a privately funded heritage line, it's a non starter. As a redesigned, re routed, reopened, publicly funded mainline, then maybe, just maybe. But as we all know, competition for funding is going to become ever more intense.

 

[Domeyhead]

There's no harm in dreaming or having ambitions, even if the chances of them coming to fruition are slim or remote. If everyone had the same attitude as yours no one would get anywhere.[/QUOTE]

Do I have to be so utterly obnoxious? Well yes I do, apparently, if only to hold up a mirror to the ultimate vacuity of idle dreams. Do you want this forum to be of the standard where real problems and real opportunities are discussed in the light of probability of success, or would you prefer to keep it at the level of virtual computer games plying across fantasy versions of reality? SWT Driver clearly would, but I suspect the majority here would prefer this board to be considered as a forum for mature sentient adults discussing realpolitik. if this is a card game where the winner gets to rebuild a railway the price to sit at the table is £250m. If you don;t have it, don't bother to sit down.
Of course the EU aren't just going to shelve out money for a new S&D - they aren't mad! We all loved the S&D, not least because of the work of a one sentimental man who enriched our lives - Ivo Peters, but it would be a sentimental fool who would ever have made a case for rebuilding it as any kind of strategic route - and before you start talking of "strategic diversions" let me stop you right there. If you want to enter the real world of Treasury funding I'd be more than happy to enter with you and we can talk about where investment in reality could or just might be allocated - but if you want to play virtual trainsets then just ask SWT how you go about getting £250m from the EU for a route from Bath to Bournemouth, at the expense of joining any two other points on england's former railmap - Oxford to Cambridge, Sheffield to Manchester via Woodhead, Leicester to Burton....... Colne to Skipton, Uckfield to Lewes..... Go ahead then SWT, the floor is yours, but if you want to take the serious route, then show us the money.

 

[Ivo]

[Enters Beeching Mode]

I guess that one problem with the S&D is that it is just too similar to the Heart of Wessex Line. It provides a link from Bath in the north to the Dorset coast in the south. Such a route already exists and is thus unnecessary.

[Exits Beeching Mode]

I would love to see the line rebuilt. I really would. But it's just too unrealistic. If the line opened overnight and started at 07:00 on the 8th of March 2010 we would do well to recover that £250m before the turn of the century. And most (if not all) of us will be dead by then. It is probably best to just extend the line out from Bournemouth to Wimborne and hand control over to SWT for a main-line service, probably an additional Waterloo stopper, and then concentrate on a heritage operation in Midsomer Norton (where to, know I not), which I would gladly help with. Then I would say leave everywhere else, at least for now, and maybe petition the re-opening of the Avon Valley Line between Bath and Bristol.

 

[Kinghambranch]

OK, well I see that my comments have done exactly what the new Somerset and Dorset Group has always intended by its stance - "there is only one thing worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about." However, this subject is not intended to be a polemic. I think its time to refer readers to the New Somerset and Dorset Website for an update as it may tell you more on what you want to know - even if it convinces the negatives even more. I will remind you that, until very recently, I was one of the negatives on the big reopening scheme but I can still see the reasons against even though they diminish by the day. The Midsomer Norton Group is, of course, looking to recreate the S&D image as it was in the 1950s and so is the Shillingstone project. The NEW S&D is an umbrella organisation which has much more ambitious (and some might say far too ambitious) plans but I'll attach a link to both sites and then try and update you as and when I find out more. There is far more detail on both sites and I won't attempt to regurgitate it by typing. Some of the information will confirm what readers think and some will serve to fuel doubt and incredulity further, that's up to you.

http://www.somersetanddorsetrailway.co.uk/

http://www.sdjr.co.uk/

"Do I have to be so utterly obnoxious? Well yes I do, apparently, if only to hold up a mirror to the ultimate vacuity of idle dreams." I disagree with you 100% on this Domeyhead, the groups involved with the S&D are far from idle and it is way past being a game, read the information on the websites above.

As a footnote, why is it that, although demand for petrol and diesel has dropped over this recession, the price is still rising slowly but inexorably and why is it that Ford has just joined the group of manufacturers to produce electric cars and vans? There will be a tipping point as there is in everything but of course we probably won't be alive to see it and we probably won't be alive when the new S&D opens throughout, but my grandchildren will still snigger at internal combustion cars and lorries in museums.

 

[Bill EWS]

I used to think that the old Waverley Route would never get reopened again, yet we have the news of the first cutting of the Sod, for the rebuild. The only thing that stops line reopnening is the political will and it takes the 'dreams' of an individual or a group to start things rolling. Sure the S&D reopening is a big project, but then so is the Borders reopening. If left to people like kinghambranch, none would ever happen.

Hopefully one this section of the line is up and running the powers that be in and around Carlisle will also consider rebuilding that end of the route and we shall really see the complete Waverley line back in existance once again.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7546103.stm

I worked over the Oxford-Worcester line back in the 60's when most of the old branches were still clearly defined, with some shunt sections still open, such as the Kingham triangle. Perhaps too some of those old lines may reopen one day, so perhaps Kinghambranch should consider changing his username as he obvioulsy doesn't feel he will ever be part of any such scheme.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7546103.stm

 

[Kinghambranch]

I used to think that the old Waverley Route would never get reopened again, yet we have the news of the first cutting of the Sod, for the rebuild. The only thing that stops line reopnening is the political will and it takes the 'dreams' of an individual or a group to start things rolling. Sure the S&D reopening is a big project, but then so is the Borders reopening. If left to people like kinghambranch, none would ever happen.

Hopefully one this section of the line is up and running the powers that be in and around Carlisle will also consider rebuilding that end of the route and we shall really see the complete Waverley line back in existance once again.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7546103.stm

I worked over the Oxford-Worcester line back in the 60's when most of the old branches were still clearly defined, with some shunt sections still open, such as the Kingham triangle. Perhaps too some of those old lines may reopen one day, so perhaps Kinghambranch should consider changing his username as he obvioulsy doesn't feel he will ever be part of any such scheme.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7546103.stm

I'm really puzzled by your comments. Perhaps I'm missing intended humour or irony but why should I consider changing my username? The Kingham Cheltenham line was the line nearest to where I originally lived and I am old enough (just!) to remember it when locos like preserved 4141 ran along it so that's why I use this name. Should I change it?
Why are you saying that, if things were left to people like me, none of these projects would ever happen? If you read the few posts that I have put on this forum you would have noted the following:

I am a member of the S&D Heritage Trust at MSN.
I am a long term shareholder, volunteer and supporter of the Glos Warks Railway.

To which I would add:
I am a co-owner of GWR steam locomotive 2807 which will steam this year.
I am a member and financial supporter of 82045 and the LMS Patriot project.

I would do more if I had more money and time believe me!

I think you are having a go at the wrong man pal!

 

[TheExmoorBeast]

OK, well I see that my comments have done exactly what the new Somerset and Dorset Group has always intended by its stance - "there is only one thing worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about." However, this subject is not intended to be a polemic. I think its time to refer readers to the New Somerset and Dorset Website for an update as it may tell you more on what you want to know - even if it convinces the negatives even more. I will remind you that, until very recently, I was one of the negatives on the big reopening scheme but I can still see the reasons against even though they diminish by the day. The Midsomer Norton Group is, of course, looking to recreate the S&D image as it was in the 1950s and so is the Shillingstone project. The NEW S&D is an umbrella organisation which has much more ambitious (and some might say far too ambitious) plans but I'll attach a link to both sites and then try and update you as and when I find out more. There is far more detail on both sites and I won't attempt to regurgitate it by typing. Some of the information will confirm what readers think and some will serve to fuel doubt and incredulity further, that's up to you.

http://www.somersetanddorsetrailway.co.uk/

http://www.sdjr.co.uk/

"Do I have to be so utterly obnoxious? Well yes I do, apparently, if only to hold up a mirror to the ultimate vacuity of idle dreams." I disagree with you 100% on this Domeyhead, the groups involved with the S&D are far from idle and it is way past being a game, read the information on the websites above.

As a footnote, why is it that, although demand for petrol and diesel has dropped over this recession, the price is still rising slowly but inexorably and why is it that Ford has just joined the group of manufacturers to produce electric cars and vans? There will be a tipping point as there is in everything but of course we probably won't be alive to see it and we probably won't be alive when the new S&D opens throughout, but my grandchildren will still snigger at internal combustion cars and lorries in museums.

Kinghambranch, I wasn't calling you obnoxious, that comment was aimed squarely at Domeyhead, whom from reading through his previous postings to other users has it (obnoxiousness) off to a fine art.

 

[Domeyhead]

You can't have it both ways ExmoorBeast. This thread was started with the pretext of a "serious" project to reopen the S&D, so when I cast just a few of the many "serious" issues that render it a waste of time with no possibility of success I get called obnoxious! Do you want to keep the discussion at the level of trainspotting?
ok let's have it your way and pretend that not only is the entire route intact, but that everyone who now lives next to the old formation will just love to have trains roaring past their houses eveyr hour (I assume we are talking about a proper railway with proper speeds here). Ok, Now that we are in fantasy land the government (or mysteriously, the EU) decides that so many people apparently want to travel from Bournemouth to Bath that they cannot possibly make them use Cross Country from Bournemouth to Reading then FGW to Bath in a time as fast as the old Pines Express, so they agree to write out a cheque for £250m to rebuild the entire infrastructure by isssuing Government gilts at 4% requiring an ROI of over £300m in 10 years ..... No it's no good I can't keep it up.
Someone else pointed out the Dorchester to Westbury line still in existence offers a good template of what the S&D would have been had it survived - not the beautiful mixed traffic memory captured by Ivo Peters and others, but no freight, soulless 158s and 170s running between stations that are now no more than unstaffed platforms with steel and glass shelters, a useful but underused and singled line out to Burnham with one loop at Glastonbury....
Paradoxically what I agree is much needed (but also has no chance of being rebuilt) is part of Castleman's corkscrew from Bournemouth to Broadstone, Wimborne Ferndown West Moors and Ringwood. Bournemouth desperately misses a rail corridor in its northern commuter hinterland and destroying it was an act of madness. If it still existed then the retention of the line from Ringwood to Brockenhurst could also just about be justified but it doesn't therefore it isn't and it is far too late now.
I thought this was a forum for adults.

 

[Bill EWS]

It was an attempt at a bit of humour kinghambranch. What with all the negativity on here I think we need to consider that in many cases the only thing missing for any line reopening is for people not to believe it can happen. I wasn't just commenting on yourself, so proababy shouldn't have mentioned you. It's good to know that you are involved in so many railway interests and hope they all succeed.