Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR) was an
English joint railway company owned by the
Midland Railway and the
London and South Western Railway. The railway linked
Bath in north east
Somerset to
Bournemouth in south east
Dorset. The railway had branch lines to
Burnham-on-Sea,
Wells and
Bridgwater.
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway was formed by the merger of the Dorset Central Railway and the Somerset Central Railway. The original main line ran from Burnham and
Highbridge to a junction with the LSWR near
Broadstone. The decision to build a northwards extension from this line to Bath, crossing the
Mendip Hills and passing through the
Somerset coalfield bankrupted the company in
1874. The word 'Joint' was added to the company name when the railway was let on a 999 year lease to the
Midland Railway and the
London and South Western Railway in the following year.
At first, the Midland maintained the engines and the LSWR the rolling stock, track and signalling. Eventually the rolling stock was divided between the two owners, leaving only the
locomotives displaying the company name. On
grouping in 1923 the Midland was absorbed into the
London Midland and Scottish Railway, and the LSWR into the
Southern Railway. The S&DJR continued as a separate concern until
1928 when the remaining engines were taken in to stock by the LMS.
In 1958, a reorganisation of
British Railways regional boundaries led to the S&D coming under administrative control of the Western Region during its final years.
Affectionately known as the 'Slow and Dirty', the line was the last to run regular steam services in the
British Railways Western Region. The beginning of the end was as early as 1951 with the closure of the branch from Glastonbury to Wells. This was followed in 1952 by closure of the branch from Edington Juntion to Bridgwater (Edington Juntion being renamed 'Edington Burtle'). In 1956 four of the smaller stations on the Dorset section of the main line were closed as an economy measure. The short section of branch-line from Highbridge to Burnham-on-Sea closed in 1962 with Highbridge becoming the new branch terminus and later being renamed '
Highbridge & Burnham-on-Sea'. A further small closure affecting the S&D in 1964 of the
Bournemouth West terminus station saw S&D trains in the last years starting from and ending at Bournemouth Central. Finally, on 7 March 1966 the whole S&D line from Bath to Bournemouth – and also the Evercreech Junction to Highbridge line – was closed under the
Beeching Axe and dismantled.
Most of the S&D was single track, but the so-called main line was duplicated from
Templecombe as far north as
Midford, then running single track through the
Combe Down and Devonshire tunnels and down the long slope to the junction with the
Midland Railway a mile west of
Bath Green Park railway station. The junction at Bath involved a reversal of direction for trains running through to and from the Midlands and the North of England, as Bath Green Park was a terminus station.
The original Somerset Central Railway line from Highbridge to
Evercreech Junction was single track with passing places at several stations.
The Main Line
*
Bath Green Park - junction
*
Midford*
Wellow*
Radstock*
Midsomer Norton & Welton*
Chilcompton*
Binegar*
Masbury*
Shepton Mallet*
Evercreech New*
Evercreech Junction - junction for the Highbridge & Burnham branch, see below
*
Cole (for Bruton)*
Wincanton*
Templecombe*
Henstridge*
Stalbridge*
Sturminster Newton*
Shillingstone*
Blandford Forum*
Spetisbury*
Bailey Gate*
Wimborne - junction
*
Broadstone - junction
Highbridge and Burnham branch
*
Burnham-on-Sea - terminus
*
Highbridge - terminus
*
Bason Bridge*
Edington Burtle - junction for the Bridgwater branch, see below
*
Shapwick*
Ashcott*
Glastonbury and Street - junction for the Wells branch, see below
*
West Pennard*
Pylle*
Evercreech Junction - junction with the main line, see above
Bridgwater branch
*
Bridgwater*
Cossington*
Edington Junction - junction for the Highbridge branch, see above
Wells branch
*
Wells - terminus
*
Polsham*
Glastonbury & Street - junction for the Highbridge branch, see above
Notes
At Wells, the S&D used the Priory Street station, which also had through trains running on the GWR line between Yatton and Witham: until 1934, GWR trains did not stop at Priory Street, using instead the Tucker Street station half a mile away. Priory Street closed in 1951 when the S&D branch line from Glastonbury was shut; Tucker Street remained in use until the closure of the GWR line in 1963.
Also, at
Templecombe trains mostly used the LSWR station, which entailed leaving and rejoining the S&D main line, though there was a small and seldom used platform on the through line that was connected to the main station by a footpath.
In addition to the above stations, the S&D also had a number of halts. There were four on the main line: at Shoscombe & Single Hill, between Wellow and Radstock; at Stourpaine & Durweston between Shillingstone and Blandford; at Charlton Marshall, between Blandford and Spetisbury; and at Corfe Mullen, between Bailey Gate and Broadstone. The last three of these all closed as an economy measure in September 1956, along with Spetisbury, which had earlier been downgraded to halt status. On the Bridgwater branch there was a halt at Bawdrip between Cossington and Bridgwater.
* Foxhole (Radstock) collision, 1876
*
Combe Down Tunnel runaway, 1929
*
Rail transport in Great Britain*
Enthusiasts' website*
SDRT history*
'Two Tunnels' campaign to protect S&D route Bath to Midford as a shared use path*Railways of Dorset J.H.Lucking Publisher
Railway Correspondence and Travel Society 1968 (no ISBN)
*Somerset Railway Stations, by Mike Oakley (Dovecote Press) 2002
*Passengers No More, by Gerald Daniels and L A Dench, (Ian Allan) 1974 edition
