Places - Lost in Time: The Somerset and Dorset Railway

[@DKS225]

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.

[@tommy-mu2gf]

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!

[@a1white]

Not sure of any useless lines, unused stations yes, but not whole lines.

[@None-zc5vg]

@@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.

[@Bungle-UK]

Mr Beeching didn’t close anything - government ministers did, in this case the a Labour government that had promised to halt closures.

[@damianharris2167]

@@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.

[@Bungle-UK]

@@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.

[@rayaspo4893]

Best channel on KZbin. No begging for likes or subscribers as you earn those through thoroughly entertaining videos. 👍

[@Mounhas]

Agree with you absolutely.

[@Dave_Sisson]

Great stuff, but a basic map would have been nice to help us understand where the branches and connections were. Thanks.

[@PJWey]

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.

[@holnrew]

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

[@andrewganley9016]

Along with the Waverley route

[@bobtudbury8505]

beeching cut nothing, 99% of closures were the labour party

[@holnrew]

@@bobtudbury8505 acting on recommendations in the Beeching report

[@stokes8626]

@@andrewganley9016 For me it's the Friargate line between Derby and Nottingham but at least I can watch the four minutes RJ Willis filmed

[@BoaFilmsPlc]

The line was butchered not directly by Beeching but by the Western Region of BR. They always saw it as an interloper in their "turf, especially at Highbridge where the S&D crossed the WR mainline.". A good reference to this is in the S&D in the 50's & S&D in the 60's by Ivo Peters. The WR deliberately diverted the summer expresses & the Pines via Reading, rerouted as much of the freight it cold too. This left the S&D a glorified branch line with sometimes a 9F hauling a 3 coach stopping service on it. The route was never considered for diesels by the WR.

[@mikebutler3263]

Lovely film of S&D, how wonderful it was for the traveller to see the countryside without all the trackside trees and vegetation.

[@simonbradshaw3708]

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.

[@dacooldragonakadanny7833]

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!

[@paulgul1]

Haha haha, yes, I have that route in train SIM as well. Always enjoy it, it would be good to see it extended southwards

[@CFRTrainSpotter]

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...

[@vernongoodey5096]

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!

[@songsmith31a]

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.

[@mikecartlidge5355]

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.

[@simonf8902]

Everyone favourite lost railway. ❤

[@paulEG6]

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!

[@smorris12]

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!

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

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.

[@Ice_Karma]

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?

[@ianmaddams9577]

Well said

[@BoaFilmsPlc]

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.

[@paulmaryon9088]

@BoaFilmsPlc, and not to forget the East Somerset railway that runs out of Cranmore, near Everchreech.

[@BoaFilmsPlc]

@@paulmaryon9088 Wasn't part of the S&D but interchanged with them at Wells. The East Somerset Railway Company was incorporated under the East Somerset Railway Act on 5 June 1856[1][2] and was built as a 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge line. The line was originally between Witham railway station and Shepton Mallet and this line opened on 9 November 1858. It was planned by Mr. Brunel and built by engineer Mr. Ward and contractor Mr. Brotherwood. The station buildings at Shepton and Witham Friary, as well as the bridges along the route, were constructed of Inferior Oolite from nearby Doulting Stone Quarry.[3] Shepton was now 129 miles (208 km) from London by rail, a journey of just over four hours.[4] Four years later the line was extended to Wells. This part of the line was opened on 1 March 1862 and made it 13 mi 65 ch (22.2 km) long. The East Somerset Railway was bought by the Great Western Railway on 2 December 1874, shortly after it was converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. In 1878, the GWR joined the East Somerset line with the Cheddar Valley line to Wells, which had been built by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, by obtaining running rights over a section of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway and running its trains through the S&DJR Wells station at Priory Road, though GWR trains did not stop at Priory Road until 1934. At this stage, the main traffic became the through trains from Yatton to Witham and the East Somerset Railway station in Wells closed, with Wells (Tucker Street) becoming the station for the city on the line. The Yatton to Witham service remained in use with the GWR and later BR until passenger service finally ceased on 7 September 1963, however trains carrying bitumen continued until 1985.

[@nigelduckworth4419]

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.

[@laurenceskinnerton73]

Barbara Castle closed the S&D in 1966.

[@thoscar02]

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.

[@colinburton113]

What a great video so many interesting facts, i love the history of the S&D thanks Ruairidh for your time and hard work.

[@Mounhas]

Bournemouth was in Hampshire until 1972 when it was transferred to Dorset, thus effectively doubling Dorset’s population. Another excellent video from Ruairidh.

[@lionelmarytravels6003]

Well put together film of this famous line. Whilst this has been covered many times before, there were a number of scenes and information new to me. Thoroughly enjoyable.

[@John900C]

Excellent production. Well done, that man.

[@davidchant5550]

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.

[@johndavey72]

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

[@kevanhubbard9673]

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!

[@borderlands6606]

In the 1950s the weekday Pines Express used Manchester Mayfield station, adjacent to Piccadilly (then known as London Road Station).

[@amp9930]

Excellent documentary as always, thank you.

[@TheHylianBatman]

The death of the rail industry everywhere breaks my heart.

[@mickeydodds1]

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.

[@paulashley2707]

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.

[@stokes8626]

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.

[@zulfiqarali9808]

Lovely portrayal of a fine railway section

[@timvins]

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.🤔

[@johnwoodhouse3369]

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 👍

[@philipsudron]

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!)

[@rogue5ive]

Superb video, great to see all the mixed freight and mixed coaches in one train.

[@steveworthington930]

Never forgave the Western Region of BR shutting the S&D. What a tourist line it would be today, so short sighted.

[@AmbroseB1900]

Some fabulous old footage of the S & D on this video.

[@davidholder3207]

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.

[@mikelight]

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.

[@RichardDzien]

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.

[@rosmeartoo]

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..

[@nicks4934]

Great video as ever!

[@RaspberryWhy]

Lovely video. Very interesting and well researched

[@DavidKing-fx3fz]

My grandad lived in Blandford Forum and used to talk about his days trains spotting on the S&DJR

[@Ted010]

Fine video. Thank you!

[@johnallen7807]

Fascinating, many thanks.

[@Stipperstone]

Is there any footage of the Midland and South Western Junction railway? This line had a lot of interest and character.

[@iskra1234]

Excellent video. How about one on the Woodhead Route please?

[@None-zc5vg]

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.

[@j3xk72r9]

Midsomer Norton station has been beautifully restored and about a mile of track to the South of it relaid with regular steam services.

[@TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels]

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.

[@macjim]

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.

[@robertbruce7686]

Excellent video.

[@rwm2986]

Good video. Because of the need for bankers and double headers between, say, Bath and Bournemouth, the S&D must have had an uphill struggle (pun intended) to keep operating costs under control.

[@officialmcdeath]

Good summary, thank you! Approaches to Bournemouth West live on as a traction depot \m/

[@laurenceskinnerton73]

A small section of the line has been reopened from Midsomer Norton South and is being extended.

[@harrydebastardeharris987]

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.

[@RailRoadFans]

Great video!

[@EM-yk1dw]

Another excellent documentary. Could you produce one about the Woodhead line please??

[@lotsofspots]

Great footage, but could do with some maps!

[@andrewganley9016]

What a great diversionary route this classic line would have been maybe even a preserved line

[@CalebsCrossings]

Great video mate!

[@alanantoniobre189]

I will always say that its closure was a crime, especially this one.

[@berlinmitte10117]

Quite a lot of Somerset but fewer Dorset mentions - what about the well preserved Shillingstone station for example?

[@stephenphillip5656]

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.

[@a11csc]

superb vid

[@brianeynon5406]

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 !

[@Andrewjg_89]

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.

[@michaelturner4457]

I know the S&D, nicknamed Slow & Dirty

[@bingbong7316]

Or, Swift & Delightful, of which only the latter was true.

[@grahamwhitworth9454]

My late uncle, who lived at Midsomer Norton in a house backing onto the line, used to call it the Smoky & Dirty.

[@Trek001]

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?

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

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.

[@martyn6792]

Such a shame they didn't preserve the track bed

[@malcolmhowe6602]

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..

[@DanielChannel57]

My favorite British railway. Oh, and this is from an American.

[@rachelcarre9468]

Excellent but you didn’t mention ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’ 😀

[@Stipperstone]

Historic movie film.

[@chrismccartney8668]

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..

[@TransportGeekery]

Great video but needs a map!

[@simonsadler9360]

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 !

[@phillwainewright4221]

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.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

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.

[@Bungle-UK]

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.

[@Lighting_Desk]

Beechy boi ruined the network and now we are struggling to reopen lines.

[@isaacborthwick3903]

YESSSSS

[@andrewreynolds4949]

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

[@mcjdubpower]

Gud vid™️

[@lordgemini2376]

Should be reopened :(

[@DavidRolph-r4h]

Many lines just carried coal

[@micknotfromleitrim]

Dr Beeching 🤦‍♂

[@andrewclarke6899]

(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?

[@bobtudbury8505]

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

[@simontaylor2319]

This narration is meaningless tp those who don't know the area of the routes. Even the pictures have no relation to the ralk

[@ianmarlow805]

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.