71-402: Devonshire Tunnel is on the closed Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway main line, between Midford and Bath Green Park railway stations , below high ground and the southern suburbs of Bath , England, emerging below the northern slopes of Combe Down village. It opened in 1874 and was named after the road called Devonshire Buildings which lie immediately above the tunnel. It now forms one of
142-696: A Somerset building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Somerset %26 Dorset Joint Railway The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway ( S&DJR , also known as the S&;D , S&DR or SDJR ), was an English railway line jointly owned by the Midland Railway (MR) and the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) that grew to connect Bath (in north-east Somerset ) and Bournemouth (then in Hampshire ; now in south-east Dorset ), with
213-693: A branch in Somerset from Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater . Strictly speaking, its main line only ran from Bath Junction to Broadstone , as the Bath to Bath Junction section was wholly owned by the MR and the Broadstone to Bournemouth section was owned by the LSWR. Brought under joint ownership in 1876, the S&;DJR was used for freight and local passenger traffic over
284-417: A connection to the north via Bath, but their actual railway started more modestly. It opened on 1 November 1860 from the LSWR station at Wimborne , to the important market town of Blandford . The Blandford station at this time was south of the river Stour, at the hamlet of Blandford St. Mary, until later amalgamation, when the bridge was built over the river. The line was worked by the LSWR. This and all of
355-520: A daughter company from Poole to Bournemouth on 15 June 1874. The Bournemouth station eventually became Bournemouth West. Somerset & Dorset trains transferred from the Hamworthy station to the new Poole station immediately, and extended to Bournemouth as soon as the extension was opened. They still had to reverse at Wimborne, as the Corfe Mullen connection did not materialise until 1885. In earlier times
426-590: A government-controlled railway system during and after the Great War of 1914–1918. The provisions of the act took effect from the start of 1923. The British railway system had been built up by more than a hundred railway companies, large and small, and often, particularly locally, in competition with each other. The parallel railways of the East Midlands, and the rivalry between the South Eastern Railway and
497-443: A railway from London to Dorchester was being planned, no importance was attached to the coastal area. Later as the town grew many of its wealthier inhabitants blocked the coming of the railway as they felt it would spoil the exclusivity of the town by allowing access to tourists from all classes. Accordingly, the railway from Southampton to Dorchester cut inland to pass through the important towns of Ringwood and Wimborne . There
568-453: A tribunal. Part 2 dealt with powers and regulation of the railway companies by the Railway and Canal Commission , part 3 dealt with railway rates, charges and conditions of carriage with powers given to a Railway Rates Tribunal , and part 4 with employee wages and conditions. Parts 5 and 6 dealt with light railways and general clauses respectively, with the general clauses of part 6 including
639-588: The Bristol Channel . The success of Highbridge Wharf for goods traffic encouraged ideas of expanding passenger traffic across the Bristol Channel, and on 3 May 1858 the Somerset Central Railway opened an extension from Highbridge to a new passenger pier at Burnham , expecting heavy passenger traffic. The pier was actually a slip, a broad ramp 900 feet (274 m) long, sloping down at 1 in 21 into
710-552: The Bristol and Exeter Railway 's main line. It soon saw that a longer connection southwards was useful, and made an alliance with the Dorset Central Railway, and built an easterly line to join that railway at Cole. The Somerset Central Railway opened on 28 August 1854 from Glastonbury to Highbridge Wharf. Glastonbury was then an important manufacturing town, but its location made the transport of goods difficult. Coastal shipping
781-594: The Combe Down summit and over Masbury. The Highbridge branch trains were latterly worked by GWR 2251 Class 0-6-0s, and LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0 .s The S&D main line ran south from Bath Queen Square (later renamed Green Park) to Radstock , at one time the centre of the Somerset coalfield , and then over Masbury Summit, at 811 feet (274 m) above sea level, crossing the Mendip Hills , via Shepton Mallet and entering
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#1732873512129852-506: The Grouping Act , was an act of Parliament enacted by the British government, and was intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, by "grouping" them into four large companies, dubbed the " Big Four ". The intention was to reduce inefficient internal competition between railway companies, and retain some of the benefits which the country had derived from
923-516: The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway at Hastings, were two examples of such local competition. During the First World War the railways were under state control, which continued until 1921. Complete nationalisation had been considered, and the Railways Act 1921 is sometimes seen as a precursor to that, but the concept was rejected, and nationalisation was subsequently carried out after
994-535: The Mendip Hills , and for weekend holiday traffic to Bournemouth. Criticised as the "Slow and Dirty" or the "Slow and Doubtful", it closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching axe despite protests from the local community. The initial Somerset and Dorset Railway (S&DR) was created on 1 September 1862 by an amalgamation of the Somerset Central Railway (SCR; opened in 1854) and the Dorset Central Railway (DCR; opened in 1860). The SCR line ran from Highbridge to Templecombe and
1065-486: The Midland Railway and the LSWR, and was renamed the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR). After the 1 January 1923 Grouping , joint ownership of the S&DJR passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and the Southern Railway . Its attractions were its quirky individuality, its varied scenery (captured particularly by the photographs and pioneering cine films taken by Ivo Peters ), and
1136-592: The Second World War , under the Transport Act 1947 . The form of the act was developed by the Minister of Transport , Eric Geddes , who was a former North Eastern Railway executive. Geddes favoured using amalgamations to create privately owned regional monopolies, and suggested increased worker participation from pre-war levels. Geddes viewed the pre-war competition as wasteful, but was opposed to nationalisation, on
1207-753: The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR), a joint LMS/ SR line in south-western England. The London suburban railway companies, such as the Underground Electric Railways Company of London and the Metropolitan Railway , were also excluded. Later, the London Passenger Transport Act 1933 amalgamated them, along with London area bus and tram operations, into the London Passenger Transport Board (see List of transport undertakings transferred to
1278-563: The port and industrial centre of Bristol had been the northerly magnet, but in the intervening years other railways had interposed themselves. But the Midland Railway's Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line had reached Bath in 1869, so the S&DR decided to head for that destination. This had the advantage also of crossing the Somerset Coalfield . An act of Parliament was obtained on 21 August 1871 which included running powers for
1349-416: The tidal waters; and steamers berthed alongside at the point where the adjacent part of the slip was at a suitable height. Rails were laid on the slip, and single wagons were worked down to the steamers using a wire rope; passengers, however, walked to a platform at Burnham station nearby. In both cases the arrangement was awkward and inconvenient, and the anticipated traffic growth never materialised, and
1420-517: The 1960s, just before final closure as part of the nationwide reduction of railway services, usually called the Beeching Axe . The main line was still active, carrying local passenger trains and a daily long-distance train, the Pines Express , from Manchester to Bournemouth West, reversing at Bath Green Park. Local freight on the route survived in adequate volumes, although the Somerset coalfield
1491-482: The B&;ER station. There were goods facilities at Highbridge Wharf, to the west of the B&ER line. The line was worked operationally by the B&ER. Initial results were encouraging, and the original objective of the railway, to give Glastonbury access to the maritime and railway transport links at Highbridge, was successfully achieved. Highbridge Wharf became a hive of activity, and at this early date coastal shipping
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#17328735121291562-643: The Burnham Pier, which had cost £20,000, was a financial failure. At the eastern end, a branch to the important city of Wells was opened on 15 March 1859. This had originally been planned to be part of a main line extension towards Frome , where the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway could be joined, giving the yearned-for access to the South Coast towns, but by now the Somerset Central thought that joining up with
1633-578: The DCR line from Blandford to Wimborne , and by 1863 when a line connecting them was opened, the Somerset and Dorset Railway ran from Burnham-on-Sea to Wimborne, where S&DR trains could use a line owned by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) to reach Poole Junction (now Hamworthy ) on the Dorset south coast. This cross-country link between the Bristol Channel and the English Channel failed to attract
1704-413: The DCR spur probably did not connect directly into the S&YR main line. The Somerset Central Railway and the northern part of the Dorset Central Railway were worked as a single unit from the beginning, and on 1 September 1862 the two railways were amalgamated by Act of Parliament , under the title Somerset & Dorset Railway. At this time therefore, the system consisted of: The new company opened
1775-419: The Dorset Central Railway would be a more cost-effective option. Wells therefore was a branch line only, with the station at Priory Road . It too was broad gauge, and one intermediate station at Polsham was opened in 1861. The impetus now however was the south-easterly link with the Dorset Central Railway, and parliamentary powers were sought for the extension to Cole. Cole was no destination in itself, but
1846-453: The Dorset Central Railway's lines were standard gauge. Intermediate stations were at Spetisbury , and Sturminster Marshall . Seeing that its northwards destiny could best be served by an alliance with the Somerset Central Railway, it obtained powers to extend to Cole and join that railway there, and it opened part of this route, from Templecombe to Cole on 3 February 1862, the same day that the Somerset company opened its section to Cole. There
1917-651: The Future Organisation of Transport Undertakings in Great Britain and their Relation to the State ( Cmd. 787). That suggested the formation of six or seven regional companies, and suggested worker participation on the board of directors of the company. The white paper was opposed by the Railway Companies' Association (RCA) and by MPs representing railway companies' interests. The move to greater worker participation
1988-477: The S&D was single track, but the main line was double track from Midford to Templecombe, and from Blandford Forum to Corfe Mullen . Crossing trains on the single line sections always added operational interest to the line, but many enthusiasts chose to focus on the quirky operation of trains calling at Templecombe and the light engine movements associated with them. Trains had to reverse from Templecombe station to Templecombe Junction (for southbound trains, and
2059-496: The S&YR station. Because of the height difference it made its junction with the DCR main line some distance to the north at a new junction. The east-facing connection to the S&YR line was severed, although the spur was retained as a siding connected at the Templecombe S&;DR end. At some later date, it became obvious that the S&D station to the east of its main line was almost useless, as nearly all trains called at
2130-762: The Scottish businesses. After consideration of the Railways Bill, it was decided that the Scottish companies, originally destined to be a separate group, would be included with the Midland/North Western and Eastern groups respectively, in order that the three main Anglo-Scottish trunk routes should each be owned by one company for their full length: the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line by
2201-485: The South Coast. Parliamentary powers were sought and the standard gauge was specified, but pressure from the broad gauge B&ER – who feared loss of the feeder traffic from the line it had supported – led to a requirement to lay broad gauge and to make a junction with the Wilts Somerset and Weymouth where the lines would cross. The line from Glastonbury to Cole opened on 3 February 1862 and mixed gauge track
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2272-537: The catchment area of the River Stour to Wincanton and Blandford, joining the LSWR South West Main Line at Poole , the S&D trains continuing to the LSWR station at Bournemouth West. The branch line from Highbridge to Evercreech Junction had been the original main line, when attracting steamer traffic across the Bristol Channel had been an objective. It traversed a sparsely populated area, and when
2343-420: The company to make the physical connection facing towards Salisbury and London, and the junction was to the east of the S&YR station. The S&YR provided a track from the point of junction back to their station, and DCR trains arriving from Cole had to reverse from the junction to the S&YR station. It is unlikely at this early date that through running (without calling at Templecombe) was contemplated, and
2414-458: The difficulty of its main line. Its strategic significance was as part of a through route between the Midlands and the South Coast, by connecting with the Midland Railway at Bath. The Midland Railway linked Bath to Bristol and via Gloucester to Birmingham and the north. Heavy summer holiday passenger traffic and healthy through freight business was the result, but the long and difficult main line
2485-472: The eponymous tunnels in the Two Tunnels Greenway . The tunnel had a gradient of 1 in 50, on a line where the ruling gradient was also 1 in 50. 51°22′10″N 2°21′56″W / 51.3695°N 2.3655°W / 51.3695; -2.3655 [[Category: This United Kingdom rail transport related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . ]] This article about
2556-486: The former group, and the East Coast Main Line by the latter. The opening paragraph of the Railways Act 1921 states: Part 1 of the act dealt with the terms and procedure of the amalgamations of railway companies. The constituents and subsidiaries of the four groups were set out in the first schedule of the act. Companies that had not formed an amalgamation scheme by 1923 would be amalgamated under terms decided by
2627-411: The friendly B&ER, and by arrangement with them the canal was closed and the railway built partly on the course of the canal, reducing construction cost. The line was opened as 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2,140 mm ) broad gauge , as a feeder to the B&ER, and had stations at Glastonbury , Ashcott , Shapwick , Edington , Bason Bridge (opened in 1862) and Highbridge at
2698-643: The game was up, and sought purchasers. The GWR and the B&;ER were obvious candidates, but in August 1875 a 999-year lease was abruptly agreed jointly to the Midland Railway and the LSWR (the two railways whose networks it joined at either end), and this was confirmed by act of Parliament , the Somerset and Dorset Railway Leasing Act 1876 ( 39 & 40 Vict. c. cxv) on 13 July 1876. Railways Act 1921 The Railways Act 1921 ( 11 & 12 Geo. 5 . c. 55), also known as
2769-447: The grounds that it led to poor management, as well as a mutually corrupting influence between railway and political interests. In his 9 March 1920 Cabinet paper, "Future Transport Policy", he proposed five English groups (Southern, Western, North Western, Eastern and North Eastern), a London passenger group, and separate single groupings for Scotland and Ireland. Geddes' proposals became the 1920 white paper , Outline of Proposals as to
2840-509: The last half mile into Bath over the Midland's line, and the use of their Bath station at Queen Square. The terrain was quite different from the previous ground covered, and engineers had to build many tunnels and viaducts. The line was steep, with a ruling gradient of 1 in 50. The summit, in the Mendip Hills, was 811 feet above sea level. (247 m ). From Radstock to Midford the railway followed
2911-416: The line for 999 years to the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway jointly. The origins of the Somerset & Dorset Railway lay with two separate companies, which built sections of line, each with their own ambitions. The Somerset Central Railway started out as a local railway line designed to give Glastonbury transport access for manufactured goods, to the Bristol Channel and to
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2982-478: The line on a couple of excursions only in the final years. After closure, diesels worked demolition trains, and some diesel workings operated to Blandford Forum after the line had closed. Freight in the 1960s was largely in the hands of Fowler 4Fs , Stanier 8Fs , Standard Class 5 4-6-0s , and the S&DJR 7F 2-8-0s , assisted by Fowler 3F "Jinty" 0-6-0Ts and Great Western Railway Pannier Tanks ; freight trains were assisted in rear by these locomotives over
3053-422: The main (Upper) station to make connections. The Lower station was closed and a short platform, Templecombe Lower Platform , was provided on the west side of the main line, adjacent to the main road. There were no facilities on it, and only the last train from Bournemouth and certain other very early or late trains used it. In the first half of the 19th century, Bournemouth was an insignificant hamlet , and when
3124-418: The marine connection ceased, only Glastonbury and Street in the centre of the route contributed any worthwhile income. There had been other, shorter branches, but these too generated very little traffic and they had all closed by the early 1950s. Serving only a string of medium-sized market towns between its extremities, the S&D generated a modest internal traffic, and had daunting operational costs, due to
3195-419: The missing link from Blandford to Templecombe on 31 August 1863, and now the original dream of a link from the English Channel to the Bristol Channel materialised. The LSWR allowed through passenger trains to run over their line between Wimborne and Poole, reversing at Wimborne. The Somerset and Dorset company therefore operated trains from Burnham to Poole and on the branch to Wells. At this time Poole station
3266-497: The new line diverged half a mile or so north of the S&YR line, passing under it by a bridge. The S&D Templecombe station was provided between the new junction and the S&YR bridge. The opening of Sturminster Newton station prompted the renaming of the Sturminster Marshall station to Bailey Gate (after the adjacent turnpike gate) to avoid confusion. At Blandford, a new station was built, situated more conveniently to
3337-429: The original canal. Completion was swift, despite a break in construction when a contractor had financial problems. It opened on 20 July 1874. There were four passenger trains each way every day; two of them carried through coaches from Birmingham to Bournemouth. Intermediate stations were at Wellow , Radstock , Chilcompton , Binegar , Masbury , Shepton Mallet and Evercreech New . The original Evercreech station
3408-460: The preponderance of double-heading required on the majority of trains between Bath and Evercreech Junction on account of the steep gradients encountered on either side of Masbury summit. For the same reason, during the summer months the native S&D class 7F 2-8-0s were also pressed into service to assist, or to handle lighter trains on their own. The route remained almost entirely steam-worked until closure, though some diesel multiple units ran over
3479-608: The requirement of the railway companies to provide the Minister of Transport with statistic and financial reports. The third reading of the act in the House of Commons took place on 9 August 1921, and was passed with a majority of 237 to 62. The House of Lords made various amendments, which were accepted by the Commons on 19 August, and royal assent was given. The state control of the railways which began under war conditions during World War I
3550-400: The reverse for northbound), requiring use of a pilot engine to assist with these manoeuvres. In at least one case, a northbound train and a southbound train, both requiring to call at Templecombe station, were timed to arrive at Templecombe Junction simultaneously. The operating procedure was for the northbound train to set back on to the southbound train at the junction, thence to be pulled into
3621-534: The route of the Radstock branch of the Somerset Coal Canal which was little used and had been replaced by a tramway on the canal's towpath in 1815. The S&DR purchased the waterway, filled in the canal, removed the tramway and built its railway along the route. This greatly reduced the cost and time of construction and provided a mostly level course, but forced the railway to follow the sharply-curved course of
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#17328735121293692-426: The route, and the home locomotive fleet was augmented by strangers such as LMS Jubilee Class 4-6-0s from the north, though these did not work over the S&D proper, and West Country Pacifics from the south. For the summer seasons of 1960, 1961 and 1962 a small number of BR Standard Class 9F 2-10-0s, which were designed as heavy freight locomotives, were transferred to Bath locomotive depot, in an attempt to reduce
3763-474: The station by the southbound train engine, with the northbound engine still on the back. After completion of station work, the entire equipage was pulled back to the junction by the northbound train engine, where the two trains were uncoupled to continue on their separate ways. The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway came into existence on 1 November 1875. It was formed when the Somerset & Dorset Railway ran into unmanageable financial difficulties and they leased
3834-460: The steep gradients. The S&DJR started before the railway network in England had settled down, and both local and strategic aspirations structured the line's earliest days. Work has now started to restore some remnants of the line to working condition, notably at Midsomer Norton in Somerset and Shillingstone in Dorset. The fame of the Somerset & Dorset line reached its peak in the first years of
3905-487: The substantial traffic expected and so the S&DR, falling into dire financial straits, made a desperate bid to increase their prospects by building an extension from Evercreech Junction to Bath in 1874, to link with the Midland Railway . This provided a through route between the south coast and Midlands and north and produced a substantial increase in traffic, but came too late to save the company. The S&DR went into receivership and in 1875 it became jointly owned by
3976-583: The successor companies. They included the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GN), a London, Midland and Scottish Railway / London and North Eastern Railway joint line in eastern England, the largest of the joint railways in terms of route mileage; the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC), LMS/LNER joint line in Lancashire and Cheshire , largest in terms of both passenger and freight traffic; and
4047-450: The through traffic from Glastonbury and Highbridge to London was important, and would not think well of the half mile walk between the two stations. To accommodate those passengers, the S&YR operated a shuttle train service between the two stations. This arrangement could hardly continue, but the topography of the village was challenging. The solution eventually adopted was to construct a new west-facing connection entering directly into
4118-414: The town, and the earlier DCR station south of the River Stour was closed. Templecombe had suddenly become the most important interchange point on the system, and trains from Wimborne needed convenient access to a station. The company provided its own "Lower" station on the direct north–south line a little north of the S&YR line on the east of its own line. S&DR passengers had their own station, but
4189-405: The way it seemed to struggle against overwhelming odds. Its main line climbed to 811 feet (247 m) above sea level at Masbury , and it contained several single line sections, but on summer Saturdays it managed to handle a considerable volume of holiday trains, when it seemed every possible locomotive was drafted into service to handle heavy trains requiring double-heading and banking over
4260-427: Was a branch to the west of Holes Bay from Poole Junction (now Hamworthy) to a station called Poole, situated to the west of the bridge over the inlet. This was the "Poole" station that Somerset & Dorset trains reached over LSWR tracks, reversing at Wimborne. This was inconvenient for the town of Poole, and the LSWR interest built a railway to reach Poole itself from Broadstone, opening on 2 December 1872, and through
4331-508: Was always very expensive to run. There was only one intermediate connection on the route, at Templecombe where the West of England line was crossed. There was an awkward layout there, requiring through trains to reverse along a spur between the S&D main line and the east-west LSWR main line. The full journey time for ordinary passenger trains was typically four hours, although the limited stop holiday expresses managed it in two hours. Much of
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#17328735121294402-495: Was becoming ever more uneconomic to work and so coal traffic had dwindled. On summer Saturdays, the line continued to carry a very heavy traffic of long-distance trains, from northern towns to Bournemouth and back. The traditional nature of the operation of the route was reflected in the fact that most of the originating towns were on the former Midland Railway system, almost as if the railway grouping of 1923 had never taken place. These trains brought unusual traffic combinations to
4473-405: Was laid, although the required connection to the Wilts Somerset & Weymouth was never opened. Glastonbury to Highbridge and Burnham was converted to mixed gauge at the same time. Intermediate stations between Glastonbury and Cole were West Pennard , Pylle and Evercreech. The Dorset Central Railway had started with higher ambitions than the Somerset line. Its promoters had originally intended
4544-453: Was on the western side of Holes Bay , at the location that ultimately became Hamworthy Goods. Intermediate stations between the point of junction at Templecombe and Blandford were Templecombe (S&DR station), Henstridge, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Shillingstone and Blandford. The original connection from Cole to the Salisbury & Yeovil Railway (S&YR) had faced towards London, and
4615-466: Was one intermediate station, at Wincanton . All of this northern section was worked by the Somerset company. Templecombe was a small community and its significance was the connection to London over the Salisbury & Yeovil Railway's line. The DCR trains used the Salisbury & Yeovil Railway station on the main line. The difference in levels between the two lines and the availability of land induced
4686-419: Was renamed Evercreech Junction . The completion of the line to Bath brought a further massive traffic increase, but the financial burden of the loans taken to build the Bath extension weighed the little company down even more, and it soon became clear that even day-to-day operating expenses could not be met. Atthill describes the Bath extension project as an act of financial suicide. The company realised that
4757-555: Was still an important means of transporting goods. To reach South Coast destinations the ships had a difficult and hazardous passage round Land's End , and there were hopes that the railway could become the core of a transport chain bringing manufactured goods, especially metal goods, from South Wales to the Southern Counties, and taking agricultural produce back to feed the industrial population in South Wales, using shipping across
4828-447: Was still dominant for transport and the Bristol Channel ports of Bridgwater and Highbridge were about 18 miles away. The Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) had been opened, passing through both those towns, in 1841. Highbridge was chosen as the destination because a route to Bridgwater would have been much more challenging technically, because of high ground to the east of Bridgwater itself. The Glastonbury Canal had been bought by
4899-550: Was strongly opposed by the RCA, but supported by the Labour Party . Worker-directors were not included in the final act, being replaced by agreed negotiating mechanisms. In 1921, the white paper, Memorandum on Railways Bill (Cmd. 1292), suggested four English regional groups and two Scottish groups. Scottish railway companies wanted to be incorporated into British groupings, and the RCA proposed five British regional monopolies including
4970-471: Was the agreed point of meeting up with the Dorset Central Railway. The important town of Bruton lay nearby, but its topography made a closer approach difficult. The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway had been opened in 1856, giving broad gauge access to the Great Western Railway (GWR) system, but the Somerset Central wanted to have through standard gauge access to the Dorset Central Railway and
5041-605: Was to continue for a further two years under the Ministry of Transport Act 1919 . The act took effect on 1 January 1923. On that date most of the mergers took place, although some had taken place during the previous year. The February 1923 issue of The Railway Magazine dubbed the new companies as " The Big Four of the New Railway Era". A number of joint railways remained outside the Big Four, continuing to be operated jointly by
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