78-419: The Sidmouth Railway was a railway branch line that ran from a junction at Feniton to Sidmouth , connecting the resort to the main line network. The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) opened a main line from Yeovil to Exeter on 18 July 1860, giving a through route from London. The rugged terrain of the south-east Devon coastline meant that the railway passed some distance to the north of Sidmouth;
156-464: 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
234-453: 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 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
312-520: 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
390-711: 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 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
468-562: A local railway line designed to give Glastonbury transport access for manufactured goods, to the Bristol Channel and to 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
546-443: 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
624-603: A report identifying the line was listed as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments). Feniton Feniton is a village and civil parish in East Devon in the English county of Devon . The village lies about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Honiton , 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Ottery St Mary , and 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Talaton . The parish of Feniton incorporates
702-450: A share capital of £120,000 and authorised loan capital of £40,000. Subscriptions were slow to be taken up, and the contractor Shrimpton complained that he was unable to make progress, as the engineer, H H Bird, had not supplied adequate plans. Further difficulties arose when it emerged that the Company had secretly divided the share issue into two classes, and calls were only being made to one of
780-585: 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 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
858-471: A tributary of the River Otter , runs through this part of the village and is generally believed to have given the village its name. Feniton new village lies about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) west of the original village and is separated by open countryside. This area was formerly known as Sidmouth Junction and for many years consisted of just a few houses, a public house and a chapel, which were associated with
SECTION 10
#1733086266004936-551: A while. Moderate gradients followed as far as East Budleigh (originally plain Budleigh) after which the line climbed at 1 in 50 for 1½ miles, then after Knowle cutting falling again at 1 in 50 until the Salterton Road overbridge approaching Exmouth. From 1914 a number of Waterloo to Exmouth express trains were routed via Tipton. The lines became very busy in the first decades of the twentieth century, with ten trains each way per day on
1014-531: 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 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
1092-521: The Beeching cuts . The station was reopened by British Rail in 1971 with the new name of Feniton . South Western Railway operate services from it to Exeter and London Waterloo . In 1976, Feniton signed a twinning charter with the village of Louvigny in Normandy , France More recently, a sports and social club, private dental practice, hairdresser and fast food takeaway have opened in this part of
1170-531: 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
1248-612: 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 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
1326-425: 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 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
1404-505: 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
1482-416: 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
1560-482: 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
1638-631: The Budleigh Salterton line. Matters were especially busy at Tipton St John's where Waterloo trains divided and joined (for Sidmouth and Exmouth respectively), with as many as 50 train movements per day. From 1927 there was a service from Nottingham via the Somerset and Dorset line and Templecombe. In the summer of 1938 there were eleven trains each way daily between Sidmouth and Sidmouth Junction and five each way between Sidmouth and Tipton St Johns; and five trains between Tipton St Johns and Exmouth, three of which originated from or ran to Sidmouth, and
SECTION 20
#17330862660041716-485: The Built Up Area Boundary. Feniton is a major part of the electoral ward called "Feniton and Buckerell ". The total population of this ward at the 2011 census was 2,274. The original village of Feniton contains the 13th-century Church of St Andrew , the post office, and a number of thatched cottages. The Wesley chapel which was built in 1850 is now disused and functions as an animal store. The Vine Water,
1794-589: 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
1872-511: The Council deemed that in the period up to 2026 it would be appropriate for Feniton to host another 35 houses. However, several developers have applied to build a large number of houses in and around the village. Somerset and 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
1950-459: 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
2028-419: 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
2106-453: 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
2184-592: The L&;SWR was now operating the small network served from Sidmouth Junction: to Sidmouth and to Exmouth, forking at Tipton. The L&SWR later purchased the Budleigh Salterton line, and this became effective on 1 January 1911. The section from Sidmouth Junction to Sidmouth has been described above; from Tipton St John's towards Exmouth the line fell at 1 in 50—the contrary gradients viewed from Tipton platform looking south were startling—then easing to 1 in 360 and then level beyond Newton Poppleford, falling again at 1 in 100 for
2262-520: The Railway Inspectorate of the Board of Trade duly made the inspection and passed the line for opening. It opened on Monday 6 July 1874. On the opening day there was no formal ceremony to mark the event, although celebrations took place through the first week. The branch was single track. The junction station on the main line at Feniton had been called Ottery Road immediately prior to the opening, but
2340-468: 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 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
2418-556: 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 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
Sidmouth Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-496: 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
2574-485: 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
2652-481: The building and operation of the railway station of the same name. From the mid-1960s onwards, this area was transformed into Feniton new village by various medium-scale housing developments. These were accompanied by the building of Feniton Primary School, two village shops (one of which has since closed), and a playing field. In 1967, when the new village was taking shape, the original Sidmouth Junction railway station and its associated branch line were closed as part of
2730-602: 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 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
2808-498: The classes. Finally it was shown that the Company had unsupported liabilities of £20,000, over three-quarters of which were due to the contractor Shrimpton. Undertakings were given to resolve the matter, but the Company foundered in 1869. The trustees of the Balfour family now launched a scheme for a Sidmouth Railway, and this got its Act of Parliament on 29 June 1871, with share capital of £66,000 and borrowing powers of £22,000. The line
2886-420: 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
2964-485: The east of Bridgwater itself. The Glastonbury Canal had been bought by 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
3042-410: 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 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
3120-411: The hamlets of Colesworthy, Higher Cheriton and Curscombe. It covers an area of 644 hectares (1591 acres), and is surrounded, clockwise from the north, by the parishes of Payhembury , Buckerell , Gittisham , Ottery St Mary and Talaton . At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,796, decreasing to 1,568 at the 2011 Census . The 2012 draft East Devon Local Plan recorded 716 houses within
3198-509: 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
Sidmouth Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-628: 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 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
3354-464: 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 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,
3432-545: 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 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
3510-522: The line. Locomotive power initially was restricted to those suitable for use on light railways, and this is thought to include Beattie 2-4-0 well tanks. In later years the M7 0-4-4T class came to dominate. When the West Country light pacific 21C110 was to receive its name Sidmouth at a naming ceremony, it visited Sidmouth for the purpose on 27 June 1946, but the class was normally banned until after 1951. Tipton
3588-480: 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 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
3666-422: 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
3744-419: 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
3822-404: The name was changed to Sidmouth Junction on the day of opening of the branch line. Sidmouth trains used a bay platform on the down (south) side of the station, and they left the bay in an eastwards direction. On leaving the station, the line curved round to the south falling at 1 in 110 and then 1 in 53, followed by flattish gradients to Ottery St Mary, 2 miles 78 chains from Sidmouth Junction; there
3900-443: The nearest station was Feniton, nine miles away. There had been a number of railway schemes put forward over the previous decade or so to serve Sidmouth directly but they had come to nothing. On 18 December 1861, London promoters held a meeting for the purpose of forming a Company to build a railway branch line to Sidmouth and a harbour there. The "Sidmouth Railway and Harbour Company" obtained an Act of Parliament on 7 August 1862 with
3978-497: 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
SECTION 50
#17330862660044056-460: The north. Heavy summer holiday passenger traffic and healthy through freight business was the result, but the long and difficult main line 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
4134-400: 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 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
4212-429: 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
4290-422: The original main line, when attracting steamer traffic across the Bristol Channel had been an objective. It traversed a sparsely populated area, and when 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
4368-484: The other two to or from Sidmouth Junction. Three trains each way ran through to or from Exeter. There were three trains with through coaches from or to Waterloo (four more on Saturdays, with a Derby train as well). Through coaches were discontinued in 1964 except on summer Saturdays, as the local trains were diesel multiple units. The lines closed to passenger traffic on 6 March 1967 and to freight on 8 May that year. In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released
4446-534: 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
4524-439: 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 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
4602-450: 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
4680-414: 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
4758-454: The village. In 2008 a number of residents were forced to move into the upper storeys of their houses to escape rising flood waters, and the village suffered again in November 2012: the village has its own Flood Warden scheme, and Devon County Council has estimated the cost of a flood defence scheme as in the region of £1.6 million. Under East Devon District Council's draft Local Plan,
SECTION 60
#17330862660044836-427: 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
4914-411: Was a crossing loop. Just before the next station the line crossed the river Otter on a 55-yard viaduct, then entering Tipton, at 5 miles 8 chains, also equipped with a crossing loop. The name was changed to Tipton St John on 1 February 1881. Leaving Tipton the line now climbed at 1 in 45 for two miles to Bowd Summit, then falling at 1 in 54 for a mile to Sidmouth station, at 8 miles 23 chains. The station
4992-413: Was a penalty clause for late completion of the work. Nonetheless Relf got into difficulties, asking the company for extra payment as he found that he had under-priced the station work, designs for which had not been completed at the time of tendering. The directors made a small allowance to him, and he sued for the balance, but he lost his case. However the railway was complete by July 1874. Col F H Rich of
5070-473: Was for the northbound train to set back on to the southbound train at the junction, thence to be pulled into 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
5148-402: Was formed when the Somerset & Dorset Railway ran into unmanageable financial difficulties and they leased 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
5226-405: 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
5304-408: Was not an industrial town, so goods services mainly brought inwards agricultural supplies, building materials and coal for domestic purposes and for the gasworks at Sidmouth. The branch was worked by staff and ticket at first, with Tyers electric train tablet system being introduced in 1904. The very steep gradients meant that special precautions had to be imposed for the operation of goods trains over
5382-453: 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
5460-466: 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
5538-419: 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
5616-639: Was renamed Tipton St John's on 1 February 1881. In 1894 the L&SWR, which was operating the line, offered to purchase it outright for £70,050 but this was refused by the Company. However, in 1922, just before the Grouping of the railways in Great Britain, a share swap was arranged, effectively ending the independent existence of the Sidmouth Railway company. From the opening of the Exmouth and Salterton section,
5694-494: Was some considerable distance from the sea front. When the line opened, the passenger train service comprised seven trains each way six days a week, taking 28 to 30 minutes for the journey. After the opening of the Budleigh Salterton Railway the train frequency on the northern half of the original Sidmouth railway naturally increased. By 1909 the service had approximately doubled, with trains on Sundays also. Sidmouth
5772-555: 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
5850-471: 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
5928-488: Was then an important manufacturing town, but its location made the transport of goods difficult. Coastal shipping 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
6006-437: Was to be constructed under the arrangements for a Light Railway, and an agreement was made with the L&SWR for 50% of receipts if over £4,000, with an option for the L&SWR to purchase the railway. The share issue was successful and a tender for construction of the line was awarded to R T Relf of Okehampton for £35,000. Possibly learning from the delays encountered in constructing the neighbouring Seaton Branch Line , there
6084-500: 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 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
#3996