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Sideshoots - associated subjects / Railway History and related topics / Re: OTD 21st February (1967) - Shunting with horses
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on: March 07, 2026, 08:48:13
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From 1858 to 1882 the Bridport Railway had to haul the passenger trains the last few yards by horses! There was no run round loop and there or at Maiden Newton. The latter had a gravity siding to shunt the train. Here the train backed up the siding, the engine ran into the station and onto the branch while the guard brought the train down the siding into the bay.
At Bridport, the train stopped outside the station and the engine was uncoupled and taken to the shed. The shunting horses were attached and drew the train into the platform.
In 1882 the platform line was extended a few yards, they could not afford that before. Now they had the powers build to the harbour and thus could raise the money to pay for this extension. But not before looking at building a new terminus station where East Road crossed the line.
The final decision to build to the harbour was taken shortly after.
The following year saw the contractor’s engine running in steam from the station to the harbour. In steam and with 6 horses to guide it down Barrack Street, East Street, South Street and Harbour Road! Shades of the Titfield Thunderbolt!
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / Railway History and related topics / Closure of the Somerset and Dorset Railway - 60 years on
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on: March 07, 2026, 08:37:04
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This weekend sees 60 years after the S&DJR▸ was closed. Final passenger trains ran on the 5th, two railtours ran on the 6th and formal closure occurred on the 7th.
I was on one of those railtours, the RCTS one. It ran from Waterloo via Staines then Alton to Poole. Up the S&D▸ to Evercreech and Highbridge behind 41283 and 41249. 34013 took us up the GWR▸ line to Mangotsfield N Jct where D7006 hauled us to Bath Green Park. From there 34013 PLUS 34057 took us back to Templecombe where 35028 was waiting to return us to Waterloo.
The sound of this two pacifics climbing up to Masbury still echoes today!
Yesterday we visited RSPB Ham Wall, a reserve on which we can take the dog and happens to be on the route of the Highbridge branch which allowed Marion to take a photo of me at Ashcott and Meare station 60 years, almost to the hour, since passing it by train!
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Journey by Journey / South Western services / Re: SWR improvements under GBR
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on: February 24, 2026, 20:47:08
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A section copied from the new SERUG newsletter explaining why it is difficult to provide a shuttle service eastwards from Exeter when engineering work closes the line west of Yeovil. Emergency engineering work to stabilise an embankment near Axminster took place over the weekend of 17/18 January, with all Exeter-bound services terminating at Crewkerne and bus substitutions onwards to Exeter. We know that the work was essential but have to question the decision not to run shuttle services between Honiton and Exeter. Once again communication from SWR» was poor – with timetables only available 24 hours in advance and (we think) a very weak excuse given for the inability to run a shuttle between Honiton and Exeter – it was simply not possible to change train crew rosters!
We had a meeting with SWR’s timetable planners on 20 February and now understand more about the difficulties of train service operation west of Yeovil. The lack of crew signing-on facilities at Exeter, together with the difficulty in gaining access to GWR▸ ’s fuelling/train servicing there, severely restricts the ability to operate little more than a basic service at present – and when the line is closed further east, support for the Axminster – Exeter section is difficult. GWR have no spare stock (or servicing facilities) to support SWR when the line is closed further east. That needs to change – and makes the plans for Devon Metro (item 6 in our Vision above) even more critical. |
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