Somerset and Dorset

The R C Riley Archive 1955 - 1965: Vol 2 Compiled by Jeffery Grayer

‘SOMERSET & DORSET’

The R C ‘Dick’ Riley Archive 1955 - 1965: Vol 2 Compiled by Jeffery Grayer

© Images and design: The Transport Treasury 2019. Text Jeffery Grayer.

ISBN 978-1-913251-10-7 First Published in 2019 by Transport Treasury Publishing Ltd. 16 Highworth Close, High Wycombe, HP13 7PJ

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Printed in the UK by Messrs. Henry Ling Ltd. Dorchester.

2

Contents Introduction

4

1960

52

The years: 1955

6

1961

75

1956

7

1962

93

1958

10

1963

108

1959

25

1965

109

Front cover: A railwayman standing on the platform of the attractive terminus at Green Park eyes the photographer taking his shot of No. 40698 at the head of a down local service. The few cars of the period parked to the left are a harbinger of the many that the station would later host following the subsequent conversion of much of the permanent way in the station area to a car park for an adjacent supermarket.

The station clock on the wall at the far end of the concourse reads ten past one, so in all probability this is the 1:10pm to Templecombe, calling at all stations except Masbury which was a request stop. The journey of 37 miles would take 98 minutes giving an average speed of just over 22mph. Notice the tablet catcher has already been swung out to collect the tablet for the single line section from Bath Junction to Midford.

Station loudspeakers of a square pattern had been added to both sides of the outer roof girder in 1954 but by this date just one round speaker appeared to suffice, as seen at the base of the outer roof girder on the right of the train shed. 22/7/58. RCR 12416.

Title page: Bath Green Park’s Midland shed plays host to 9F No. 92203, Black 5 No. 44861 and an unidentified 4F. Both the 2-10-0 and the 0-6-0 carry ‘82F’ shedplates, indicating that Bath is their home depot. The adjacent Black 5 displaying a ‘16A’ shedplate hailed from Nottingham. No. 92203 was one of the quartet of these powerful locomotives that were transferred to Bath for the 1960 holiday season. Rail access to the two road depot was only possible via the turntable hence if there were problems with the mechanism, which there were on occasions, locomotives could then be trapped unable to leave the shed.

Two substantial iron water tanks, the original mounted on a stone base and a later water tower supported on metal legs, supplying water for the depot water cranes, can be seen behind the 9F. 10/7/60. RCR 14952.

Opposite: Seen from the brakevan of a southbound goods train this is a view of the banker, in the form of Jinty tank No. 47557, which has just assisted the service up the incline from Radstock. Either the load on this occasion was not too onerous or the release of the banker has been a little premature as this view was taken by the abutment of bridge No. 69 which carries the B3135 Cheddar to Oakhill road over the line.

Normally the banker would not have been released until the crew had seen the train safely over Masbury summit a little distance to the south. The banking engine would have been released by the guard of the freight train with the aid of the hook seen hanging on the smokebox door, thus enabling the 0-6-0T to return to Binegar. The Jinty has an extra long three link coupling to assist in the uncoupling procedure. 26/9/59. RCR 14283.

Rear cover: Fire irons a-plenty in this rear three quarter view of 7F No. 53801 on Green Park shed taken whilst the locomotive crew relax on the footplate in between turns of duty. No. 53801 was one of the original 1914 batch of six locomotives designed by Henry Fowler of the LMS specifically for the S&D. This original batch was all right hand drive whilst the further five constructed in 1925 were left hand drive. As is very evident in this view the cylinders were mounted high on the frame and slightly sloped to avoid fouling platforms. Because of the fierce gradients that the locomotives would be facing over the S&D, the chief draughtsman at Derby Works, James Clayton, decided upon the provision of two steam brake cylinders on the locomotive with a further one on the tender. In service the cast iron brake blocks originally fitted wore very quickly and they were promptly substituted for more hard wearing Ferodo blocks. As the locomotives were initially too large for some of the turntables on the line it was envisaged that they would spend 50% their time travelling tender first thus they were fitted with tablet exchanging apparatus on both sides of the tender. It was not until 1934 when larger turntables were installed at Bath and Evercreech Junction that tender first running decreased. 22/7/58. RCR 12415.

3

Introduction

T

hink of the memorable images of the legendary Somerset & Dorset line captured on film and one immediately conjures up those classic shots from the cameras of Ivo Peters, Norman Lockett, Sid Nash, Henry Casserley, Hugh Ballantyne, Roy Hobbs, Derek Cross, Trevor Owen and others. A worthy member of this photographic pantheon was undoubtedly Richard Calcott Riley.

redoubtable Ivo himself whom he accompanied on many occasions.

From the mid 1950s Dick moved from primarily recording locomotives to attempting to capture the train in its environment with glorious countryside and fascinating railway infrastructure often enhancing his photographs. Joining the famed Railway Photographic Society in 1954 run by the redoubtable Maurice Earley, a marked improvement in his results was rapidly apparent and this fortuitously coincided with his decision not just to develop but also now to print his own material.

Like many holidaymakers in the 1950s and 1960s “Dick” Riley traditionally took a West Country break every year and an integral part of these trips involved recording railways with his camera to the extent that on occasions he took a roll-film developer with him in his luggage. Commencing with the traditional Box Brownie he graduated to a Kodak folding camera with a shutter speed of 1/100 but this still proved unsuitable for capturing moving trains. After the war years he experimented with a Zeiss Ikonta having a speed of 1/250 with a greater degree of success. His favoured combination was Ilford FP3 film with Promicrol developer. Later in 1955 he acquired a second-hand Agfa Isolette with a speed of 1/500 followed by an Agfa Record 3 giving 2 ¼ x 3 ¼ inch negatives rather than 2 ¼ inch square negatives. Indeed he claimed that he never paid more than £20 for any of the cameras used to take black and white photographs.

Dick’s photographic archive held by The Transport Treasury runs to some 18,000 images taken over a span approaching 30 years. Of these over 350 relate to the S&D during the period 1955-1965 with the vast majority taken in the traditional summer holiday months of June to September. These months of course ensured that Dick was able to see the many through expresses from the North and the Midlands which characterised the line at holiday times. Working in the banking industry, for many years with Glyn Mills & Co. which became part of RBS in 1969, enabled him to travel widely. A lineside pass and a number of contacts in the railway industry, such as Richard Hardy, also meant he was able to access locations denied to many other photographers.

Despite having taken hundreds if not thousands of images by this time, it was not until 1953 that he travelled on the S&D’s premier train the ‘Pines Express’. Inspired by Ivo Peters’ photography of the line he found himself drawn away from the main routes of the SR and WR to enjoy the variety provided by the more bucolic S&D route. In the course of this he made many lifelong friendships whilst photographing trains not least with the

A considerable number of his images, both black and white and colour, have been published over the years, and whilst the best of these are deliberately included in this selection, I have also endeavoured to choose others that are not so well known in an attempt to illustrate the wide variety of locomotives, train services, landscape and stations that all contributed to the enduring appeal of the S & D. Close examination of his 4

Introduction negatives, which were invariably pin sharp, often reveals some fascinating detail of the railway scene of half a century ago and I have highlighted these where possible. This selection of 160 of his black and white photographs, showing close on 100 locomotives from 22 different classes in more than 35 locations, bears testament to the wide variety of motive power that the line could offer to the enthusiast.

As it is now more than 50 years since the sad closure of the S&D line and more than 13 years since Dick passed away, this album is presented as a respectful tribute to a master photographer and his portfolio of black and white images taken on perhaps one of the best loved and most photogenic railway routes in the country.

As the author of several books on the line myself in the ‘Sabotaged & Defeated’ and ‘Impermanent Ways’ series, which mainly concentrated upon the S&D in its death throes and the sad aftermath of demolition and track recovery, it has been both a pleasure and a privilege to compile the captions for these views which seek to capture the atmosphere of the line in its final decade of operation.

Jeffery Grayer, Devon 2019

As an alternative to the more traditional North -South geographical treatment of the railway used previously in many photographic albums, a chronological approach has been taken in the presentation of his views of the line to reflect more readily the changes in traction and services witnessed over this period.

Here is one of the line’s famous ‘backing signals’ also known as ‘calling-on’ or ‘wrong road’ signals, this example being situated near the physical junction of the Bath and Highbridge lines at Evercreech. Once freight trains arriving from Bath had passed over the junction points, this signal would allow the driver to propel his train back off the mainline and on to the branch from where it could be positioned in the down yard. The five sidings in this ‘New’ yard were in addition to those in the small goods yard: containing a goods shed and cattle docks adjacent to the station building on the down side, and to the up yard which comprised a series of seven sidings.

Shunting in these yards went on round the clock as trains were divided and reformed. 22/7/58. RCR 12447.

5

1955 The earliest of Dick Riley’s S&D photographs in the Transport Treasury archive - this is 3F No. 43419 with a short train of empty stock heading northwards through Cole on the 2 July 1955. Dick had spent the day on the WR lineside nearby, at Brewham and at Bruton, capturing ex GWR Kings, Castles and Halls on expresses racing through on the Westbury – Taunton mainline. Nothing could have been further removed from the latter than the sight of an elderly Victorian 0-6-0 plodding through the quiet station of Cole set in its bucolic surroundings. No. 43419 had been constructed as far back as 1892 by Dubs & Co. and would remain in service until withdrawn from Templecombe shed in August 1958. The attractive 14 lever signalbox was closed in May 1965 some nine months before the line, for not only did the reduced services then operating not justify the retention of this block post but the goods yard here had been closed the previous month as part of the line’s general rundown. The two graceful arches of Pitcombe Road bridge, No. 121, can be seen in the background. 2/7/55. RCR 6181.

6

1956 The following year Dick Riley returned to Cole, which was to become one of his favourite photographic locations. Here in perfect lighting conditions he captured No. 53807, one of the eleven members of this class of 7F 2-8-0s designed especially for the SDJR. They were constructed in two batches, six in 1914 to a Fowler design, with a further five including No. 53807, turned out in 1925 having larger boilers. By 1956 all of these larger boilered variants had been re-boilered with the smaller G9AS type. This lengthy southbound freight service is seen departing from the attractive station probably bound for Templecombe.

Although these sturdy locomotives with their ample braking power were primarily designed for freight duties on the steeply graded S&D route, they were occasionally pressed into service on passenger turns especially during busy summer weekends. Like all members of the class No. 53807 was allocated to Bath Green Park shed from where it was destined to be the last of its type to be withdrawn in September 1964 after close on 40 years of sterling service. 9/7/56. RCR 7540.

7

8

This page: Hurrying north with a short goods train No. 41249 has just crossed Cole viaduct. This member of Ivatt’s useful 2-6-2T class had been allocated to Templecombe shed back in July 1953 and would remain there until January 1959 only to return to 83G, as it had been re-coded in October 1963, in May 1965 remaining until closure of the depot and indeed the whole line in March 1966. Judging by the shadow cast on the rails Dick was standing pretty close to the track in order to take this shot – in the days before hi-vis vests and Health & Safety of course! 9/7/56 RCR 7540.

Opposite top: Another veteran captured that same July day at Cole in 1956 was No. 43248, one of the subset of Johnson 3F 0-6-0s built for the SDJR from 1896 and absorbed into LMS stock in 1930. No. 43248, which had formerly carried SDJR No. 75, was based at nearby Templecombe shed along with seven other members of the type at this date. There was also a solitary example based at Highbridge shed in July 1956. They were often to be seen at work on the Highbridge branch on both freight, particularly the milk traffic from Bason Bridge which No. 43248 is seen handling in this view of the 4:19 pm milk train from Highbridge, and on passenger workings. The milk tanks would be transferred at Templecombe to London bound services for delivery to a number of depots, primarily Vauxhall. Following the WR takeover of the northern part of the line in 1958 a policy of diverting as much freight traffic from the railway as possible was pursued, resulting in milk from Bason Bridge now being sent to London via Highbridge and the WR. 9/7/56. RCR 7542.

Opposite bottom: Returning from Templecombe later in the day and working tender first due to the lack of a suitable turntable there, No. 53807 has just passed over the bridge crossing the WR mainline from Westbury to Taunton whilst its train is still passing over the five arch limestone and brick Cole viaduct forming a lengthy up freight service to Bath. Cole viaduct, bridge No. 119, crossed a farm track and the River Brue and following the line’s closure was demolished in September 1984 although this task was not without its problems. Only 60% of the charges which had been laid detonated leaving the main piers standing and these had to be later demolished by JCB and also by hand. Ironically rubble from the viaduct was used to infill the cutting to the south of Cole station. 9/7/56. RCR 7544.

9

1958

This page: Dick does not appear to have taken any shots on the S&D during 1957 so moving on to 1958 we see an eleven coach up express coasting down the grade from Midsomer Norton with apparently steam to spare and arriving into Radstock North double headed by 4F 0-6-0 No. 44560 piloting Standard Class 5 4-6-0 No. 73049. Double heading of these heavy through services was the norm especially during summer weekends. The Standard had been allocated to Bath Green Park shed three years before following the initial successful allocation of a trio of Class 5s in June 1954. These machines also proved to be popular with enginemen and were capable performers over the S&D’s switchback route. The 4F was also allocated to Bath. The track of the ex GWR route from Frome – Bristol can just be made out on the far left of this view, the S&D having previously crossed over this line by way of the Five Arches, or more correctly North Somerset, viaduct. 12/7/58. RCR 12237.

Opposite top: To the east of Radstock station was sited Radstock North A Box, seen here overseeing the passage of a down express carrying reporting No. 223 headed by 2P No.40697 piloting West Country Class pacific No. 34042 ‘Dorchester’, the latter in original air-smoothed form at this date. Although not one of the locomotives constructed especially for the S&D, these 4-4-0s had a long and distinguished career on the line for more than 40 years both on the lighter passenger duties and on piloting roles. Of particular note is the tablet catching apparatus affixed to the tender of the pilot locomotive which enabled tablets for the single line sections of the line to be collected at speed. It was always something of a surprise to see terraces of miners’ cottages and slag heaps in this essentially rural area of north east Somerset but over the years coal had provided much employment in the area and also traffic for both the S&D and GWR railways that served the town. 12/7/58. RCR 12238.

10

Bottom: A view devoid of trains but nonetheless still full of interest. Centre stage is Radstock A box constructed to a height sufficient to afford the signalman a clear view over the adjacent bridge which at one time carried both standard and narrow dual gauge tracks to Tyning Colliery. The standard gauge tracks were removed in 1909 when the colliery closed but the narrow gauge line to the tips, or ‘batches’ as they are known locally, was retained. The steel span overbridge was erected in 1894 when the mainline from Radstock as far as Wellow was doubled. The signalbox contained 17 levers, originally known as Radstock East it was renamed Radstock North A Box in 1951 remaining in operation until closed on 23 August 1964. To the right of the box can just be seen the low arch, known to local railwaymen as the ‘Marble Arch’, which carried the Tyning Colliery line over the original Somerset Coal Canal’s tramway. The clearance under this arch was only 10’ 10” necessitating the use of specific locomotives. A stack of both new and used sleepers to the right indicates that some track renewal is probably contemplated in the vicinity. 12/7/58 RCR 12239.

11

12

This page: Standard Class 5 No. 73028 departs from the station stop and reversal at Bath Green Park with the northbound ‘Pines Express’. The headboard was not always carried on this the line’s premier service which had been running as a through train from Manchester to Bournemouth since 1910 although it was not until 1927 that the name was applied, the origin of which is generally regarded as having been inspired by the pine trees which flourish in the sandy soil of the Bournemouth area. The ‘Pines’ ceased to run over the S&D at the end of summer services in 1962, therafter being diverted via Oxford and Basingstoke. The last ‘Pines’ via this latter route ran in March 1967. On the right can be seen the goods shed extension serving Midland Bridge goods yard whilst on the left is the original MR locoshed. On the left also are the signal arms of one of the short-armed ex Midland Railway shunt signals. 22/7/58. RCR 12407.

Opposite top: A view looking towards Radstock North station from the overbridge carrying the track to the Tyning Colliery slagheaps reveals the passage of an up express headed by 4F No. 44558 piloting 4-6-0 No. 73050 which was one of the initial Standard Class 5s to be allocated when new to Bath shed in June 1954.

On the far left can be seen part of the track which formerly led to Ludlow’s colliery and ultimately the WR yard. The engine shed, a sub shed of Bath, can just be glimpsed to the left of the signalbox. The terrace of houses on the right, having the ‘benefit’ of a good view of the railway was named Waterloo Cottages, appropriately situated in Waterloo Road which paralleled the railway at this point. The expansion of the collieries in Radstock had occurred in the second half of the 19th century prompting the building of miners’ housing which was erected in about 1870 on the north bank of the River Cam. These dwellings were located closer to the town with large allotment gardens, as can be seen in this view, and the benefit of privies to the rear. The larger houses at the end of each terrace were probably occupied by colliery officials. 12/7/58. RCR 12240.

Opposite bottom: Looking towards Bath from Radstock North A signalbox, we see 2P No. 40568 piloting West Country No. 34041 Wilton on the 7:35 am (SO) through train from Nottingham to Bournemouth West.

The layout of the sidings to the east of Tyning bridge, whose north abutment can be seen on the left, are well illustrated in this view. The wagons in the foreground are standing on the ‘Marble Arch’ road, the restricted bore of the arch being unable to accommodate the passage of covered vans. Further sidings on the right afforded access to the Waldegrave private sidings, Ludlow’s Colliery and until 1954 the GWR line to Frome. The long headshunt seen in the distance was sometimes used as a cripple siding for damaged or faulty wagon storage There was also a separate connection into the S&D’s down line to allow direct 13 access. 12/7/58. RCR 12241.

A panorama across the tracks on the approaches to Bath Green Park reveals a wealth of detail with several locomotives in view including doyen of the S&D 7Fs. No.53800. The 2-8-0 stands in front of a 4F behind which are trucks laden with coal which have been propelled into the coaling stage. To the right of this is the stock of the Bath breakdown train which is seen to the rear of the line of trucks. Behind the signal in the centre of this view a 4-4-0 is taking water and to the right are a Standard Class 5 and a Black 5 seen in front of the original Midland Railway stone built locoshed. To the right of the Black 5 was a grounded coach body which did duty hosting enginemens’ ‘Mutual Improvement’ classes. These classes were part of a movement to train footplate staff in their day to day duties and thus encourage promotion, although due to the generally accepted principle of seniority such promotion often entailed moving to another part of the country in order to find a suitable vacancy. Usually located in some out of the way corner of a depot and often initially ignored by management, such cabins were later recognised as a valuable asset particularly as those railway staff instructing others did so on a voluntary unpaid basis. As at Bath management sometimes provided an obsolete coach body or hut to serve as a classroom. Some of these classes became quite well known and might even publish their own suitably priced pocket sized booklets. To the right of this can just be glimpsed the overall roof of the terminus and to the right of the station signalbox lies the entrance to the extensive Midland Bridge goods yard. 22/7/58. RCR 12409.

14

Top: Another product of Dick’s visit to Green Park sheds was this shot of two of the locomotive types synonymous with the S&D for many years and seen here in front of the original two road Midland Railway engine shed. On the left is 4F No. 44096 sporting an 82F shedplate, the shed at Bath having recently been re-coded from 71G to 82F in February of 1958 following transfer from the Southern to the Western Region. Next to the 0-6-0 is one of Templecombe shed’s 2Ps No. 40564 seen here minus its shedcode plate. Templecombe had also been re-coded that year from 71H to 82G. Behind the 4-4-0 can just be glimpsed the bunker of a Jinty tank and on the second shed road lies No. 44026, which was the very last Midland Railway built 4F which emerged from Derby Works in August 1922. This visitor to Bath was at the time allocated to Saltley depot in Birmingham. 22/7/58. RCR 12413.

Bottom: The graceful lines of the 4-4-0s can be seen to advantage in this view of No. 40697, at rest and awaiting its next turn of duty at Green Park shed. Behind is sister locomotive No. 40700 destined to be the last of Bath’s allocation of these 2Ps until withdrawal in July 1962. On 1 January 1956 the S&D had 65 locomotives on its books amongst which were twelve of these handsome 4-4-0s with Nos. 40697 and 40700 being two of the quartet built by the LMS at Crewe, the others coming from Sharp Stewart & Co. (1), the MR at Derby (1) and the LMS at Derby (6).

The large cranes seen in the background were in the works of Stothert & Pitt a local crane makers, there was also a sawmill in the vicinity. The circular feature prominent in the foreground was the site of one of the oil tanks erected in 1947 as part of an oil firing programme but due to political indecision the scheme was abandoned the following year and the tank subsequently demolished.

22/7/58. RCR 12411.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

16

1958

This page: A closer look at the ‘Marble Arch’ behind Radstock North A Box reveals the very limited headroom in comparison with the line of wagons and it is obvious that the Jinty tanks based here would be unable to pass underneath. The small building on top of the arch was used by colliery staff engaged in working the incline to Tyning colliery and the tipping area beyond. The track underneath the arch led to further sidings and access to Ludlow’s Colliery which closed in 1954, and once formed the only interchange, until after closure of the S&D in March 1966, between the S&D and the Frome to Bristol branch of the GWR. It is not thought this connection was ever used commercially for the regular transfer of traffic between the two rival concerns. Following closure of the S&D, a connection was laid in between the two railways by constructing a spur to the west of the level crossing to enable coal traffic from the still functioning Writhlington Colliery to be taken out via the WR line to Bristol. 22/7/58. RCR 12437.

Opposite top: Dick then moved on to Radstock where he managed to capture the resident 4-wheeled geared chain-driven Sentinel shunters Nos. 47190 and 47191. These 0-4-0 veterans dating from 1929 were ordered to replace three small saddle tanks known locally as ‘Dazzlers’ and numbered 25A (0-4-2ST), 26A and 45A (both 0-4-0ST) that had been constructed at Highbridge Works dating from 1885 and 1895. These were also to be the only locomotives constructed at the S&D’s own works, the main functions of Highbridge being overhauls, conversions from tender to tank locomotives and vice versa, and reboilering.

No. 47191 seen here outside the stone built sub shed at Radstock, which was enlarged from one road to two roads in 1901, was withdrawn in August 1959 and its classmate followed in May 1960. By this time however the low arch of Tyning Bridge had been demolished and there was therefore no longer a requirement for low bodied locomotives. 22/7/58. RCR 12426 Opposite bottom: Never perhaps the most attractive of locomotives, squat Sentinel No. 47190 displays its diminutive height in comparison with the 13 ton wooden bodied wagon seen to the rear. The BR logo at this time, described as the ‘cycling lion’ can be seen displayed below the locomotive number whereas in the previous shot the number is below the BR emblem on the cabside. Weighing in at just 27 tons 15 cwt., the positioning of the vertical boiler in the cab made for very unpleasant and stifling working conditions although this could no doubt be a boon in the depths of winter. Today a couple of miles away down the line, the nearby preservation centre at Midsomer Norton South station has a fully restored Sentinel locomotive, dating from 1927. It was formerly used at Croydon Gasworks as No. 37 and named ‘Joyce’. If future long term extension plans come to fruition who knows we may once again see a Sentinel in Radstock. 22/7/58. RCR 12422.

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18

1958

This page: On the approach to Evercreech Junction the fireman of Class 3F No. 43216 prepares to hand over the token for the section from West Pennard to the signalman of North Box as it enters with a service from Highbridge. Note the shunting signal prominent in the foreground, the track to the left of which ran behind the signalbox and formed a shunting neck to the up marshalling yard which was in use 24 hours a day - until freight traffic was withdrawn in September 1965. Two coaches were usually more than sufficient to cater for passengers travelling this lightly patronised branchline. No 43216 was constructed by Neilson, Reid & Co. of Glasgow in 1902 so was quite an old timer by the time of this image taken 56 years later. It was to soldier on for another four years until withdrawal in September 1962. The wagons on the right are standing on one of the five sidings that comprised the ‘New Yard’. 22/7/58. RCR 12449.

Opposite top: The driver of No. 44417 peers from the cab, as his 4F coasts past the rear of Radstock shed, ready to bring his train to a halt at Radstock North’s down platform. The top of Radstock North A box, which was the tallest on the S&D and known to staff as the ‘Crow’s Nest’, can just be glimpsed over the roof of the first carriage. The train has just passed the prominent Radstock North B box down home and calling-on bracket signal seen above the tender. After a working life of 35 years No. 44417 was to be withdrawn from Templecombe shed at the end of November 1962 and was subsequently scrapped at its birthplace of Derby Works. Radstock North station was centrally placed for the town and the passenger service outlasted that provided by the adjacent WR station at Radstock West by some six years and four months. 22/7/58. RCR 12440.

Opposite bottom: Moving down the line to Evercreech Junction, Dick took this view from the footbridge showing an up train taking water before continuing its journey northwards. The platform with its row of fire buckets hanging from the wooden station building is full of interest with the Stationmaster seen chatting to a lady passenger beneath the hanging baskets which were a feature of this station. A group of nurses amble down the platform to the exit whilst further up the platform a trio of passengers, possibly awaiting a connection to the Highbridge branch, wait patiently on the seat conveniently positioned near to the cast iron Gents urinal with its concrete modesty screening, no doubt a product of the SR Exmouth Junction concrete works. On the opposite side a railwayman trudges up the platform carrying the traditional billycan on his way to the locomotive seen in the yard whilst another railwayman examines parcels on the trolley outside the Parcels Office & Cloakroom. The inconveniently inclined start for northbound locomotives, at 1 in 105, is very evident when comparing the main line to the track in the sidings of the yard on the left which were laid on the level. Often winners of the ‘Best Kept Station’ competition, Evercreech Junction was the epitome of a charming rural railway scene now vanished forever. 22/7/58. RCR 12441.

19

Top: The large running in board announces the location in no uncertain terms to passengers arriving on a down train from Bath hauled by Standard Class 4 No. 75073 on what was a glorious July day. This example, together with four other members of the class, was based at Bath’s Green Park shed for various periods between June 1956 and November 1962. No. 75073 subsequently moved on to Templecombe shed in November 1962 where it was to remain until withdrawn from service at the end of 1965. A product of Swindon Works, it had been initially allocated to Exmouth Junction shed before moving to work over the S&D. The type proved to be capable performers on the route and it was tragic that this locomotive along with classmate No. 75072 were to be withdrawn after a short working life of just ten years. The pair was subsequently towed to Ringwood, in one of the last locomotive movements over the line in March 1966, where they were scrapped by the firm of Thomas Ward. In the distance a short train waits on the centre road ready to form a connection to Highbridge whilst a well stocked up yard can be seen on the far left.

22/7/58. RCR 12450 Left: 4F No. 44457 has just arrived at Evercreech Junction with a service from Templecombe. Waiting in the middle road is the stock for the connecting service to Highbridge headed by Ivatt tank No. 41296. It would have been a relatively simple matter to provide a bay platform at the station for the connecting branchline service to Highbridge but this was never addressed and the unwieldy arrangement of shunting into and out of the centre road to await platform space continued until the end of services. No. 44557 had been transferred from Bath to Templecombe shed in July the previous year and it was to remain at 82G until July 1962 when surprisingly it was transferred to MR stock and ended up hundreds of miles away at Carlisle Kingmoor shed but only for two months until it was withdrawn from service in September that year being then promptly scrapped at Derby Works.

20 22/7/58. RCR 12442 20

Once the 4F had departed the branchline service to Highbridge is revealed with its two coach train in the centre road in charge of Ivatt Class 2 No 41296. Examination of the timetable for 1958 reveals that connection times generally involved a wait of less than 30 minutes but they could also vary from 10 minutes to 64 minutes if one was travelling from the north and from 10 minutes to 52 minutes if travelling up from the south. A couple of spare coaches can be seen parked in the small goods yard to the left whilst some wagons are visible at the entrance to the goods shed, the latter having both a 1 ton and a 7 ton crane. The tall South signalbox housing 26 levers controlled the level crossing over the A371 and provided signalmen with an excellent view over the footbridge. The very tall down starting signal seen above the first coach enabled drivers to sight it from some distance away. At the end of the down platform can be seen the shunting bell and telephone with which the shunter could communicate with the South box. 22/7/58. RCR 12444.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

22

1958

This page: Standard Class 4 2-6-0 No. 76017 displaying its 71A Eastleigh shedcode had obviously been borrowed from Bournemouth depot in order to work this four coach train up to Bath which Dick Riley has captured with his camera just north of Cole station. It is displaying the headlamp code universally used on the S&D to cover both local and express passenger workings – there was no differentiation and this was just another example of the line’s individuality which made it so appealing to railway aficionados. When the WR took over full control of motive power in 1958 instructions were issued to conform to the nationally recognised headcodes. After a token adoption of the new codes for a few weeks the S&D reverted to their traditional codes and no one seemed to mind. The working timetable carried a note that headcodes on the S&D for passenger trains were “A white light at the front of the chimney and a white light over the left hand buffer.” For light engines “A white light at the foot of the chimney.” The driver keeps a wary eye on the photographer who has just clambered over the fence to obtain his shot. 26/7/58. RCR 12510.

Opposite top: With No 41296 in charge, the Highbridge train gets away from Evercreech Junction passing the North box where the signalman in shirtsleeves and flat cap stands ready on the wooden staging at the side of the box to hand over the single line token for the section to the first block post. West Pennard had assumed this role since the closure of Pylle station signalbox back in 1929. There was a crossing loop at West Pennard and the signalbox remained operational here until August 1964 although the station became unstaffed in June 1962. The wooden superstructure of Evercreech Junction’s North box burnt down on the final weekend of services in March 1966 in what was presumed to be an act of arson as a protest at the cynical running down of the line by the WR leading to its ultimate protracted closure. 22/7/58. RCR 12444.

Opposite bottom: Back at Cole again, which must have been one of Dick Riley’s favourite photographic locations judging by the number of shots he took here, 2P No. 40568 has charge of a down service from Bath to Templecombe. It is appropriate in view of the number of scholastic establishments in the area that a schoolboy in blazer and cap is waiting on a platform trolley possibly ‘train spotting’ but more likely, judging by his rather glum expression, on his way home from a hard day’s schooling. The white lining of the platform edging seems to have been a little over zealous judging by the numerous runs down the brickwork. Beyond the up platform shelter, which was located on a section of platform that stood at a slightly higher level than the original rather short platform, can be seen the unusual ‘gallows’ bracket signal which entertained the more adventurous photographers, including Ivo Peters, on occasion. 26/7/58.

RCR 12508.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

Our final view for 1958 sees Ivatt tank No. 41248 with a four coach train heading north from Templecombe, its home shed, to Bath having just crossed Cole Viaduct. These Ivatt tanks had first come to the S&D in August 1950 and examples were to be seen right up until the end of services in March 1966. They were at home on the more lightly loaded services and found a particular niche on the Highbridge branch where they superseded more antique motive power in the shape of the Johnson 1F tanks. Sleepers and chairs lie at the trackside indicating that some recent permanent way renewal work has probably been undertaken whilst the imposing edifice on the hillside in the background was one of the many schools, both public and private, that were to be found in the area of Cole and nearby Bruton. These schools provided much traffic for the railway especially at the beginning and end of term. The particular establishment seen in this view is Sunny Hill Girls’ school which is still very much with us, being known today as Bruton School for Girls on Sunny Hill. 26/7/58. RCR 12525.

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1959

Signalled away from platform 2 at Green Park is Ivatt tank No. 41243 with the two coach 5:45 pm all stations service to Bristol Temple Meads, a train aimed at home-going commuters and shoppers, the destination being reached 45 minutes later. The building behind the train carried a large signboard stating that it was ‘H.M. Customs & Excise Bonded Store No.2’. This Customs House allowed bonded goods in sealed vans to be shunted into a secure area from where barrels were moved on narrow gauge tracks to the cellars underneath the station. This building was demolished in 1981 although one of the cast iron lattice windows was later incorporated into the new engine shed on the West Somerset Railway at Washford. Of particular interest is the train standing at platform 1 which is a diesel multiple unit (DMU), quite a rare sight at this early date. Although DMUs did make occasional trips on the S&D, the first being in May 1958, this was only in connection with excursions and never as regular service trains, the line remaining steam powered until its closure. It was only after March 1966 that diesel locomotives were to be found engaged in the melancholy task of track removal. The DMU seen here was in all probability filling in on another local service from Bristol. The tower of Bath Abbey can be seen in the distance above platform 1 and the castellated edifice of the ‘Sham Castle’ folly can just be made out on the hillside in the far distance. 4/7/59. RCR 13716

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‘Somerset & Dorset’ The end of the line – literally – for a venerable veteran.

Johnson 1F 0-4-4T No. 58086, built by Dubs & Co. in 1900, ends its working life parked on a siding at Green Park loco yard where it was to spend over a year in store before being formally withdrawn in July 1960 and ultimately towed away for scrapping in September 1960. Sacking over the chimney was a sure sign that locomotives were out of use, either temporarily or as it proved to be in this case here, unfortunately permanently. A fireman’s shovel has also been placed on top of the tank top. No. 58086, based at Templecombe, was the final member of the class at work and not only on the S&D, as it outlasted its classmates anywhere in the country by more than four years. No 58086 also differed from its classmates in having a slightly larger water capacity of 1270 gallons as opposed to the standard 1150 gallons. Largely confined to the lightly loaded Highbridge branch services these tanks were occasionally called upon elsewhere to help out in an emergency such as occurred at Bath in April 1955 when the shed found themselves short of tank locomotives and borrowed one of the Johnson tanks from Highbridge depot. No. 58072 was nominated and it was to be seen particularly on the less than arduous 6.05 pm two coach local all stations stopper from Bath to Binegar. 4/7/59 . RCR 13717.

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1959

This page: The photographer has walked along the trackside to the north of Midford station to obtain this low level shot of 7F No. 53802 heading towards Bath with an up freight service from Evercreech Junction.

This was a somewhat perilous position in which to take pictures for the land to the left fell away sharply to the bed of the former Somerset Coal canal some 40 feet below. Although not generally a problem for slow moving freight trains such as the above, the faster express services were required to collect the tablet from the Whittaker apparatus by the signalbox at speed although just occasionally the exchange did not go smoothly with the tablet ending up down the bank in the garden or on the roof of the adjacent hostelry the ‘Hope & Anchor’ or even irretrievably lost. It was for this reason that locomotive crews and signalmen were always ready to ‘watch the tablet’ so that if it did fly off in the wrong direction there was a chance it might be recovered. This was of course fine during the day but near impossible in the dark. In March of the following year, 1960, No. 53802 was to be the second member of the class to be withdrawn from service. 6/7/59. RCR 13732.

Opposite bottom: The handsome facade of Green Park station was designed by the chief architect of the Midland Railway John Holloway Sanders whilst the train shed was to the design of John Sydney Crossley.

The impressive building greeted travellers from the city of Bath although in this 1959 view it is looking in less than pristine condition, a far cry from today when the stonework has been cleaned and the station extensively renovated. Posters on the wall advertise summertime trips to Poole and Bournemouth on Saturdays and Sundays and a poster featuring an elephant advises passengers not to forget their luggage. Opening times of the station on Sundays, not a normal operating day for the S&D except in summer, are given as 7:30 am – 11:30 am, during which time the 9:30 am and 10:05 am services to Bournemouth departed and 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The notice also states, perhaps rather grudgingly, that ‘When closed, train enquiries can be made at Bath Spa station’. (Meaning the WR station a few minutes walk away.) The sign attached to the cast iron cab shelter formerly proclaimed ‘LMS and S&D Station’ but by the date of this shot it was simply ‘Bath Green Park’. 5/7/59. RCR 13721.

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1959

This page: 2P No. 40698 has charge of a four coach up local service from Templecombe to Bath and is crossing Midford viaduct prior to the stop at Midford station. This view was taken from the trackbed of the former GWR branchline from Limpley Stoke to Camerton and Hallatrow a section of which rose to prominence as the backdrop to the Ealing comedy film ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’ filmed on the line in 1952.

Track was removed from the branch in 1958. The viaduct not only crossed this former branchline but also a road, a small river, the Cam Brook, as well as the formation of the former Somerset Coal Canal. Two thirds of the way across the viaduct from Midford station the gradient changed from 1 in 330 down to 1 in 60 up. 6/7/59. RCR 13734.

Opposite top: Heading south off the eight arches of the 168 yard long Midford viaduct is double chimneyed Standard Class 4 No 75072 of Green Park depot. The track over the viaduct as far as the signalbox was doubled from Wellow in 1892 but the start of the single line section was moved back 98 yards south of the signalbox in April 1933 as part of a general programme to improve speed restrictions on the line. The facing points were re-sited south along the viaduct thereby raising the speed restriction for up trains from 20 mph to 40 mph which of course assisted locomotives in getting a good run at the gradient up to Combe Down tunnel. In addition to the small goods yard to the north of the station there was a siding situated on the up side of the line just off the picture to the left controlled by Midford B ground frame. This was used only very occasionally and then usually for traffic or engineering purposes, it was taken out of use by the end of 1959. 6/7/59. RCR 13751.

Copies of the images within this volume (along with tens of thousands of others on UK, Irish and some European railways) are available direct from The Transport Treasury.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

Left: Whilst at Wellow Dick Riley took the opportunity to observe the procedure for shunting an up goods working, headed by 7F No.53807, into the small goods yard to allow passenger services to pass. The up ‘Pines Express’ had recently gone by headed by Class 5 No. 73049 and the freight awaited the passage of the service seen hauled by 2P No 40562 piloting an unidentified Standard Class 5.The crew of the 2-8-0 while away the time in the goods yard on this pleasant July afternoon chatting with some permanent way men. One unusual feature of No. 53807 was the fact that when it was re-boilered in 1954 the smokebox saddle was so badly corroded that it was given a new casting of 1914 design unlike the other members of the class who had their existing saddles built up to accommodate the smaller boiler.

6/7/59. RCR 13741.

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1959

This page: Still waiting a clear path to Bath the 7F continues to bide its time in the siding at Wellow whilst Standard Class 5 No. 73028 heads south with a goods working and a herd of cows graze contentedly hard by the railway fence. It was one of the penalties of crewing freight services with their lower speeds that they often had to give way to passenger services that needed either to overtake them or to cross them on single line sections and this would mean the train being held in loops or shunted into sidings as seen happening here at Wellow. These procedures could lead to protracted journey times. As with the majority of English railways which served as common carriers, freight traffic was the backbone of the S&D in the decades before WW1 with in 1913, for example, freight receipts accounting for 58% of total revenue.

6/7/59. RCR 13740.

Opposite top: The attractive station at Wellow located within its attractive village setting is seen from the vantage point of the tall down home signal post. The split screen Morris Minor seen in the yard belongs to the photographer as it features in several of Dick’s shots. In the distance a railwayman makes his way towards the 18 lever signalbox situated on the down side and accessed via the board crossing. This box has the distinction of being the only S&D signalbox to remain in situ on the line today. Wellow saw a good level of passenger traffic as the village was rather inaccessibly located down steep narrow lanes which continued to pose a problem for the rail replacement bus service instituted following closure with a minibus having to be deployed. The large chimney seen in the distance served a forge which produced agricultural equipment on a considerable scale for a village smithy. The small wooden hut on the up platform contained the ground frame for controlling access to the sidings and adjacent crossover. The station building is in grey limestone under a slate roof and contained a combined booking office and waiting room, the stationmaster’s office and a ladies’ room. On the opposite platform a small wooden shelter served waiting passengers. 6/7/59. RCR 13733.

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Opposite bottom: The NCB shunting locomotive at Norton Hill colliery is hauling a rake of 16T wagons loaded with the products of the mine which in its heyday was apparently the most productive in the North Somerset coalfield with some 149,000 tons being excavated in 1949. The first shaft had been sunk in about 1839 followed in 1903 by a much deeper one. This locomotive, ‘Lord Salisbury’, had previously worked at Coalpit Heath colliery near Bristol. Extensive modernisation of the colliery from 1948 with new standard gauge sidings completed in 1952 and further investment in 1960, 1962 and 1963 returned the colliery to profitability. However this was short lived and it closed one month before the S&D in February 1966 due to a combination of geological problems and acute manpower shortages. The attractive nature of the landscape in the valley below very apparent in this image was in marked contrast to the industrial grime of the immediate colliery surroundings. 6/7/59. RCR 13747.

This page: Standard Class 5MT No. 73028 makes ready to leave Evercreech Junction northwards with just a brake van in tow. This view illustrates the physical junction at Evercreech with the Bath extension line curving away sharply to the right and the Highbridge line continuing straight on in front of the North signalbox. Also in view are the sidings adjacent to the Highbridge line, The line of wagons to the right front of the locomotive are standing on Cogan’s siding which followed the curve of the down line from Bath. This siding dated from 1887 when it was provided for a local brick maker by the name of Cogan. The 20 ton brakevan being hauled by the 4-6-0 is marked ‘Not in common use’ and was therefore restricted to certain traffic or routes and intended to be returned to its point of origin. This was similar to the RU (Restricted Use) designation given to WR brakevans, the WR being very possessive of their vans and often restricting them to specific workings. Such designations were often also applied to MR brakevans, such as the example seen above, that were working over WR lines. 6/7/59. RCR 13751.

Opposite top: This viewpoint to the west of Radstock North level crossing captures not only Jinty tank No. 47557 returning light engine, either from a banking turn or having performed some shunting manoeuvres at Norton Hill or Midsomer Norton station, but also shows, to the left of the wall surmounted by railings supporting the S&D line, the trackbed of the former Clandown tramway which made a sharp right turn to run underneath the S&D by way of bridge No. 41 to Clandown and Middle Pit collieries This site also marked the former basin of the Somerset Coal Canal. This tramway was initially intended to be a 4½ mile mineral line to Camerton but only ever extended as far as Clandown colliery. The tramway was replaced by a ¾ mile standard gauge branch in 1881-2 but was later cut back to trail into the up S&D line. Rather than being a private line it was a true S&D branch as far as exchange sidings at an open level crossing from where a rope hauled incline extended to the colliery itself. Although masked by the locomotive, the signal arm seemingly projecting from the Jinty’s funnel controlled access from 33 the Clandown colliery siding to the main line. Not visible in this shot but just underneath this arm was another signal arm mounted on the same post but facing the other way to allow access into the siding. 6/7/59. RCR 13745.

‘Somerset & Dorset’

This page: Having set back its goods train which it has brought down from Bath into the sidings adjacent to the Highbridge line at Evercreech Junction, 7F No 53809 waits whilst Standard Class 4 No. 76065, based at Eastleigh depot at this date, gets away northwards with a stopping service for Bath. The 2-8-0 will follow the passenger service homewards either with a freight train in tow or, if there is no traffic offering, just ‘engine and brake’. First of all however, it will turn on the 56 foot turntable located between the Bath and Highbridge lines in order to run back to Bath chimney first always a preferable option to tender first running. 6/7/59. RCR 13757.

Opposite top: Conversation piece at journey’s end. 3F No. 43436 has just arrived at Highbridge’s long curving platform 5 with the 1:15 pm service from Evercreech Junction. At platform 3 classmate No. 43248 is getting ready to depart with the 2:20 pm which it will work through to Templecombe arriving at 3:47 pm.

This 33 mile journey with 10 intermediate station stops will be accomplished at a rather sedate average speed of 22.7 mph. It is debateable whether this train is actually signalled away yet or whether the signal arm has merely developed a ‘droop’ from the horizontal. Although Dick has rather uncharacteristically chopped off the front of No. 43436 from his position on the footbridge, this nevertheless remains one of his most well known images and a very similar view in colour, as well as this black and white shot, has appeared in several books and magazines over the years. Its charm no doubt lies in the fact that it perfectly sums up the relaxed atmosphere of branchline workings in the late 1950s but of course you could not put a price on charm and no doubt the scene did little for the line’s balance sheet. 7/7/59. RCR 13777.

Opposite bottom: Class 3F No. 43248, previously numbered 75 in the SDJR fleet, waits for time at Highbridge with the 2.20 pm service to Templecombe. These Johnson 0-6-0s were not consecutively numbered but took ‘blanks’ on the MR/LMS locomotive list in 1930. The 22¼ miles of the branchline were generally flat with easy gradients although there was a bank as steep as 1 in 86 near Pylle to be surmounted. With this lightly loaded train probably only carrying a handful of passengers this would have presented few problems even for this veteran of 1902 vintage although it is doutbful whether the maximum speed of 45 mph which governed the whole branch would have been achieved on many occasions between the frequent stops. 7/7/59. RCR 13778.

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1959

35

‘Somerset & Dorset’

Above - One of the footplate crew looks out from the cab of 3F No. 43436 as it shunts empty stock, prior to turning on the turntable at the depot. It is passing Highbridge East C signalbox; formerly ‘Loco Box’ until 1948. As the name suggests, this box controlled access to the small locomotive depot, the single line to the east plus a short section of double track westwards towards the station.

Electric Key Token working was introduced to the branch in the 1950s and with the closure of Edington Junction signalbox in 1956 the section eastwards then became Highbridge East C – Shapwick. Highbridge depot lost its locomotive allocation, which latterly consisted of just one 3F 0-6-0, the month prior to this view in June 1959. No 43436 seen here was based at Templecombe at this time. 7/7/59. RCR 13779.

Above: The famous flat crossing at Highbridge as seen from the up platform of the GWR station. The S&D line to Burnham crossed the Bristol – Exeter mainline at an angle of 45 degrees and the trackwork here was complicated by a sharply curved line from Burnham coming in from the left to cross the up GWR mainline to access the down. These flat crossings were relatively rare on BR with those at Retford, now removed, Murrow and Newark being perhaps the most well known. After the closure of the S&D’s A box in 1914 the wedge shaped GWR ‘Highbridge Crossing’ signalbox, seen here at the end of the down platform, controlled the passage of S&D trains over the crossing. The GWR box was closed in March 1972. The GWR goods shed can be seen in the left distance and there is an interesting pair of short signals mounted on the post at the end of the up platform and necessary for sighting under the platform canopy. 7/7/59.

RCR 13781.

Opposite top: With sacking covering its chimney is 2P No. 40537 captured at Templecombe depot. In this case the 4-4-0 would live to work another day not being withdrawn until July 1962. Also in view are another 2P 4-4-0 No. 40634, formerly S&DJR No. 45, and 4F No. 44422. Across the shed beyond the turntable is Standard Class 5 No. 73047 with 7F No. 53804 seen on the far right of the picture. In the centre 36

of this view coal has been unloaded from the wagons into tubs ready for use in coaling the shed’s stock of locomotives. On the far left the spur to Templecombe Upper station rises up and the line in the right foreground leads to the short lower platform and beyond to Bournemouth. The relatively modern loco shed, built in 1950 to replace a wood and asbestos structure of S&D vintage, lies behind the former Dorset Central Railway station building subsequently used as motive power offices following its closure as a station in 1887. 7/7/59. RCR 13784.

This page, bottom: No. 43218 one of Templecombe’s stud of 3F 0-6-0s is seen on shed in light steam at its home depot. The tender carries the fixing for the tablet catcher. To the left is one of the carriages, which would have been in red livery, forming part of the motive power depot’s breakdown train in front of which are two cars of the period, no doubt belonging to depot staff, including a Renault 4CV, FRX 405, with its distinctive louvres over the rear engine. By this date Highbridge had lost the last of its allocation of 3Fs and the example seen here would only last in service for another 10 months before withdrawal. Although 935 were constructed over the years and several survived until 1964 unfortunately none were preserved.

37 7/7/59. RCR 13786.

‘Somerset & Dorset’

Above: The graceful lines of 7F No. 53803 are shown off to advantage in this view of the locomotive simmering on Templecombe shed amongst the usual detritus associated with the steam locomotive.

Judging by the cleanliness of the crews’ overalls they may have only just come on duty. The journey to Bath will have to be made tender first, certainly as far as Evercreech Junction where they may opt to use the 56 foot table available there to turn their steed: the Templecombe turntable unable to accommodate the length of the 2-8-0s. No. 53803 was withdrawn from service in February 1962 and promptly scrapped at Crewe Works soon after withdrawal. 7/7/59. RCR 13783.

Opposite: A classic Dick Riley shot taken from the spur line at Templecombe, at the side of which Dick has left his camera bag. It shows a Standard Class 4 No 75072 climbing up the single line from the south to gain double track at Templecombe No. 2 Junction with the 3.40 Bournemouth West to Bristol known locally as the ‘Up Mail’. This service would then be hauled up the incline to Templecombe Upper station before continuing its journey to Bath and on to Bristol. This was one of the most important services on the line and priority was given to it to ensure connection with the evening mail train from Bristol to the Midlands and the North at Mangotsfield. To assist in the prompt running of this train it was always given the straight run through on all the stations on the single line that had a passing loop and even the down ‘Pines Express’ had to give way if required. The carriage on the left, S3191S, is a Maunsell rebuild of an LSWR ‘Ironclad’ 6-compartment brake coach dating from 1928 and which was withdrawn the month after this shot was taken. Coaching set No. 441 which also included some ‘Ironclads’ can just be seen to the left of the locomotive’s smokebox. Although these coaches were so nicknamed they were in fact steel clad and were also higher and wider than previous LSWR stock but perhaps no longer giving a very ‘solid’ appearance. Set 441 originally comprised five coaches - a 3rd brake, a 3rd, a 1st, a 3rd, and a 3rd Brake but sets 440-444 were later increased to eight vehicles by the inclusion of loose ‘Ironclads’ and Maunsell 3rds.

After many years working on the Bournemouth – Waterloo line, towards the end of their lives they tended to be used on peak summer Saturdays and on excursions and special traffic until all were withdrawn in 1959. Like many other photographers Dick was keen to take both monochrome and colour images of the same subject and this was usually achieved by using a suitable frame on which to mount two cameras, each one containing a different type of film plus a cable release that activated shutters on both cameras simultaneously. 7/7/59. RCR 13787.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

This page: One of the few shots of these Standard Class 3s that Dick Riley took was this one of No. 82039 seen departing bunker first southwards from Blandford Forum. These 2-6-2Ts were introduced to the S&D in May 1958 when No. 82037 was allocated to Bath. Two more followed in 1959, also allocated to 82F, whilst Templecombe received one in January 1959, No. 82039 seen above, and two more in 1961. A couple of Bath’s stud lasted in service until the winter of 1965. As interesting as the local train and perhaps more intriguing is the motorised trolley which can be seen parked in the siding on the left. Numbered in the Departmental Service series DS 3018 it was one of the numerous trolleys used as railway engineering personnel carriers known on BR as the type No. 27 Gang and Inspection trolley. The firm of Wickham provided many trolleys for the railways and in 1933 ten were delivered to Templecombe for use on the S&D however the above numbered trolley does not appear in that number sequence. It may be of course that this trolley was renumbered or transferred to the S&D from elsewhere. In any event it provides an interesting comparison, not least in terms of size, with the main event in this view of Blandford. 10/7/59.

RCR 13821.

Opposite top: A shot taken from the up home signal bracket at Cole reveals 2P No. 40563 halted in the station under adverse signals whilst returning light engine to its home depot of Templecombe after a hard day spent on banking duties from Evercreech Junction to Bath. Both footplatemen are looking out of the cab no doubt impatient for the ‘bobby’ to pull off the signal indicating that they may proceed on their way.

This viewpoint gives a good idea of the layout at Cole with the small goods yard consisting of three sidings, a goods shed, a cattle dock and to complete the picture of course the vital loading gauge. The wooden waiting shelter on the up platform carries the usual complement of fire buckets and there is another trio fixed to the side wall of the main station building. The glass on top of the attractive lamp columns is etched ‘Cole for Bruton’ and a sign above the far room of the main building indicates that ‘You may telephone from here’. All fascinating details of railway infrastructure of 60 years ago. 18/7/59. RCR 13945.

Opposite bottom: Reporting No. M242 carried by Standard Class 5 No. 73047 signifies that this is the through service from Liverpool – Bournemouth West seen here restarting from Cole. The Standard had been held at signals as through trains from the Midlands and the North were not scheduled to stop at this small wayside station. Dick Riley had taken a shot of this train a couple of minutes previously halted in the station with impatient passengers looking out of the carriage windows to determine the cause of the hold up. No. 73047 was allocated to Green Park shed for nine years from July 1955 until July 1964 during which time it proved popular with enginemen who appreciated the reliability of these locomotives. 18/7/59. RCR 13947.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

This page: The signal behind the last coach has been promptly returned to danger as running in to Cole tender first comes 3F No. 43218 with a two coach train from Highbridge to Templecombe. This angle affords us a view of the slightly wonky gallows type up starter signal and of the warning board guarding the board crossing with its imperious warning to ‘Stop! Look and listen before crossing the line’. The ‘Cole for Bruton’ running in board was obviously larger at one time in view of the size of the backing board and in front of this the rectangular feature on the platform was in fact a goldfish pond. The floral display here was always an attractive feature as it was at so many S&D stations where the staff had time to attend to beautifying their environment in between the calls of the railway. It was a couple of miles from Cole station to the centre of the much larger settlement of Bruton and in times past a horse drawn omnibus from the Blue Ball hotel in Bruton met trains at Cole. 18/7/59. RCR 13952.

Opposite Top: The 811 foot summit of the line at Masbury is clearly apparent behind the rear coach in this view of 4F No. 44558 piloting West Country No. 34040 ‘Crewkerne’ with an up service. The gradients were severe either side of the summit with a 3-mile climb at 1 in 50 up from the south and a 1 in 63 lessening to a 1 in 73 climb from the north. At the summit there was a level section of just 40 yards before the descent began. One of the footplate crew of the piloting locomotive has spotted the photographer and is no doubt taking a breather relieved that it is now downhill all the way to Radstock. 18/7/59. RCR 139429.

Opposite bottom: 2P No. 40700 makes its way up to the summit at Masbury with a service from Bath consisting of Maunsell three coach set No. 398 constructed at Eastleigh in 1926, a ‘loose carriage’ plus a van. The train will shortly pass under Bridge No. 69 carrying the Oakhill road over the railway. Carriage sets Nos. 390-399 were used on the S&D but all had been withdrawn by September 1961. These sets were apparently allocated to the S&D partly because their large luggage space, evident in the first and third vehicles in this view, was not required elsewhere on the system and because the reduced seating capacity resulting from this additional luggage capacity was not perceived as being a problem on the lightly-loaded S&D local passenger services. 18/7/59. RCR 13937.

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Top: In a flurry of smoke and steam 2P No. 40564 pilots rebuilt West Country pacific No.34039 Boscastle non -stop through Binegar station carrying reporting No. M241 representing the Cleethorpes – Exmouth through service. On the right can be seen the Station Master’s house, which was occupied by Norman Down from 1944 until his death in 1988, and which must have been a rather lonely posting as there is little in the way of surrounding settlement although a few houses can be seen on the left. The village was some 700 feet above sea level and contained less than 300 inhabitants in the 19th. century. The main settlement in the area was Gurney Slade just under a mile away straddling the main A37 road. The pair of locomotives has been climbing hard since Radstock and their crews will no doubt want to build up a good head of steam to tackle the final stiff gradient up to Masbury summit. No. 34039 had only emerged in rebuilt condition from Eastleigh Works in January of 1959 some six months previously and indeed it was to be the first rebuilt Bulleid to run over the S&D on 19th June of that year when it handled the up ‘Pines Express’. The SR’s Bournemouth depot, where No. 34039 was based, assisted the S&D with motive power on busy Summer Saturdays. ‘Boscastle’ is currently preserved on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough. 18/7/59. RCR 13931.

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This page: 7F No. 53803 heads north from the station stop at Cole with a four coach local service consisting of a Maunsell three-set plus additional coach. The firehole door is open and the fireman can be seen bending to his task of keeping the fire well stocked with coal for the climb up to Masbury which will commence at the next station, Evercreech Junction. The train is about to pass over Wyke Lane Bridge No. 117 the up side of which, seen here, consisted of a brick arch on masonry abutments. Such bridge construction was a distinctive feature of the Dorset Central Railway (DCR) whereas Somerset Central Railway (SCR) bridges had plain stone arches. Cole marked the boundary between the DCR and SCR and it was also here that the abortive connection between the GWR and the S&D was begun but never completed. 18/7/59. RCR 13942.

Opposite bottom: Having previously piloted a down train to Evercreech Junction and having turned on the turntable there, 4F No. 44096 passes Binegar light engine on its way back to Bath. The gradient of the track heading away into the distance and leading up to Masbury summit can be readily appreciated in this view. Binegar had a small goods yard on the down side which closed in June 1963 although the signalbox seen here continued in operation until the line’s closure in March 1966. Gas lamps formed an attractive feature of this rather modest station and what could well be the signalman’s motor-cycle stands under the station awning. Binegar was for many years the terminating point of the 6:05 pm local passenger service from Bath. The station also claimed to have what was perhaps the oldest piece of equipment still in use on the S&D, namely a station hand bell that once belonged to the Somerset Central Railway. The signalman from Binegar Ernie Cross and stationmaster Norman Down called a mass meeting of railwaymen at Templecombe in the line’s dying days accusing the WR of ‘cold-blooded murder of the line, planned and carefully executed over a period of ten years, way before Dr. Beeching’s plan’. Sadly station and signalbox were all demolished in 1968 following track removal and a house now occupies the site of the former station. 18/7/59. RCR 13932.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

This page: Cole was a popular spot with enthusiasts and Dick Riley was no exception with a large proportion of his S&D images held by The Transport Treasury taken in this area. This shot evokes the power of the unmodified West Country pacifics as No. 34040 Crewkerne hurries south with a twelve coach through service from Manchester to Bournemouth West. With such a lengthy train the pacific would have had assistance up the Mendip banks, the pilot locomotive being detached at Evercreech Junction. The last coach is just crossing the overbridge which spanned the WR mainline from Westbury to Taunton whilst the front of the rake is crossing the five arch Cole Viaduct. Reporting No. M220 and the presence of destination boards on some of the carriages indicate that this was the ‘Pines Express’ although no headboard was carried on this occasion. Following trials of the 4-6-2s over the S&D in March 1951, four members of the class were allocated to Bath in May, these being Nos. 34040-43. Although they were transferred away in 1954, Bulleids continued to visit the line regularly from their base at Bournemouth (Central) depot. 18/7/59. RCR 13943.

Opposite: 2P No. 40652 pilots Standard Class 5 No. 73019 on exit from the original single line down bore of Chilcompton tunnel dating from the opening of the Bath extension in 1874. The train is the (SO) Bradford to Bournemouth West service, reporting No. M245. This was a favourite location for lineside photographers, as witness the other individual standing by the telegraph pole on the left, as locomotives would be working hard up the grade. At only 66 yards long this tunnel caused little discomfort to crews of locomotives. The tunnel was necessitated by a small bluff in the hillside at this point and its two bores were a reminder that the S&D was built as a single line with doubling of the section from Binegar to Radstock not being completed until 1886. The patchwork effect on the tunnel portals has been brought about by the use of different materials, stone and brick, used for repair purposes over the years. Today the percussive sounds of locomotives working at full stretch are partially echoed by the rifles and pistols of the Midsomer Norton Target Shooting Club who adapted the tunnels in the 1980s as a rifle range. 5/9/59.

RCR 14227.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

48

1959 This page: Ivatt tank No. 41208 is seen here with SR coaching set No. 398 at Bath Green Park’s northern platform. In spite of its apparent size, the station here surprisingly only had two platforms, the southern one, designed platform 1, which could handle nine coaches and this northern one, platform 2, being slightly shorter accommodating just eight coaches. Both were therefore inadequate to handle the twelve coach summer through trains but the proximity of the River Avon meant any platform extension was impractical. The northern platform tended to be used for arrivals but could also handle departures as seen here where the train is a service for Bristol Temple Meads via Mangotsfield. In 1959 there were about a dozen such departures on weekdays with even a couple of services on Sundays - a luxury denied passengers on the S&D except in summer - over this 15 mile route which served the eastern suburbs of Bristol. Of interest is the refreshment kiosk seen on the opposite platform which was opened to provide a service to passengers on the long distance through expresses whilst their train was reversing either for the journey south over the S&D or northwards returning them home. Such reversals could take from as little as 5 minutes, for the ‘Pines Express’ for example, to a rather protracted 25 minutes in the early hours of Saturday morning for the 10:28 pm (FO) Manchester to Bournemouth West service. 5/9/59. RCR 14221.

Opposite top: Black 5 No. 44963, carrying a 21A Saltley shedcode, with the through service from Birmingham New Street to Bournemouth West approaches Green Park terminus and in the process passes 4F No. 44424 on the exit road from the sheds. These Stanier 4-6-0s were a common sight on expresses from the Midlands and the North and were frequent performers over the S&D itself in the 1950s, often handling the premier train on the line the ‘Pines Express’. There were six different members of the class allocated to Green Park the last of which was transferred away from 82F in May 1958. As replacements for the 4-6-0s, the Western Region transferred a couple of their Standard Class 5s from Bristol Nos. 73019 and 73028. This was not the end of use of Black 5s over the S&D however, for staff took every opportunity to ‘borrow’ one when it arrived from up country whenever possible and of course they could still be seen handling trains to and from the Midlands into Bath. 5/9/59. RCR 14222.

Opposite bottom: A wide variety of visiting locomotives could be seen on shed at Green Park especially during the busy summer months. No. 42791, allocated to Saltley depot, and seen here carrying reporting number M226 beside one of the depot’s water cranes, was one of the Hughes designed 2-6-0s nicknamed ‘Crabs’. There are varying explanations for this soubriquet the most likely being the resemblance of the large outside cylinders to a crab's pincers or alternatively it may refer to the scuttling motion felt on the footplate when the locomotive was being worked hard due mainly to the inclined cylinders producing a sensation akin to a walking gait. Reporting numbers were used to denote trains in the internal working timetable and they were usually a combination of letters and numbers to either uniquely identify a particular train or to denote its route, in this case the letter M indicates an origin on the Midland Region.

No. 42791, which was to last in service until January 1965, was one of the batch built at Crewe in 1927. In all 245 of the type were produced. 5/9/59. RCR 14223.

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50

1959 Left: There were so many photogenic spots on the S&D that it would hard to state a favourite but this must surely be one of them. Perched high above the northern portal of Combe Down tunnel we obtain this view of 4F No. 44422 piloting Standard Class 5 No. 73050 with M213 the 7:42 am service from Birmingham to Bournemouth crossing a three span private under bridge, No. 14, over an occupation road. Both locomotives are working hard up the 1 in 50 incline from Bath Junction which changes to a more favourable 1 in 100 down towards Midford a few yards inside the tunnel. Combe Down tunnel, at 1,829 yards, the longest on the S&D, was both of very restricted bore and unventilated meaning it was often a nightmare for crews having to endure its sulphurous interior. This was a far cry from the sylvan setting of Lyncombe Vale between Devonshire and Combe Down tunnels through which down trains passed immediately before entering Combe Down. Today one can walk or cycle this route as part of the Sustrans Two Tunnels Greenway. Remarkably both locomotives seen in this view also still exist in preservation.

No.44422, rescued from Barry scrapyard, could be found on the West Somerset Railway although a 25 year contract to house and maintain it was cancelled in January 2019 and a new home is currently being sought. No. 73050, now named City of Peterborough resides on the Nene Valley Railway and is currently undergoing overhaul. 5/9/59. RCR 14224.

This page: Another favourite location for photographers was this cutting to the south of Midford viaduct and the entry to the double track section which continued as far as Templecombe. 4F No. 44561 seen piloting 7F No. 53804 had been pressed into service on passenger duty although the more usual pilot locomotives at this time were the 2P 4-4-0s. The 7Fs’ role had originally been on freight trains but in the 1950s they were allowed to handle 10 coaches unassisted over the Mendip grades. As this service carrying reporting No. M227, the Nottingham to Bournemouth through train, was a popular one often loading to 12 coaches, a pilot was required in this instance. The train is seen climbing southwards on the 1 in 60 grade past the very tall down Midford advanced starting signal. 5/9/59. RCR 14226.

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1960

This page: The 9th July 1960 proved to be an extremely wet day as witnessed by the damp platform of Midsomer Norton South station. No. 53809 is pictured climbing through the station with the 5:40 am (SO) relief from Derby to Bournemouth. This had left Bath at 9:25 am and in view of the slippery rails the crew had no doubt been relieved to find a 7F as their locomotive for the climb to Masbury. These 2-8-0s were very sure footed and when handled by a competent crew slipping was virtually unknown. The first vehicle of the eight coach rake is E6248E, a venerable Gresley GNR brake dating from 1920, eight coaches being the limit for a 7F working unaided. For those passengers who had joined the train at Derby the arrival into Bournemouth West would no doubt be very welcome. The figure at the end of the up platform is none other than Ivo Peters who can be seen in his wet weather gear photographing the train. In fact the shot he took that day may be seen in Volume 3 of his own series of books ‘The Somerset & Dorset in the Fifties & Sixties’. Meanwhile the signalman looks on from the dry and comfort of his box. The famous greenhouse which, like the adjacent signalbox, has been so realistically recreated at the preserved station site today can be seen on the right. RCR 14929.

Opposite top: Following a successful trial of 9F No. 92204 on 29th March 1960 hauling eleven bogies unassisted from Bath to Bournemouth and return, the decision was taken to transfer members of the class to Bath for the summer season. With a maximum load of twelve coaches making up the 10:20 am (SO) through train from Liverpool to Bournemouth West, reporting No. M242, 9F No 92206 produces a volcanic exhaust indicative of a locomotive working extremely hard up the gradient to Chilcompton tunnel although the lifting safety valves would indicate it had steam to spare. The gradient approaching the 66 yard long tunnel was 1 in 53. This steep sided cutting afforded a grandstand view of locomotives slogging up the grade and indeed a photographer can be seen on the far left enjoying the spectacle provided by these powerful machines. 9/7/60. RCR 14938.

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1960

Bottom: The firemen of both locomotives take a breather as they forge up the grade on the exit from Chilcompton tunnel with a down through service. The train locomotive 4F No. 44557 piloted by 2P No.40634 lean to the camber of the curve as they are just about to pass a ¼ mile post. The train, which is carrying reporting No. M241 is the 7:00 am (SO) Cleethorpes – Exmouth service which travelled down the S&D to Templecombe and thence via the SR mainline to its destination via Sidmouth Junction. Stock for this service alternated weekly between SR and ER carriages which were stabled at Littleham during the week prior to the return journey the following Saturday there being no spare siding accommodation available at Exmouth. This type of working was of course to become anathema to Dr. Beeching as it involved stock lying idle for much of the week. No. 40634 along with classmates Nos. 40633 and 40635 were to spend all their working lives on the S&D. 9/7/60.

53 RCR 14944.

‘Somerset & Dorset’

54

1960

This page: 4F No. 44102 has just emerged from Chilcompton tunnel with the 4:15 pm local service from Templecombe to Bath. The coaching stock comprises three green liveried Maunsell corridor coaches, a usual rake at this time. The 4Fs were more suited to goods than passenger work and crews found them rather rough riding as well as being prone to overheating of their axleboxes. The 4:15 pm from Templecombe called at all stations except Masbury and arrived in Bath at 5:59 pm. In the summer of 1960 the local stopping services on the line, as opposed to the through express services and the through trains from Bristol and Bath to Bournemouth, comprised some five southbound workings leaving Bath at 8:15 am, 1;10 pm, 3:20 pm, 4:37 pm and 10:25 pm plus a short working departing at 6:05 pm which terminated at Binegar plus three northbound workings leaving Templecombe at 7:00 am, 12:00 am, and 4:15 pm.

9/7/60. RCR 14950.

Opposite top: Standard Class 4 No. 75027 pilots West Country No. 34041 Wilton in charge of a nine coach train which carries no reporting number so unfortunately it is not possible to identify the particular service. Two photographers also capture the spectacle, one by the lineside in the foreground and one almost hidden by the large bush a few yards up the track. The two locomotives are forging up the straight section and have just entered the deep cutting which led to Chilcompton tunnel. Following closure thousands of tons of backfilling with household rubbish and builders' rubble returned the land hereabouts to its pre-railway existence as a meadow. This will require excavating if the preservation society based nearby at Midsomer Norton South station are to realise their hopes for an extension to their current track.

But of course there is a precedent for this as the Bluebell Railway had to face a similar obstacle in their subsequently successful extension to East Grinstead. 9/7/60. RCR 14929.

Opposite bottom: The depth of Chilcompton cutting and the mammoth task of excavating the subsequent fill in order to extend the line from the Midsomer Norton preservation site can be readily appreciated from this view taken from further into the cutting. 9F No. 92205 has charge of the 7:40 am (SO) from Bradford to Bournemouth West carrying reporting No. M245. This service will stop only at Shepton Mallet, Evercreech Junction, Templecombe and Blandford before reaching Poole and finally Bournemouth West. Along with the three other members of the class No. 92205 was to spend from June to September working over the line on the heavy holiday services. 9/7/60. RCR 14945.

55

‘Somerset & Dorset’ This page: Standard Class 9 2-10-0 No. 92206 is very much the master of its task as it forges its way up the 1 in 50 gradient through the rock cutting towards the summit of the line at Masbury with the Bournemouth – Manchester through train. Following the successful trial of these powerful freight locomotives over the line in March 1960, four 9Fs, Nos. 92203-6, were allocated to Bath for the forthcoming summer season. They reduced at a stroke the need for much double heading as they were able handle a load of 410 tons unassisted. The loan of 9Fs was repeated in 1961 and 1962 and surprisingly again in 1963 and briefly in 1964 when the need for them had evaporated with the withdrawal of through holiday trains. In 1963 a request was made for two Black 5s in July to assist the motive power shortage caused by non availability of so many locomotives at Bath. This request resulted in the appearance not of Black 5s but of two 9Fs making a return in the shape of 92220 and 92224. Harold Morris, the Bath shedmaster, was particularly annoyed at having to allocate these large locomotives to such mundane tasks as hauling three and four coach locals. The 9Fs arrived with no steam heating facility, so could not be used after September, additionally they could not be turned on the turntables at Evercreech Junction or Templecombe so freight work was largely outside their scope. The giants therefore spent their days ambling along with three of four coach featherweight loads. As can be imagined this caused much resentment as they were very heavy on coal and provided far more power than the loads demanded. 9/7/60. RCR 14948.

Opposite top: A view taken from the cattle dock siding sees 2P No. 40697 piloting West Country No. 34041 ‘Wilton’ on an unidentified up through train passing a deserted goods shed and cattle dock at Shepton Mallet’s Charlton Road station. The 4-4-0 would have come on to the train at Evercreech Junction to provide assistance for the climb to Masbury summit. Some of the through expresses to and from Bournemouth on summer Saturdays in 1960 stopped at Shepton Mallet including the 7:43 am and 9:08 am from Birmingham New Street, the 7:40am from Bradford, and the 10:38 from Manchester Central. However, the down ‘Pines Express’ passed through non-stop together with some of those departing from the Midlands and the North on a Friday night which passed through Shepton in the early hours. Strangely the up ‘Pines’ did stop at Shepton Mondays-Fridays but not on a Saturday. 9/7/60. RCR 14940.

Opposite bottom: Viewed from Whitstone Lane bridge No. 92, we see 2P No. 40569 piloting Class 9 No. 92205 on an unidentified through service from Bournemouth entering the south end of the longest cutting on the S&D at Cannards Grave. Even though the ruling gradient here was 1 in 50 this was still insufficient to lift the formation high enough and quickly enough to avoid the need for a major excavation for the next ¾ mile, its width and length requiring three substantial double arched overbridges. This was truly a major engineering feat and even though it was not a problem on this July day, in winter the cutting was prone to suffer the effects of snow, on occasions becoming blocked. The task of clearing such a large cutting can be imagined. Indeed in the harsh winter of 1891 the locomotive of a down goods service was buried to the top of its funnel for twenty hours here where there was a 400 yard drift varying from four to eight feet in depth. The winter of 1963 again hit the line hard in this vicinity. Somewhat surprisingly the vantage point of these overbridges does not seem to have been often used by photographers and there are only a couple of Dick’s shots taken here in the archive. Today the cutting has been infilled and forty acres have been reclaimed and returned to pasture and arable land. Ironically too the grandfather of the current landowner farmed here when the railway was originally cut through in the 1870s. 9/7/60. RCR 14936.

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1960

57

‘Somerset & Dorset’

A change of scene brings us to the attractive surroundings of the delightfully named Wyke Champflower to the south of Evercreech Junction. This view was taken from Bridge No. 115, unusually constructed for double track, unlike other stone built bridges on the line which were first built as single spans necessitating the provision of a second span alongside when the line was doubled. This would indicate that the bridge here was first built after the line was doubled here in 1884. The sharp curve in the background, which 7F No. 53807 has just negotiated with the 10:40 am (SO) Exmouth – Cleethorpes through train, had a speed restriction of 45mph. The 7F had taken over the train at Templecombe and with an intermediate stop at Evercreech Junction, Bath would be reached at 2:10 pm. This curve also marked not only the meeting point between the Somerset Central and Dorset Central Railways in 1862 but the proposed site of the junction with the spur to the GWR which, in spite of much debate in the 1860s and 1870s, was never completed leaving only some earthworks as silent testament to hopes unfulfilled. As the Exmouth-Cleethorpes service rarely loaded to more than ten bogies it was economical to roster it for 7F haulage as this dispensed with the need for piloting. 9/7/60. RCR 14941.

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1960

Top: Looking north from Wyke Champflower bridge we see 9F No. 92203 with a ten coach train carrying reporting no. W227, the 7:35 am from Nottingham to Bournemouth West. Later that summer the Western Region introduced a four figure reporting number system and W227 became instead 1091. The up distant signal in view on the left protects Bruton Road crossing. This view of a powerful locomotive travelling at speed with a lengthy train lends a true mainline feel to the S&D. No. 92203 was of course to go on to a life in preservation having been purchased for £3,000 by the artist David Shepherd and named ‘Black Prince’.

Today this 2-10-0 can be found on the North Norfolk Railway. 9/7/60. RCR 14942.

Bottom: 7F No. 53805 heads a down service from Bath between Evercreech New and Junction stations.

The first coach of the train is just passing over Allen’s bridge which was a one span private under bridge crosssing the road to a farm whilst the rear coaches are crossing Pecking Mill viaduct which was 60 yards long and consisted of four stone arches and a cast iron deck girder bridge which passed over the A371 road. The stonework in this structure had been patched in Staffordshire blue brick over the years and the retaining walls rebuilt in brick. When the viaduct was widened in 1888 no attempt was made to keep the arches to the same radius as the original resulting in a curious mix-match ‘double arch’ effect. The service would be slowing to negotiate the curving entrance to Evercreech Junction a constant reminder that this line was the newcomer, the Highbridge route enjoying a straight run in. The tower of Evercreech village church can just be discerned behind the last coach. 9/7/60. RCR 14935.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

60

This page: A portrait of one of the line’s popular Ivatt tanks seen at Green Park shed. 150 of these useful 2-6-2 tanks were constructed at Crewe and Derby Works between 1946 and 1952 with the S&D receiving their first examples in August 1950 when four were allocated to Green Park, Nos. 41240/41/42 and 41243, built at Derby in 1949, seen here. Two were transferred away from Bath in 1953 and 1958 respectively but two, including No. 41243, remained at 82F until the summer of 1962. Highbridge depot had a couple from March 1957 until May 1959 but the largest allocation was held by Templecombe which saw 14 different examples at one time or another with eight still being active there at the end of services in March 1966.

Following its transfer from Green Park to Templecombe in July 1962, No. 41243 remained until withdrawal in July 1965. It was subsequently scrapped at Cohens of Morriston later that year. Four examples have been preserved. The plate indicating ‘SC’ carried on the smokebox door indicated that it was a ‘self cleaning’ smokebox and required different disposal procedures from locomotives not so equipped.

10/7/60. RCR 14953.

Opposite top: The weather was still pretty miserable by the time that Dick had reached Evercreech Junction later that same day. In the first of two views, which illustrate the procedure for banking trains northwards from the junction, West Country pacific No. 34102 Lapford can be seen entering the station.

On the centre road, the traditional location for assisting locomotives, a trio await their next turn of duty helping trains up the formidable banks to Masbury summit and beyond to Bath. The necessity for such assistance was one of the main reasons why the S&D was such an expensive line to work with four footplate crew and one guard required for each train so affected not to mention the extra coal consumption for all the motive power involved. On the centre road that day were a brace of 2P 4-4-0s , the nearest one of which was No. 40569, and 4F 0-6-0 No. 44422. 9/7/60. RCR 14933.

Opposite bottom: This second view shows the next stage in the process as the assisting 2P locomotive is coupled to the front of the train whilst the pacific takes water. The fact that both locomotives’ safety valves are blowing off indicates that they are ready for the start of the climb which began immediately at the platform end. The 2Ps had a long career providing assistance on the S&D, a role that would only come to an end a couple of years later in the summer of 1962 when the last of the class was withdrawn from the route. This coincided with the withdrawal of through trains over the S&D which at a stroke removed the necessity for the bulk of the assisting duties as the remaining purely local passenger services were normally limited to loads that one locomotive could easily handle. Double heading was sometimes seen after 1962 but only on rare occasions such as football, railway enthusiast or school specials or on heavily loaded bank holiday excursions the last of which on 30th. August 1965 saw Standard Class 5 No. 73068 piloted by Class 4 No. 80059. 9/7/60. RCR 14934.

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1960

This page: Stanier Black 5 No. 44965 drifts through Midford station with a down goods service from Bath.

One the crew is leaning out of the cab ready to give up the single line token collected at Bath Junction to the signalman at Midford where the four miles of single track ended and the double track section commenced. One of the pair of characteristic S&D ‘backing’ signals at Midford can be seen on the platform whose narrowness here is apparent, a consequence of the fact that the railway was cut into the hillside at this point as evidenced by the drop from the trackbed to the house below on the right. The sunny scene depicted on the poster board advertising the delights of New Milton was very much at odds with the inclement weather seen on this day at Midford! Black 5s had been performers on the line for a number of years, the first being allocated to Bath in 1938 following bridge strengthening work on the Mangotsfield to Bath line, and apart from a short period during World War II they remained a fixture until the Western Region takeover of motive power in February 1958 saw the last two examples transferred away from Bath to the Midland Region with their places being taken by Standard Class 5s. They did appear sporadically on services after this date with this particular locomotive being based at Saltley depot at the time the view was taken. 11/7/60. RCR 14960.

Opposite: The crew of 7F No. 53809, crossing Midford viaduct with an empty stock train from Bournemouth West returning to Derby, will no doubt be on the lookout to ensure a smooth pickup of the single line token to Bath Junction from the Midford lineside apparatus. This locomotive had taken over a relief down train from Derby to Bournemouth at Bath the previous Saturday two days before this picture was taken. As there was obviously no requirement for a relief service in the opposite direction from Bournemouth on that day, the 2-8-0 was necessarily returning the empty stock to Bath for its onward journey to Derby. This seemingly wasteful procedure was often a problem with unbalanced workings. In the middle distance on the embankment to the right, the trackbed of the former Camerton to Limpley Stoke branch is clearly visible whilst closer to home a bicycle no doubt belonging to one of the permanent way gang lurks inside the small shed by the signalbox. The cottage roof seen on the right was part of signalman Percy Savage’s cottage so he obviously did not have a long commute! 11/7/60. RCR 14957.

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This page: Whilst at Midford Dick Riley obtained this view of the up ‘Pines Express’ double headed by 2P No 40569 and 9F No 92205. Both the lineside worker standing on the viaduct and the signalman in his cabin keep a sharp lookout to ensure that the pouch containing the single line token for the section to Bath Junction, and which has been swung out on the arm of the lineside apparatus, is safely collected by the tablet catcher on the piloting locomotive’s tender. The unusual flat top to the signalbox was a result of rebuilding following an accident on 29th July 1936 when a locomotive that had been shunting at Writhlington ran away without its crew on the up line propelling eight empty wagons. On reaching Midford the leading wagon became derailed on points and smashed into the base of the signal-box knocking a large hole in the wall and shifting the lever-frame before ending up on the platform. Following the accident the box was rebuilt with a flat roof which may have been intended to be a temporary replacement pending a proper rebuild although this never in fact occurred. 11/7/60. RCR 14959.

Opposite top: The neo-Georgian frontage of Green Park station as seen from across Green Park Road, the current A367, and taken from what looks like either a bomb site or the site of a recently demolished building. Bath suffered one of the notorious Baedeker raids, carried out on historic towns and cities, in April 1942 the first bomb dropped destroyimg the old S&D offices in nearby Green Park Buildings the blast from which also damaged the station. The road leading off to the left in this view is Midland Bridge Road which led to the Midland Bridge Goods Yard. By 1960 the mellow Bath stone of the handsome facade had become soot encrusted and blackened by the effects of time and the weather. Following the award of Grade 2 listing in 1971, and after a £1.5m restoration, it is looking in much more presentable condition today. Opened in August 1869 and known as plain Bath, or as Bath Queen Square in Bradshaw’s Guide, this Midland Railway terminus was shared with the newly arrived Somerset & Dorset Railway after 1874 but did not acquire its Green Park suffix until BR days as late as 1951. 12/7/60. RCR 14961.

Opposite bottom: The bridge crossing over the River Avon immediately outside Green Park station was of a type known as a Town truss being a design patented in 1820 by the American architect rejoicing in the name of Ithiel Town. The aim was to reduce the labour costs inherent in constructing timber bridges and from the late 1840s the design was adapted in Britain for construction in wrought iron. This bridge over the Avon Bridge remains a fine surviving example although since closure of the railway has now been adapted to provide vehicular and pedestrian access to the Sainsbury's supermarket which occupies part of the site. In this view taken on 12th July 1960, Standard Class 5 No. 73087 gets away from Green Park station with a down service. The stone built water tower for the Midland Railway can be seen in front of the locomotive to the rear of the MR locoshed. The rear of one of Bath’s lesser known Georgian terraces, Norfolk Crescent, which was constructed between about 1793 and 1822 and is now Grade II* listed, can be seen on the right above the coach. No doubt the intrusion of the Midland Railway in such close proximity in 1869 was not welcomed by the residents. The closeness of the river to the end of the platform effectively prevented any extension of the facilities to allow all coaches of the longer through trains to access the platform. 12/7/60. RCR 14962.

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1960

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

This page: Whilst a railwayman looks on from the cab of Standard Class 5 No. 73047, 7F No. 53807 simmers on Green Park shed. The Fowler 2-8-0 is standing at the point where a track branched off and led round the back of the S&D shed to serve a covered wharf beside the River Avon, beneath the railway bridge leading into the station, appropriately known as the ‘Boat Road’. From this spot and until 1912, the Midland Railway operated boats which served Bradford on Avon and Trowbridge, via the Kennet & Avon canal, primarily carrying paper, flock, rags and rubber. The Boat Road was also extended northwards to serve saw mills and Stothert & Pitt’s Victoria Engineering Works. No 53807 was to prove to be the last 7F to remain in service when on Saturday 5th. September 1964 it worked the 11 am freight from Bath to Evercreech Junction. Due to lack of traffic the locomotive sadly returned just ‘engine and brake’ and after turning on Green Park’s turntable was placed on the ‘withdrawn’ road and its fire dropped for the last time.

A half century of 7F service over the S&D had come to an end. 12/7/60. RCR 14965.

Opposite: A portrait of Bath Green Park’s locomotive shedmaster Harold Morris, attired in jacket and tie and wearing his trademark trilby, proudly posing in front of one of his charges No. 53807. He had taken up his post in 1956 upon the transfer of the previous incumbent through ill health and he was to remain in post presiding over the rundown and eventual closure of the line ten years later in 1966. He was a thoroughly practical railwayman with much experience of the operational side of things and was to prove popular with both staff and enthusiasts alike often accompanying visitors to the footplate on trips over the line. Right until the bitter end a rather intimidating portrait of Alfred Whittaker, locomotive superintendent of the line from 1889 until 1911 and inventor of the line’s famous tablet apparatus, hung on the wall in the shedmaster’s office. 12/7/60. RCR 14966.

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1960

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

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This page: Jinties were for many years a feature of the small sub shed of Bath Green Park located at Radstock, and there were usually a couple based here for assisting freight trains up to Masbury summit, for shunting the yards at Radstock and to service the collieries at Writhlington and Norton Hill. No. 47275 seen here outside the stone built two road shed was awaiting its next turn of duty. The sliding doors in the side wall of the shed gave access to the sand hopper and furnace for drying the sand, the chimney of the furnace being visible above. Dry sand was an essential here to supply the sandboxes of banking locomotives which were called upon to work often on wet or greasy rails assisting freights up to Masbury summit. Remarkably seven years after closure of the line the building was again to host a Jinty tank when preserved example No. 47493 was temporarily housed here in 1973 en route from Barry scrapyard to the East Somerset Railway at nearby Cranmore. It was to return to S&D metals in 2005 when it visited the Midsomer Norton preservation site. The ultimately unsuccessful preservation society based at Radstock leased part of the shed from BR to house its stock including 7F No. 53808 prior to its transfer to the West Somerset Railway. A BR diesel shunter retained to handle coal traffic from Writhlington colliery was also housed here until closure of the colliery in 1973. The shed was demolished as part of the local authority redevelopment of the whole area during 1979/80. 12/7/60. RCR 14972.

Opposite top: Leaning from the window of his 16 lever signal box is long time Midford signalman Percy Savage, who had 46 years railway service, and who with fellow signalman Harry Wiltshire maintained the box in tip top condition right until the closure of the line. The box may have been small but its importance in the timely running of S&D trains was crucial as it controlled the bottleneck 3 mile 76 chain single line section from Midford to Bath Junction. In front of the box is the Whittaker table exchanging apparatus. The interior of the box has been lovingly recreated today at Washford station on the West Somerset Railway.

The wooden post of the down starting signal seen on the left had developed a noticeable sway whenever the upper quadrant arm was pulled off and was later replaced by the WR with a tubular metal post with a lower quadrant arm. Until electric lighting was provided in the signalbox in 1958, the interior was lit by oil lamps. Visitors were always welcomed inside whilst Ivo Peters recalls that in the 1950s all boxes on the line were invariably kept neat and tidy but Midford stood out from all the others stating that it “positively gleamed!” 12/7/60. RCR 14969.

Opposite bottom: Radstock North station looking west towards the level crossing gates which together with the adjacent set crossing the WR line from Bristol to Frome were to prove something of a traffic bottleneck especially on summer weekends when one or both sets of gates always seemed to be closed to road users. On summer Saturdays in the 1950s increasing road traffic required the provision of station staff armed with red flags to assist the signalmen in halting traffic, which often stretched for miles either side of the town, thereby allowing the gates to be closed. A small murky subway, often flooded after heavy rain was constructed beneath the S&D line but this had very limited headroom, in addition this had a sharp bend and was only wide enough for a single vehicle thus being suitable for only the lightest traffic. In this view the down platform waiting shelter is stacked high with pigeon baskets, the carriage of racing pigeons for later release down the line being a lucrative traffic for the S&D. The firm of Caswells, whose Radstock premises can be seen over the road behind the signal, remained in business in the area, in neighbouring Midsomer Norton to be exact, until 2015. 12/7/60. RCR 69 14970.

Left: With safety valves lifting 7F No. 53807 waits to leave Radstock North with a down freight train. The all wooden Radstock North B box was built in 1907 replacing the original dating from 1874.

Originally known as Radstock West the box was renamed North B in 1949 with the nearby GWR signalbox assuming the name Radstock West. The notices on the right warn passengers intending to use the board crossing although there was a footbridge crossing the tracks at the other end of the station which was available to them.

Beneath the running in board behind these signs a gradient post was located indicating the start of the eight mile climb to Masbury initially at a grade of 1 in 55. The line coming in from the right joining the up line beyond the level crossing formerly served a gas works, Middle Pit and Clandown collieries. Clandown closed in 1929 followed by Middle Pit in 1933 but the first section of the line remained in use to supply coal from Ludlow’s Colliery to the gas works. All traffic on the branch ceased about 1955 after closure of the gas works however the line was not closed formally until seven months after the date of this image when the junction seen here was severed during relaying of the main line. 12/7/60. RCR 14973.

Opposite top: The signalman at the small Chilcompton box, which was to an S&D Type 2 design with a 13 lever Stephens pattern frame, looks out at the photographer capturing the attractive well kept box with its brick and timber superstructure sitting on a stone base topped off with a floral display. The brick was probably added at some period in the life of the box to replace rotting timber. An unusual feature of the box was the lack of shunting signals, all such movements being carried out by hand flagging from the box. This box dating from 1886 replaced an earlier one of 1876 when the line through Chilcompton was doubled. The gradient through the station eased to 1 in 300 to assist locomotives restarting from a station stop. Two water towers were provided to feed the columns of which there was one located opposite the box with the other at the end of the up platform. Due to the elevation of station, at over 700 feet above sea level, these columns were regularly boarded up as a frost protection in the severest weather. Water was often taken here by banking locomotives returning to Radstock needing to replenish their tanks after their exertions assisting trains up to Masbury summit. The box also controlled access to the goods yard and sidings which were previously controlled by a ground frame. In the year of this view, the box was open from 6:40 am until 9:10 pm on weekdays. It also had a closing switch enabling it to be ‘switched out’ at other times providing access to the goods yard was not required. It closed permanently on 11th April 1965.

12/7/60. RCR 14975.

Opposite bottom: Often shrouded in mist and low cloud due to its elevation, Masbury station takes on a more attractive appearance in this view taken on a day in high summer. Whilst Dick had climbed one of the signal ladders to obtain this panoramic shot, a spectator possibly a fellow photographer, stands at the end of the up platform, near the gradient post indicating that the 1 in 50 incline lessened to 1 in 300 through the station. Due to its rather remote situation the station here was never well patronised although in the early days of the 20thc excursions to the Mendip Hills were advertised involving a connecting horse brake from Masbury station to Wells Cathedral which was advertised as being “Only 3 miles from Masbury station with the road between the two points commanding extensive and varied views of the surrounding country.” The station was downgraded to a halt in 1935 and became unstaffed, apart from the signalman in his 24 lever box. A small goods yard was situated on the up side which was enlarged during WW2 to cater for a large US Army camp located nearby. The course of an old gated siding can be seen on the right in this image which was augmented during World War 1 and World War II to serve a stone crushing plant.

The station design was markedly different from others on the line and the stationmaster’s house was of solid construction to withstand the adverse weather that can often be experienced here. It featured a bay window which famously carried a stone carving of a mythical medieval castle with portcullis and 70 certainly bearing no resemblance to the real crenellations carrying the legend ‘Maesbury Castle’ but

Maesbury Castle which is in fact an Iron Age hill fort. It had originally been intended to name the station Dinder but this might have been stretching a point as the village of Dinder was 600 feet below and three miles away from the station.

Masbury’s other claim to fame must surely be the fact that chapel services were held in the waiting room on Sunday evenings for some years after World War 1, preparation of the room on Saturday evenings being part of the porter’s duties.12/7/60.

RCR 14981.

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1960

This page: Templecombe, and 3F No. 43194 is seen crossing from the up to the down line on the spur line leading up from the S&D mainline to the former LSWR Waterloo-Exeter route. The 0-6-0 is running back to Templecombe shed after having just assisted a train up the incline. This spur allowed interchange of passengers and freight between the two concerns but was operationally extremely inconvenient involving reversals and the attachment of a locomotive to the rear of up trains in order to draw them up to the high level station or the attachment of locomotives to the rear of down trains in order to draw them back down the incline to regain S&D metals. Note the balloon water tank on the left which was often used by the locomotives of freight trains and by light engines whilst waiting pilot duties between the S&D and the Upper station. S&D No. 62 which was to become BR No. 43194 had only another five months of life before withdrawal at the end of the year. 12/7/60. RCR 14983.

Opposite top: An aerial view presumably taken from the top of the signal post on the down platform, one assumes with the agreement of the signalman who can be seen descending the steps of his box, reveals the layout at Shepton Mallet’s Charlton Road station. Unfortunately the S&D station was situated rather inconveniently for the town in comparison with the GWR’s High Street station on the Witham – Wells – Yatton branch. Whilst perhaps not in the same league as Ivo Peters’ Bentley, the split screen Morris Minor YHX 757 seen parked on the left and featured in a previous shot at Wellow and in a later shot at Bailey Gate belonged to Dick Riley. The 55 mph speed restriction sign located just past the tall up starting signal was necessary to enable up trains to safely negotiate the curving 27 arch Charlton Road viaduct just glimpsed beyond the footbridge. The line can be seen continuing its sweeping curve behind the tall chimney on its climb up to Masbury summit. It would appear that on the down side the rails have been recently relaid with concrete sleepers and fresh ballast. 12/7/60. RCR 14978.

Opposite bottom: A clearer view of the impressive viaduct is obtained in this view of Standard Class 4 No. 75072 getting away from Shepton Mallet with an up service. The tall up advance starting signal enabled drivers of non-stopping northbound trains to see its aspect from the bridges to the south of the station and thereby get a good run at the viaduct subject of course to the speed restriction. There was another up (advanced starting) signal located on the viaduct itself. The wagons are standing on one of the tracks in the down yard which contained sidings serving a stone crushing plant and an adjacent quarry which produced ballast for the railway. The tall building seen behind the rooftops on the left was the Co-op bacon factory and there was considerable traffic for the railway in moving live pigs and the resulting bacon to and from the factory. 12/7/60. RCR 14979.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’ Left: 7F No. 53808 is seen coming off Templecombe shed ready for its next turn of duty. Fortunately it was to end up in Barry scrapyard after withdrawal by BR and as is well known was rescued for preservation along with sister locomotive No. 53809, quite a good survival rate for a class of just 11 locomotives. Today it is based on the West Somerset Railway. This view was taken from the spur line leading up to Templecombe Upper station, the connection to which is out of camera to the lower left. This elevated vantage point provided a grandstand view of the shed and the comings and goings of its locomotives and of the single track mainline to the south which would shortly pass beneath the LSWR mainline. 12/7/60. RCR 14987.

Fresh from an overhaul and in sparkling external condition, 4F No. 44559, an Armstrong Whitworth product dating from 1922 heads the four coach 4:16 Evercreech Junction to Bournemouth West train down the single line at Templecombe to Blandford and beyond. This was a service designed to provide a connection from the down ‘Pines Express’, which ran non-stop between Evercreech Junction and Blandford Forum, to the intermediate stations. The ‘Pines’ arrived at the Junction at 4.05 pm leaving three minutes later with the connecting train leaving eight minutes after that. In the distance close by the signals adjacent to the signalbox can be seen the pilot locomotive which has brought the train down the incline following its stop at Templecombe upper station. 12/7/60. RCR 14985.

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1961

Two foreigners at Green Park! Whilst the pannier tank lurking inside the Midland shed might give rise to some comment, attention must surely be focussed on the Royal Scot class 4-6-0 No. 46160 Queen Victoria’s Rifleman from Saltley shed seen outside. The Scot had come into Bath from the Midlands on a through holiday service destined for Bournemouth and was on shed awaiting its return working. With the gradual displacement of steam by diesel on the MR, such locomotives as the Royal Scots were relegated to secondary duties thus increasing the frequency with which they were noted at Bath. Indeed, one was never quite sure what might turn up at Bath on summer Saturdays from the north and over the years Jubilees, Scots, Crabs, Patriots, Britannia pacifics, B1s and even WR Granges, Castles and 4300 Class moguls amongst others ensured there was a wide variety of motive power to be seen. This pannier tank was the first manifestation of the takeover of motive power by the Western Region in 1958 No. 3742 being one of the 5700 Class of 0-6-0PTs designed by Collett in 1929. More than 800 of this class were constructed with this example allocated to Green Park as early as January 1959. One can only imagine the reaction of enginemen to this interloper. Before closure in 1966 Collett 2251 Class 0-6-0s and, 9400 class panniers would be seen at 82F whilst Templecombe hosted 5700 Class and 2251 Class examples. 1/7/61.

RCR 15946.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

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This page: Dick took a series of shots of the manoeuvres at Midsomer Norton South which led to the departure of this coal train. Jinty No. 47316, S&D No. 25 one of the last of the half dozen examples built

by Bagnalls in 1929 to remain on the S&D, has just added its load of coal wagons from the nearby colliery at Norton Hill to the 7F’s train. The 3F will then pilot the goods train down to Radstock its home sub shed with the 7F continuing to Bath. The signalman leans out of the window of his box observing matters as the driver of No. 53810 clambers back on board his steed. The appearance of the platforms and of the box was considerably enhanced by the profusion of floral displays all thanks no doubt to the products of that famous greenhouse. 3/7/61. RCR 15951.

Opposite top: In what was once a rural setting, but later developed into one of the suburbs of Bath, Maple Grove bridge situated in Bloomfield cutting, from which this shot was taken, was another favourite with photographers. In this view Standard Class 5 No. 73051 emerges from Devonshire tunnel with an up service. At 447 yards in length this was not such a daunting prospect for enginemen heading trains up the grade from Bath as Combe Down tunnel, but like its longer neighbour it too was of very restricted headroom and lacked any ventilation shafts. Springs tapped during its construction were fed into a holding tank inside the tunnel and the water was piped to Bath loco to provide a supply for the shed located some 114 feet in the valley below. After closure of the line the cutting was infilled and the tunnel portal buried only to be exposed again many years later to allow the Two Tunnels Greenway to be opened in 2013. 1/7/61. RCR 15945.

Opposite bottom: This view was taken from one of the two tall water towers located at Chilcompton looking towards Binegar as a ten coach through train headed by 2P 40700 piloting an unrecorded rebuilt West Country pacific passes through. The 4-4-0 would have been attached at Evercreech Junction for the climb over the Mendips and would carry on to Bath where the train would reverse for its onward journey north. The sidings on the down side seen here handled coal brought half a mile by road from New Rock colliery situated at the outer edge of the Somerset coalfield which at its peak produced about 200 tons of coal per day. To avoid double handling, an overhead ropeway was authorised in 1919 to connect the colliery and the station but this was never built. A small heap of coal can be seen to the left of the parked car. The colliery closed in September 1968 outlasting the S&D by some 2½ years. Chilcompton station was enhanced by the flower borders encased in white painted stones seen on the up platform. This platform was also reinforced on the valley side which dropped away steeply here to the River Somer flowing below. 1/7/61. RCR 15944.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

This page: Norton Hill colliery in Midsomer Norton provided much traffic for the S&D over the years and the NCB provided their own shunting locomotives. Lord Salisbury seen here was a Peckett dating from 1906 which was scrapped in 1965. There was also an 0-4-0ST named Leonidas, Works No. 3159, of 1916 built by Hawthorn Leslie which worked here from 1951 until scrapped in 1955 and an 0-4-0ST built by Peckett in 1929 which came to the colliery in 1950. In the final years of colliery operation a Hunslet, Works No. 1684, 0-4-0T built in 1931 and now based on the Middleton Railway in Leeds, where it has since been named Mendip Collier, was in use. This locomotive was transferred to the nearby Kilmersdon colliery in 1964 until 1968 when it was preserved initially at the Somerset Railway Museum located at Bleadon & Uphill station before moving to Leeds. As can be seen from this view, the colliery sidings were perched on the edge of the valley side above the town with the S&D lines seen in the background descending the incline to Radstock. Access to the colliery sidings was by a trailing connection off the S&D’s down line.

3/7/61. RCR 15952.

Opposite top: An unusual item of rolling stock was captured at Binegar in the shape of this 4-ton Calf Box W701W marked ‘Return to Binegar’. During the 1960s a number of these pre-nationalisation horse boxes were reclassified by the WR and allocated for calf traffic as seen here. Other examples on the WR are known to have been designated for use at Dawlish, Oxford and Swindon Junction. Separate accommodation in these vans had originally been provided for grooms when travelling with horses but when calves were being moved they would of course have to be regularly fed and watered and the former groom’s accommodation was available for any herdsmen to use with fodder lockers also provided. In the final years of operation of the S&D from 1959 to 1966, Somerset bred calves were regularly shipped by rail from Binegar and other stations on the line making the long journey to Scotland. Up to four of these vans at any one time might be tagged on to the rear of the 4:15 pm passenger service from Templecombe to Bath, which called at Binegar at 5:18 pm, from where they would be attached to a service heading to the north. The banking engine duty from Radstock which involved attaching these vans to the rear of this afternoon passenger service was colloquially known as ‘doing the Binegar calf.’ 3/7/61. RCR 15954.

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1961 Bottom: Jinty tank No. 47316 passes through Binegar after banking a freight train up to Masbury summit. Having collected a special banking key by means of its tablet catcher on the way up to Masbury, the 0 -6-0T would then return ‘wrong line’ to Binegar where it crossed over to the up line for its return journey to Radstock.

The banking key would then be dropped off at Binegar and the signalman can be seen in this view walking back along the platform ready to place it in the apparatus on the down platform ready for collection by the banker of the next service which required assistance. Hanging from the smokebox door of the 3F is the hook which the freight guard would use to uncouple the banking engine from his van once the summit had been reached thus releasing the assisting locomotive to run light engine back to Binegar. At the station, one of the lamp standards which contained oil lamps and decorative ventilators and were particularly attractive can be seen adjacent to the signalbox steps. 3/7/61. RCR 15956.

‘Somerset & Dorset’

This page: Long time S&D driver Rodney Scovell, seen leaning out of the cab window, kindly positioned this Class 5 outside Templecombe shed to enable Dick Riley to photograph her. Every year since 1956 No. 73087 along with classmate No. 73116 had been loaned by Nine Elms depot in London to the S&D to provide additional motive power for the duration of the summer service. However, in 1960 only No. 73087 arrived at Bath, Nine Elms retaining the services of No. 73116 although Iseult, as it had been named in 1959 using a name transferred from a withdrawn King Arthur class locomotive, did still occasionally work on the S&D from Bournemouth. No. 73087 was transferred away from the S&D in August 1961 so this shot taken on 3rd July captured Linette, also named from a withdrawn King Arthur, during its last few weeks on the line. Only six years old at the time of this shot, No. 73087 would only have another five years of life before being withdrawn from Guildford shed in October 1966. 3/7/61. RCR 15961.

Opposite top: The driver of 7F No. 53806 looks back as he performs a shunting movement on Templecombe shed to place Standard Class 3 2-6-2T No. 82002 into its required position. Standing on the nearer of the two roads of this relatively modern depot is the locomotive seen above, No. 73087. No. 82002 was a fairly recent arrival at Templecombe having been allocated there in April of 1961 along with No. 82001. However, their stay was to be relatively short both being transferred away by September of the following year although a couple of their classmates did survive in service at Bath until December 1965 often being used on trains from Bath to Bristol via Mangotsfield. The wooden building with the rather dilapidated roof beyond the wagons on the far left had by 1965, as a later image in this book will show, been burnt down with just the brick chimney stacks remaining in place. 3/7/61. RCR 15960.

Opposite bottom: The two classes that epitomised the influence of the Midland on the S&D were the 4F 0-6-0 No 44417 and the 2P 4-4-0 No. 40563 seen here on the approaches to Templecombe shed. Both classes had long and distinguished careers on the line with the last examples not being withdrawn from the route until May 1962, for the 2Ps, and November 1964, for the 4Fs. One is so used to seeing photographs of engine sheds surrounded by an industrial landscape of grime and smoke that it came as something of a pleasant surprise to see the charming rural landscape in which the S&D’s Templecombe depot had been built. This of course not only made for an attractive backdrop for photography but also must have been appreciated by the staff working at the shed. 3/7/61. RCR 15962.

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1961

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

This page: 4F No. 44102 in smart external condition is seen at the rear of Templecombe shed and just to the left of the 50 foot turntable which replaced an earlier one of just 30 foot diameter. When the SR rebuilt the shed in 1951 it was intended to replace the turntable with one of 65 feet but this was never carried out so 7Fs remained unable to turn on this table and had to use the one at Evercreech Junction when required. The edge of the turntable pit can just be glimpsed with the tender of a locomotive being turned also visible. Behind the 0-6-0 is part of the original Dorset Central station building. Note the ‘pep pipe’ hanging over the side of the cab, its purpose being to damp down coal dust in the tender and on the footplate. No. 44102, dating from 1925, was a long time Templecombe resident until transfer to Bath in October 1963 where it stayed until withdrawal almost a year later in September 1964. 4/7/61. RCR 15963.

Opposite top: Apart from a brief visit to Blandford and Spetisbury in July 1959 this seems to be the only occasion on which Dick photographed the southern half of the line from Templecombe. When travelling from the north, Henstridge seen here was the last station in Somerset, the county boundary being just south of here at bridge No.161, it was also the smallest station on the S&D with a platform of just 150 feet in length. Henstridge had no passing loop, no signal box and only one short siding and end loading milk dock controlled by a ground frame. Although the village was located nearby and had a population of about 1,100 passenger traffic was always light. The buildings containing booking office, waiting rooms and toilets were a mixture of brick and timber construction. Immediately to the south of the station was Common Lane level crossing the first of six such crossings before the next station at Stalbridge just 1½ miles away. 4/7/61. RCR 15965.

Opposite bottom; Stalbridge, 40¼ miles from Bath, was the first crossing place on the single line section from Templecombe to Blandford, Up trains having a straight through run, as indeed at all other crossing places. The station buildings and three-siding goods yard were on the up side and a red brick signalbox, dating from 1903 containing 18 levers, controlled the loop, which was 1,452 feet long, the goods yard access/ egress and the adjacent level crossing. The actual station building was finished in red brick and was of a standard Dorset Central Railway design. A couple of vans and a truck occupy the goods yard in this view and the hand operated crane is also visible. The line here passed from Blackmore Vale into the valley of the River Stour and with it the landscape changed to a more pastoral setting providing a complete contrast to the northern half of the line with its climb over the Mendips. 4/7/61. RCR 15966.

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1961

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Siesta time at the sleepy market town of Sturminster Newton. The signalman, hand on head, rests awhile in his small platform mounted wooden cabin and the crew of Jinty No. 47542 also take a breather from shunting the small goods yard. The shunter’s pole rests against the side tank and there is nothing to disturb the calm of this summer’s day. The yard contained sidings, which are looking rather grass grown in this shot, plus a cattle dock, a 7-ton hand crane and a goods shed with a 30 cwt crane - this building being seen on the right of this view. There was also a siding that served a local milk factory belonging to the Milk Marketing Board. A considerable amount of cattle traffic was handled here in connection with the weekly market held in premises adjacent to the railway. The station benefitted from gas lighting as the gas works was nearby and indeed a gasholder can be seen in the distance to the left of the signalbox. 4/7/61. RCR 15967.

1961

The second of our trio of views of Sturminster Newton reveals that the platforms were slightly staggered and as there was no footbridge provided, passengers had to make their way over the board crossing. The dip in the up platform to facilitate crossing was no doubt a potential hazard for the unwary traveller stepping down from a coach that had stopped at this point particularly at night. Although the main station building was constructed in red brick, the water tank at the end of the platform was mounted on a stone base. A cunning feature of the tank was the way in which the chimney from the stove, mounted on the platform, is taken around the base of the tank to prevent the water freezing in adverse weather. Roses adorn the station fencing and an advertisement for Dunns Seeds can be seen on the second of the two small timber buildings which provided additional accommodation for station staff. All in all a pleasant enough spot to sit and watch the trains go by. 4/7/61. RCR 15969.

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This page: The peace of this summer afternoon was soon to be shattered however by the passage of an up through express hauled by 9F No. 92001. The driver of the Jinty just visible on the far left looks on as the Standard 2-10-0 locomotive is just about to collect the pouch containing the single line tablet hanging on the Whittaker apparatus in front of the signalbox. For locomotives not fitted with a tablet catcher, a ‘big pouch’ was used and transferred from the signalman to the fireman by hand. Like all 9Fs allocated to the S&D, No. 92001 had a double blast-pipe and chimney. Although it had been built at Crewe in 1953 with a single blast-pipe it was subsequently modified. The two small sheds to the left of the signal box were used for stowing track maintenance tools and trolleys which could be manoeuvred on to the track by means of the run off rails set at right angles to the mainline. 4/7/61. RCR 15970.

Opposite bottom: Blandford, or Blandford Forum as it was renamed in 1953, was always one of the more important stations on the line, being centrally located for the town. This view looking north reveals that the accommodation provided was commensurate with the level of traffic generated by this historic Georgian market centre. A measure of its importance was that most through express services including the ‘Pines’ made a stop here. Not only was double track regained at Blandford, after the 16 miles of single line from Templecombe, but canopies were provided on both platforms which were also connected by the only subway on the whole S&D system. The sign visible by the Goods Shed states that “All passengers must cross the line by the subway” and therefore not by the board crossing that was provided at the platform ends for railway staff. A reasonably sized goods yard with a 7 ton crane behind the down platform catered for a variety of freight including coal, fertiliser, beer from the local Hall & Woodhouse brewery, general merchandise and military movements from the nearby Blandford Camp. Indeed it was considered worthwhile to retain a freight service to and from the town from Poole for nearly three years after passenger closure. Another striking feature was the tall cantilevered 27 lever signalbox which projected over the down siding and afforded the signalman good views of the line to both north and south. The running in board proclaimed that this was the station for Bryanston School which generated traffic at the beginning and end of school terms but Blandford Grammar School produced a more regular daily revenue stream from their pupils. 4/7/61. RCR 15972.

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Top: On this July day in 1961 as Dick travelled down the line from Templecombe to Broadstone, he recorded the stations and trains as he went. This view of Shillingstone has now been largely recreated today thanks to the efforts of the North Dorset Railway Trust based there. Track has been relaid, the main station building refurbished, the demolished signalbox reconstructed and a new down side waiting shelter provided to mimic the original seen here. A Wickham permanent way trolley is evident in this view parked on the up line by the signalbox and indicating the presence of some ongoing engineering work or perhaps just an inspection. The Station Master’s greenhouse is a prominent feature behind the running in board and apparently produce grown here was often ‘unofficially’ transported up and down the line by loco crews. The up-side station building was embellished with a canopy, the only one provided between Templecombe and Blandford. Legend has it that it was installed to protect King Edward VII from the elements when visiting Lord and Lady Wolverton which he frequently did at nearby Iwerne Minster house.

War poet Rupert Brooke also used the station when stationed nearby at Blandford Camp. His battalion marched to Shillingstone station where they boarded a train to Avonmouth and thence a troop ship carrying the British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force bound for Gallipoli. Unfortunately he never reached his destination developing sepsis from an infected mosquito bite en route. 4/7/61. RCR 15971.

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This page: The first of this trio of images of Bailey Gate station was taken from the up platform looking north with Dick’s trusty Morris Minor again glimpsed in the yard between the station building and the stock in the goods bay. Whilst the running in board on this platform merely stated ‘Bailey Gate’ that on the opposite platform carried the additional information ‘For Sturminster Marshall’. The station had originally been named Sturminster Marshall but with the extension of the line to Sturminster Newton in 1863 it was considered less confusing for the travelling public to have just one station with Sturminster in the name so the former was renamed Bailey Gate after a nearby toll gate on a turnpike road now the A350. Whilst there was seasonal traffic in watercress and mushrooms, the main freight traffic related to the dairy products of the adjacent United Dairies, formerly Carters & Dorset Modern Dairies, creamery. Milk traffic from here for London was originally routed via Wimborne but after 1933 it was sent north to Templecombe usually via a dedicated afternoon goods turn. 4/7/61. RCR 15977.

Opposite top: Our second view taken at Bailey Gate features 4F No. 44557 with the 6.35 am pick-up goods from Evercreech Junction to Poole. By its very nature this called at every station to attach or detach wagons as required so it could often be a somewhat protracted journey made even longer by the need to let other trains pass or cross on the single line sections. Until 1959 this working included occasional trips up the stub of the former Wimborne line as far as Carters Siding to collect clay wagons. The fireman can be seen perched on the tender shovelling coal forward. This locomotive, S&D No. 57, was one of the original quintet built by the Midland Railway specifically for the S&D in 1922. It was to last 40 years in traffic until withdrawal in 1962. The rake of open wagons is sandwiched between brake vans at either end.

Three milk tank wagons can be seen on the right on one of the sidings that served the creamery. The white building prominent in the centre background is one of those traditional pubs, in this case the Churchill Arms, that grew up close to railway stations to serve not only the travelling public but in this case also creamery workers and maybe the odd railway servant – hopefully whilst they were not on duty!

Like many another country pub it finally closed its doors in 2017. 4/7/61. RCR 15973.

Opposite bottom: This final rear three quarter view includes the rather squat LSWR type signalbox of 24 levers at Bailey Gate which after closure to passengers acted as a ground frame to enable the remaining freight services to access the dairy sidings. The traditional row of fire buckets hangs from the front of the box above the exit point for the point rodding and signal wires. No. 44557 is about to set off southwards past the entrance to the goods yard and creamery sidings. Part of the dairy complex included a loading platform is seen in the centre middle distance. After closure of the line to passengers in 1966, milk was despatched southwards via Broadstone until this route too closed completely in 1969 after which it was carried by 3,000 gallon milk tanker lorries to Vauxhall. The dairy closed in 1978. 4/7/61. RCR 15975.

88

1961

89

This page: Like many photographers of the S&D Dick Riley exposed far more film on the more dramatic northern half of the line than the gentler landscape south of Templecombe. His last stop this July day was at Broadstone where the S&D joined the former LSWR ‘Old Road’ from the west to Brockenhurst via Hamworthy Junction and Wimborne and the link to Poole via Holes Bay Junction. A large junction station, Broadstone boasted a lengthy footbridge connecting the four platforms although in later years the line to Hamworthy seen in the background was singled and only the two platforms nearest the camera were in regular use, both lines being subject to a 20 mph speed restriction imposed in order to allow trains to negotiate the reverse curves following the kink at the north end of the platform. A couple of trackside workers can be seen cutting back the vegetation on the grassy bank seen to the right and behind them is yet another example of a railway hostelry this one being the Railway Hotel built in 1887 and advertising Strong & Co. of Romsey, the brewery famed for their large trackside hoardings advising the traveller that they were ‘In the Strong Country’. 4/7/61. RCR 15978.

Opposite top: 7F No. 53810 is seen in the yard at Wincanton on Sunday 16th July with an engineer’s train.

Sundays were a good day to undertake engineering work on the S&D as in winter there were no scheduled services and in summer, as here, traffic was much lighter than during the week with just three trains scheduled in each direction. These services were tailored for day trippers from Bristol and Bath to the south coast with departures from Bath at 9:30 am and 10:05 the latter being a through train from Bristol.

There was then a gap until 7:47 pm, presumably to ferry home for those passengers who had made the journey in the reverse direction that morning. A similar pattern applied from the Bournemouth end. The engineering train consisted mainly of ballast wagons but the mess coach, the first item of rolling stock in the rake, was a long way from home being an LMS designed staff coach carrying a Scottish Region prefix.

Permanent way staff can be seen hard at work on the tracks between the staggered platforms. The footbridge and lamp standards, with their octagonal shades, all bear the hallmarks of the SR’s Exmouth Junction Concrete Works. The rather tall lower quadrant signal to the left of the locomotive was one of several with wooden arms which could be found at Wincanton until closure of the line. Although the station here was reasonably placed for the town centre, sheep in the field adjacent to the line lend the location a pleasant rural atmosphere. 16/7/61. RCR 16124.

Opposite bottom: 9F No. 92001 has just passed under Morris’s bridge, bridge No. 21 seen in the background which was situated to the north of Wellow, and was slowing down as Midford’s up distant signal was ‘on’ because a down train was running late and so still occupying the single line section between Midford and Bath Junction. The S&D closely followed the line of an old tramway which had been laid along the towpath of the Somerset Coal canal in this vicinity and consequently traced a rather sinuous course abounding in reverse curves. The gradient here eased from level to down at 1 in 60 as 90

1961 evidenced by the gradient post seen just in front of the 2-10-0.

The single line north of Midford was often a bottleneck especially on summer Saturdays but due to the topography of the route it was never felt economic to double this section even though land was purchased from Midford to the south portal of Combe Down tunnel for this purpose and Tucking Mill viaduct was rebuilt to take double track which was never laid. Thus adroit handling of the traffic by the Midford signalman was required if long delays were to be avoided. No. 92001 was constructed in 1954 at Crewe Works and, unlike many of its classmates who had ridiculously short working lives of less than 10 years, it did manage to stay in service until 1967. It spent three months allocated to Green Park shed from July to October 1961.

12/8/61. RCR 16145.

91

‘Somerset & Dorset’ Left: Doyen of the Standard Class 9F was No. 92000 seen here emerging from the short 37 yard long “tunnel” known as Long Arch bridge to the north of Midford Station with the 9:55 am (SO) from Bournemouth West to Leeds. On top of the bridge can be seen the down home signal and the second ‘backing signal’ which like that at the station allowed the crew of up trains, whose locomotives were steaming badly and therefore ran the risk of stalling in Combe Down tunnel, to inform the Midford signalman, by means of the lineside telephone near the tunnel entrance, of the situation. Once the signalman had pulled off the backing signals the driver was permitted to reverse his train passing the down home and starting signals at danger and setting it back on to the up road of the double track which commenced beyond the viaduct. After a ‘blow up’ the driver might decide to try again or wait for assistance in the form of a second locomotive despatched from Bath. The small cabin to the right of the locomotive was Midford A ground frame which allowed access to the small goods yard which of necessity had to be sited remotely from the station due to the fact that the track in the station was so close to the hillside there was insufficient room to house any sidings at this location.

The goods yard comprised two sidings, a small timber goods shed, a ramp and a six ton crane. It closed in June 1963 and was disconnected from the mainline in 1964. Although the locomotive is carrying reporting No. 1084 this was left over from its previous trip as it referred to the 10:28 pm (FO) service from Manchester to Bournemouth West which the 9F had headed down to the south coast in the early hours of the previous Friday morning. 12/8/61. RCR 16148.

Bottom: For our final view for 1961 we have three for the price of one! This trio of light engines is making its way up the bank from Radstock prior to crossing over Five Arches, officially North Somerset viaduct, which straddled the former GWR line from Frome to Bristol seen in the foreground. The locomotives concerned are Collett 2251 Class No. 3210, 7F No. 53810 and 2P No. 40634. The interloper in this Midland mix is the Collett which had been allocated to Templecombe shed in October the previous year as part of the ‘Westernisation’ of motive power. The locomotives were returning to Templecombe after a busy summer Saturday piloting expresses over the Mendips. 1961 was to be the final summer when the regular spectacle of piloting over Masbury summit could be witnessed. Withdrawal of the line’s remaining 2Ps began in October that year and although a handful lingered on until 1962 on light duties the final members No 40537 and 40700 met their end in July. 12/8/61. RCR 16153.

92

1962

Top: We begin 1962 with a first example from five views taken on the 26th June 1962 when Dick Riley was fortunate enough to enjoy a footplate ride on 7F No. 53810 from the cab of which this view of Bath Junction was obtained. Bath Junction signalbox, seen between the lines to Mangotsfield straight ahead and the S&D single track curving away to the left, came into use in 1924 and replaced both an earlier MR box north of the mainline and an SDJR one close to the brakevan of the coal train arriving from Midsomer Norton in the charge of 8F No. 48660. The first of these Stanier 2-8-0s had arrived on the line in September 1961 with this example being allocated to Green Park shed in February 1962.

They were to prove a useful motive power asset with three lasting in service until the final year of the line in 1966 often to be seen handling coal traffic from Writhlington colliery. 26/6/62. RCR 16637.

Bottom: Dick took a number of footplate views whilst he was journeying south from Bath aboard No. 53810 on the climb to Norton Hill Colliery at Midsomer Norton with the pit head winding gear visible. The distant signal is fortunately off giving the locomotive a clear run into the station. On the right can just be seen the colliery slag heap which must have given holidaymakers from the Midlands and North something of a surprise being more reminiscent of parts of their home counties than the pastoral scenes of ‘Smiling Somerset’ as proclaimed on many a railway poster. In the distance are also the remains of the overhead tub bridge, No. 46A which carried a tramway and footpath, which from the early 1900s crossed the line bringing spoil to the slag heap adjacent to the up line93of the S&D. This waste tip continued to grow until it blotted out any view over the town below. 26/6/62. RCR 16640.

This page: With a Jinty tank pushing hard at the rear and under the benign aspect of Midsomer Norton South’s down home signal, 7F No. 53810 labours up the grade with the 11:00 am freight from Bath to Evercreech Junction as it passes the entrance to Norton Hill colliery sidings on the right. Given that the line to the colliery only climbed 17 feet in its original half mile length it can be considered to be virtually level graphically illustrating the extent of the mainline incline. The 2-8-0 appears to have lost its shedcode plate from the smokebox door and looks in rather neglected external condition. By this date this locomotive would only have another 17 months in service before withdrawal in November of the following year. This freight was en route to Evercreech Junction whence the 7F would return to Bath with the 1:50 pm goods service. 26/6/62. RCR 16645.

Opposite top: Our penultimate view of No. 53810 on this June day sees it held at signals near Midford awaiting access to the single line section to Bath Junction and blowing off impatiently. Dick had climbed down from the footplate and crossed the line to record the passage of Standard Class 4 No. 75009 with a three coach down local passenger service consisting of coach set No. 965 which had followed the ‘Pines Express’ hauled by Black 5 No. 44881 piloting 9F No. 92233. Note the immaculate condition of the permanent way with the ballast neatly angled down to the cess. No. 75009 was allocated to Templecombe depot for just over a year from September 1961 until November 1962 when it was transferred to Machynlleth depot. It went on to achieve fame as the longest serving member of its class lasting in service until the end of steam on BR in August 1968 by which time it was based at Carnforth. 26/6/62. RCR 16650.

94

1962

Bottom: At the end of a hard day, the crew of 7F No. 53810 put their backs into the gearing of the turntable mechanism on Green Park’s Cowans Sheldon & Co. 60 foot turntable. In 1934 this had replaced an earlier 46 foot ’table dating from 1878 which had been shared between the MR and the SDJR and sited between their respective sheds. An LMS drawing of 1931 does show a proposed new turntable in a different position to that chosen - that is on the north west of the site and providing nine roads in a partial roundhouse fashion linked to the access to the S&D shed. Quite why this alternative was not pursued is not known. However, as the MR shed was, by the 1930s, mainly used for repairs with the S&D shed designated as the running shed, this no doubt carried weight with the authorities in the decision to site the turntable where they did. It lasted in this position until closure of the line in 1966. On occasions when the turntable was out of action, recourse was had to sending locomotives, sometimes up to four or five at a time coupled together, to turn on the triangle at Mangotsfield. This happened in April 1953, just over two years after renovation of the turntable, when it had to be taken out of service for a week following mechanical trouble. Of course when the turntable was inoperable any stock in the MR shed became marooned for the duration. Lurking next to Standard tank No. 82041 on the left can just be seen the unmistakeable shape of a Peak diesel locomotive which had no doubt worked in from the Midlands.

26/6/62. RCR 16651.

95

96

1962

This page: Collett 0-6-0 No. 2223 is parked on the siding adjacent to the former Dorset Central Railway building at Templecombe depot. The track behind the 0-6-0T is the single line to the South which passes underneath the first of two bridges, No. 152 Coombe Throop Lane bridge and No. 153 LSWR Main Line bridge, that sandwich the small Templecombe lower platform. In later years only passengers from the 10 pm train from Bournemouth were timetabled to alight here thereby saving the tedious procedure of running to the upper station with the last train of the day. The platform was also used occasionally for locomotive crew changes. At the time of this photograph, No. 2223 had been laid aside and would not be required again having been withdrawn from service the previous month. By the end of the year it had been scrapped by the firm of Cashmore based in Newport. 27/6/62. RCR 16654.

Opposite: Like most visitors to the S&D at Templecombe, Dick Riley also took the opportunity to call in to the SR’s upper station situated on the main line from Waterloo – Exeter where he found unmodified Battle of Britain pacific No. 34076 41 Squadron making a smoky exit from the up sidings with a lengthy freight for Salisbury. Much freight traffic was exchanged here with the S&D and it also formed a useful interchange for passengers wishing to travel east or west rather than from the north or the south. Sadly Templecombe upper station closed along with the S&D in March 1966 much of its raison d’etre having gone with the closure of the line from Bath to Bournemouth. It did however re-open 17 years later in October 1983 and in 2017/18 recorded an annual passenger usage figure of 114,000 persons. No 34076 which was based at Exmouth Junction shed at the time of this shot, remained in traffic until withdrawn from Salisbury shed in January 1966 having run a grand total of 803,425 miles. 27/6/62. RCR 16653.

97

‘Somerset & Dorset’

98

1962

This page: We travel next to the unmistakeable location of Winsor Hill tunnel with its twin bores where 7F No. 53808 carrying reporting No. 1091, a Nottingham – Bournemouth service, has just emerged from the portal of the southbound tunnel passing a platelayers’ hut. The precise length of these tunnels is open to some debate depending upon which authority one quotes, but the southbound bore, dug when the line was doubled in 1892, is variously quoted as being 126 or 132 yards long with the older bore being 239 or 242 yards. Whatever the true figure, the newer tunnel is considerably shorter than the original and is entirely brick lined whereas the old one is a mixture of rock and brick. As will be noted, a 40 mph restriction applied to trains traversing the curve leading to the northbound bore and a catch point was strategically located here to trap and derail any runaways from trains toiling uphill. There were once extensive quarries both to the north and south of the tunnels with their attendant sidings, tramways and stone crushing plants but these closed shortly after World War II. Four navvies lost their lives during the construction of the original bore owing to a rockfall and they lie buried in Shepton Mallet cemetery.

28/7/62. RCR 16678.

Opposite top: This view affords us a fascinating glimpse of the railway infrastructure and associated industrial archaeology at Evercreech New station. The massive lime kiln of the Evercreech Lime & Stone Co. can be seen behind the signalbox, to the rear of which ran a siding to serve this former works. The bell situated on the post to the far right was provided as a warning to passengers using the boarded foot crossing there being no footbridge provided here. The bell was operated automatically by treadles near the up and down distant signals although the signalman could also operate it from his box. The signal box was not to the usual design but is the result of a fire which destroyed the original in 1920. The signalman’s bicycle leans against the wall of the box and he has just descended the steps possibly to attend to the station’s delightful display of rambling roses. An interloper in the form of a bench bearing the legend GWR with only the W highlighted in white paint can be seen on the down platform. 28/7/62. RCR 16675.

Opposite bottom: The clearance between rail level and the soffit of the arches of the elegant Rock Cutting bridge at Shepton Montague was a very generous 21’8” markedly different from the restricted clearances under most S&D bridges and in all of the tunnels on the line. The bridge which still stands today consists of brick arches on masonry abutments. The cutting was awarded Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) status in 1992 as it exposes the most important known section of Fuller’s Earth in England. The width of the cutting also bears witness to the large quantities of material extracted, probably to supply material for the long embankments just north of this location. Seen is 4F 0-6-0 No. 44102 heading north with a service from Templecombe to Bath. Built by Kerr Stuart in 1925 this locomotive was to remain allocated to Templecombe shed until October the following year when it was transferred to Bath and where it stayed until withdrawal in September 1964. 28/7/62. RCR 16688.

99

This delightful composition with the impressive tree in full leaf and its artistically placed fallen branch together with a pastoral foreground, is made even more interesting by the passage of a light engine in the shape of 2-8-0 No. 53806 travelling northwards.

It has just crossed the WR mainline north of Cole and the crew look out possibly wondering why there is a car parked at the far end of the field adjacent to the fence bordering the mainline.

Whether Dick had swapped his Morris Minor for this vehicle by this time is not known but it is unlikely to belong to anyone other than the photographer. The bridge spanning the tracks leading to Taunton and the west was numbered 118 and on the down side consisted of wrought iron main and cross girders with timber decking whilst on the up side the construction was steel girders and mild steel corrugated floor plates with timber decking. Both spans rested on masonry abutments of which only that on the south side still stands today. This 7F was one of only four of the class to last in service into 1964. Although one or two photographers did manage it, the serendipity of capturing trains on the WR mainline whilst an S&D service was passing overhead proved elusive for most. 28/7/62. RCR 16674.

100

Top: Superpower has apparently been provided for this through train in the shape of 9F No. 92245 piloted by West Country pacific No. 34043 Combe Martin. This service should have been in the sole charge of the 9F, the train being well within the weight limit permitted for these powerful locomotives. However, as recalled by Peter Smith in his book ‘Mendips Engineman’ there was a reason why this unusual and possibly unique combination of motive power came about.

Peter and his long time driver Donald Beale had worked No. 34043 up from Bournemouth earlier in the day and were booked to travel back ‘light engine’.

Due to the summer Saturday holiday traffic being particularly heavy that day, the Bath signalman was unable to tell the pair when he was likely to be able to release them to travel homewards. Such a journey was likely to involve long waits in passing loops and sidings to allow other trains to pass. Consequently it was suggested by Donald that the West Country should pilot the through train from Bradford, due off Bath at 2.50 pm, and this was duly agreed to. The resultant powerful pairing is seen passing through Rock Cutting bridge (No. 127) at Shepton Montague heading south. 11/8/62. RCR 16711.

Bottom: We catch up with the pair again at Templecombe making their way to the upper station. The train locomotive is carrying reporting number 1094 which indicates that it is the 7:43 am (SO) service from Bradford to Bournemouth West. On departure from Bath this train called at Shepton Mallet, Evercreech Junction, Templecombe, Sturminster Newton, Shillingstone, Blandford Forum, Poole and Bournemouth West arriving at 5.35 pm. The service had left Bradford’s Forster Square station at 7:45 that morning so no doubt the good folk of Yorkshire were grateful to arrive in Bournemouth after their 9 hour 50 minute journey. No. 92245 was stationed at Bath from June to September 1962 whilst No. 34043 was based at Bournemouth shed at this time. No. 92245 did escape the cutter’s torch and ended up in Barry scrapyard where it became part of the famous ‘Barry Ten’ which comprised the remaining unsold locomotives at Woodham Brothers yard in 1990 when Dai Woodham retired. These locomotives were adopted by the Vale of Glamorgan Council and were stored for another twenty years in scrapyard condition before most were sold on. However, No. 92245 was in fact never sold and remained at Barry Depot on the Barry Island Railway. The boiler was subsequently moved to Crewe for future restoration but it was decided to section the chassis for use in an exhibition to tell the story of Barry scrapyard. In December 2018 it was reported that the boiler from No. 92245 would be used on preserved classmate No. 92212, fittingly another 9F used over the S&D, currently based on the Mid Hants Railway. 11/8/62. RCR 16612.

101

‘Somerset & Dorset’

This page: Five members of the Standard 9F Class spent time at Bath during the summer of 1962 and No. 92210 was one of them, the others being 92001, 92220 Evening Star, 92233 and 92245. The aforementioned No. 92210 is seen here emerging from the eastern portal of Devonshire tunnel and entering the sylvan setting of the picturesque Lyncombe Vale before facing the stygian gloom of Combe Down tunnel. Built at Swindon in August 1959 this 2-10-0 was to end its days at Newport’s Ebbw Junction shed from where it was withdrawn in November 1964 having given just over five years’ service – truly a criminal waste of resources. 11/8/62. RCR 16691.

Opposite top: 9F No. 92233 has charge of the up Bournemouth West – Bradford (SO) service which carried reporting No. 1094 above the buffer beam. This 2-10-0 was part of the allocation for the 1962 summer service. The train is coming down the noticeable 1 in 53 incline into Midsomer Norton South station, where the grade temporarily eased to 1 in 300 before continuing at 1 in 50 down to Radstock, under the watchful gaze of the signalman. At the end of the summer season No. 92233 was transferred away from the S&D also going to 86A Newport Ebbw Junction shed. It had been built at Crewe Works just four years before in August 1958 and would last in service until February 1968 six months before the end of steam on BR. 11/8/62. RCR 16701.

102

1962

Bottom: Standard Class 5 No. 75072, which had recently been converted with a double blastpipe and chimney, pilots 7F No. 53810 as they emerge from a smoke filled Chilcompton tunnel powering their way up the grade towards the summit at Masbury. The leading locomotive is carrying reporting No. 2B92 which indicates a semi-fast service from Bristol to Bournemouth. This had left Bristol Temple Meads at 9:03 am and had obviously loaded well on this August Saturday with a goodly number of passengers wishing to make their way to the seaside for the day, thus necessitating the use of a pilot for the 2-8-0. In the summer timetable for 1962 there were two through services scheduled from Bristol to Bournemouth - on Mondays – Fridays with three provided on Saturdays. Additional excursions were also run when required. Today this rail journey is only possible with a change of train at Southampton. 11/8/62. RCR 16695.

103

‘Somerset & Dorset’

104

1962

This page: Undoubted star of the line in 1962 was the last steam locomotive built for British Railways in 1960, No. 92220 Evening Star. Finished in green livery with a copper capped chimney, she stood out from the other members of the 9F Class. On the 8th August 1962 the engine had been specially transferred to Green Park from 86C Cardiff Canton in order to work the final ‘Pines Express’ scheduled to run over the S&D on the 8th September. The 2-10-0 is seen at Bath a few days before this momentous event. She would remain here until 13th September when she was transferred back to Cardiff although this time to 88A East Dock shed seemingly never to return now that through trains had become a thing of the past. However, surprisingly, return she did the following year for when Bath depot requested the loan of a couple of Black 5s due to a motive power shortage in 1963 these were not forthcoming but a couple of 9Fs including No. 92220 were sent in their stead. Their stay on the S&D was short-lived however as with no steam heating they were unable to work passenger trains after the end of September neither could they be used on goods services as they were too long to be turned on the tables at Evercreech Junction or Templecombe.

Hence three or four coach stopping trains were the norm, rambling between Bath and Bournemouth – a most uneconomic use of motive power. 1/9/62. RCR 16764.

Opposite top: 4F No. 44559 of Bath shed draws to a halt at Evercreech New with a down service from Bath to Templecombe and where at least one smartly dressed passenger in suit and tie and carrying a suitcase is waiting to board. The power of the lucky horseshoe seen over the doorway above the head of the railway employee was obviously waning as the station was to close along with the rest of the line 3½ years later. The end came for the locomotive after just three months when it was withdrawn from service at the end of the year. At least there is still some freight traffic remaining as witnessed by the wagons visible in the small goods yard, which was to close in October 1964, adjacent to the goods shed seen in the distance. The ‘New’ suffix was slightly unusual in railway station nomenclature, the station having originally been known as Evercreech Village following opening of the Bath extension with the original Evercreech station being renamed Evercreech Junction. However, even in 1888 the new station was still officially known as Evercreech Village. 11/8/62. RCR 16707.

Opposite bottom: Displaying an 82G Templecombe shedplate, Collett 0-6-0 No. 2277 leaves Cole with a two coach local from Highbridge to Templecombe. By 1962 growing numbers of these 0-6-0s were being used over the Highbridge branch on both passenger and the few remaining goods turns. One of these turns that continued to run over the S&D to Templecombe was the afternoon ‘perishables’ although by now the former regular afternoon milk train from Bason Bridge to Templecombe had been diverted to run via Highbridge and the WR. Those 2251 Class locomotives transferred in from other parts of the WR, were unfortunately generally not in the best of condition being regarded by S&D men as ‘cast offs’ from other depots where work for them had either dried up or they had been replaced by more modern motive power.

120 of this design were originally produced over an 18 year period from 1930 and during 1962 eight examples were based at Templecombe including No. 2277 which dated from 1934. 1/8/62. RCR 16710.

105

‘Somerset & Dorset’

Top: Getting away from the stop at Shepton Mallet station and past the sizeable stone built goods shed seen on the left with the 9.03 am Bristol – Bournemouth West service, are 9F No. 92220 Evening Star piloted by Standard Class 4 No. 76015. A pilot was not strictly necessary on this service as Class 9s could take 410 tons unassisted over Masbury but No 76015 was travelling down to Evercreech Junction to act as pilot on the later 10.04 am Bournemouth West - Bradford service. Driver John Stamp is seen in the cab of the Class 4 along with Bournemouth depot driver Jim Tranter behind him. Jim was himself travelling back to Bournemouth changing mounts on to No. 92220 at Evercreech Junction. The station here received the suffix ‘Charlton Road’ in 1883 to distinguish it from the GWR station which was originally given the suffix ‘Town Street’ but this was later changed to ‘High Street’. 1/9/62. RCR 16767.

106

1962

This page: Our final view of Evening Star sees the 9F approaching Evercreech Junction from the south with a seven coach service on its return run from Bournemouth West to Bristol Temple Meads. The water crane seen on the right was fed from a large water tank which carried the inscription ‘S&D 1892 Wimbledon Iron Works’ located adjacent to the down line, and situated just to the south of the level crossing gates at Evercreech Junction. Note the fire-devil at the side of the crane used to prevent freezing of the supply in cold weather. The noticeable alteration in the gradient is evident from the dip in the tracks seen in the distance which marked the change from a downgrade of 1 in 116 to an upgrade at 1 in 154.

1/9/62. RCR 16769.

Opposite Bottom: Before leaving Shepton, Dick managed to capture an up service headed by 7F No. 53808 piloting Standard Class 5 No. 73047. The entrance to the up goods yard which also contained a cattle dock is seen on the right. The bridges seen behind the train, which carried the GWR line from Witham – Yatton over the S&D, were of two distinct designs reflecting the doubling of the original single line in 1892. The train featured is the 9:25 am (SO) service from Bournemouth West to Manchester and Liverpool. This image was taken from the signalbox on the down platform whilst on a trip undertaken jointly with Ivo Peters who recorded a similar shot a couple of seconds later. It is not known whether the pilot came off at Binegar once the main climb was over or whether it continued on as pilot engine all the way to Bath.

1/9/62. RCR 16768.

107

1963

This page: There are only a couple of Dick Riley’s images of the S&D in the archive for 1963 and they are both of Standard Class 4s at Cole. Here we see No. 75073 getting away from the station hauling three coach set No. 970 on a stopping service from Bath – Templecombe. The lack of habitation in the immediate vicinity of the station is evident in this view. Undoubtedly the lack of through services and a consequent diminution in locomotive variety resulted in fewer photographers visiting the line and this was certainly so in Dick’s case. Understandably in 1963 his attention was elsewhere, recording such events as the closure of the Exe Valley line, the Hayling Island branch and the visit of ‘Flying Scotsman’ to Eastleigh shed. He did however continue to record the ‘Pines Express’ but this time on its new routeing away from the S&D via Oxford and Basingstoke with shots taken at Banbury of Castle class No. 5089 ‘Westminster Abbey’ and at Tilehurst with Merchant Navy class No. 35002 ‘Union Castle’. 1/7/63. RCR 17178.

Opposite top: With no photographic record of any visits made to the line in 1964 we move on to the following year. The Standard Class 4 2-6-4Ts were introduced to the line working from Bournemouth depot towards the end of the line’s existence the first not being noted until 4th September 1963. They began to work regularly over the railway in November when they handled the 1.10 pm Bournemouth West – Bath and the 7.05 pm return working. They proved to be a boon to the operating department being competent performers on the shorter trains then operating. Templecombe received its first allocation in September 1964 whilst Bath had to wait until January 1965. Three examples remained in service until March 1966.

This is the only example of the class at work on the S&D seemingly photographed by Dick Riley and it shows No. 80041 from Templecombe shed at Wyke Champflower with four coaches and van forming a down service to Templecombe. Two of these tanks had the honour of bringing the final up service train into Bath when 80041 and 80039 doubleheaded the augmented six coaches of the 8:20 pm from Templecombe. This arrived in Bath over an hour late due to delays caused by ‘last day rites’ observed at many stations which included the loading a ceremonial coffin taken on board the train at Evercreech Junction. 3/7/65. RCR 17842.

108

1965

Bottom: Templecombe shed had taken on something of a forlorn air in the last twelve months of operation and even the weather on this July day was overcast giving a sombre feel to the scene. Many of the locomotives in the line up on the left had sacking over their chimneys, a sure sign at this late date that they would no longer be required. Heading the line is a pair of Collett 0-6-0s the leading example being No 3201 which has had its cast cabside plate replaced by a chalked number. To the rear of No. 3201 is classmate No. 3205, also lacking its cabside plate, which would also go on to become the only example of the class to be preserved and these days can be found on the South Devon Railway. Behind are a couple of pannier tanks whilst on the depot and in steam are an unidentified Standard tank and a couple of Ivatt tanks the nearest of which is No. 41307. All was to be swept away after closure with the sole exception of the locoshed later incorporated into the Plessey Marine complex which now occupies the site under the banner of Thales Underwater Systems. 3/7/65. RCR 109 17840.

Top: This view of the rear of Templecombe shed reveals an unidentified Standard tank by the 50 foot turntable and provides a further view of the line of withdrawn locomotives which includes Ivatt tank No. 41214 withdrawn that May together with two 57xx pannier tanks. The siding upon which these locomotives were stored originally formed a spur line to the LSWR mainline but this connection was discontinued in 1870 when a new connection to the north side of Templecombe Upper station was constructed so allowing for cross platform interchange of traffic. Ivatt classmate No 41216 parked next to the wagon adjacent to the mess coach would continue in service until March 1966. Prominent in the background is Templecombe No. 2 Junction signalbox, a three storey structure built into the side of the embankment. It had 43 levers after enlargement in 1933 when No. 3 Junction box was closed and supplemented with the addition of a further lever in 1938. It was the largest box on the system and was also the only one equipped with an illuminated box diagram. 3/7/65. RCR 17841.

Right; With impending closure only a few weeks away it was hardly surprising that the dedicated staff of the S&D found it hard to smile for the camera in this shot taken at Highbridge prior to departure for Evercreech Junction.

Making the best of it are Bath shedmaster Harold Morris, Driver May together with his young fireman.

They pose in front of their leaking locomotive, hard to comprehend that within three months the sound of an Ivatt’s hooter echoing over the watery wastes of the Somerset Levels would be heard no more and that the majority of loyal staff would be made redundant or take early retirement.

Whilst the WR platforms at Highbridge are still in use today all traces of the former S&D complex have been buried under residential development. 20/12/65. RCR 17913.

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Breaking with his tradition of visiting the line only in the summer months, Dick’s final visit to the S&D was on 20th December 1965 in the expectation that the line would be closing a few days later from 1st January 1966. As is well known due to a last minute problem with replacement bus services the closure date was postponed until 6th March 1966 and the railway limped on until then with a so called ‘Emergency Service’ comprising just two trains each way on the Highbridge branch and only a handful on the mainline with no southbound departures from Bath between 8:15 am and 4:25 pm.

Highbridge shed witnesses Ivatt tank No. 41223 positioned next to the water tank being serviced prior to returning to Evercreech Junction.

Water cascades over the side tank and the locomotive, in common with much of the remaining motive power on the line by this stage, was looking in a pretty woebegone condition. Indeed it was claimed that the parlous state of the available locomotive stock and the shortage of staff caused the WR to resort to imposing a severely reduced emergency service even though local railwaymen claimed that there was sufficient rolling stock and staff to run a proper service. Plans were drawn up by railwaymen who had served the S&D loyally throughout their working lives for a more efficient and economical operation of the line. However, the WR were only interested in closing the line and ridding the region of steam so close it did a few weeks later. 20/12/65. RCR 17907.

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‘Somerset & Dorset’

Above: With steam to spare No. 41223 waits with its train to Evercreech Junction to cross a westbound departure at Glastonbury’s impressive station.

The buildings were of wooden construction with elegant canopies and the footbridge was fully glazed with a latticed lower section. At one time the down platform even boasted a refreshment room. In this view mailbags formed one of the few remaining traffics at this late stage as witness the loaded trolley on the far platform. The former Wells branch platform is seen on the right but services to the cathedral city had ceased in October 1951 a victim of more convenient and frequent bus services. Although the station was demolished in 1984 the island platform canopy seen here was saved and now does duty as a shelter in the market area car park in the town.

20/12/65. RCR 17912.

Bottom: It is perhaps fitting that the last image in this volume and Dick Riley’s final S&D photograph is one taken at Glastonbury, the birthplace of the Somerset Central Railway back in 1854 when the initial section opened from Highbridge Wharf to the town. In this view Ivatt tank No 41223 with a train from Highbridge is waiting to cross the train from Evercreech Junction hauled by fellow 2-6-2T No. 41307. The tall signal by the board crossing has a co-acting arm which was necessary because of visibility problems for drivers caused by the station footbridge. Beneath the lower arm is a signal marked ‘S’ which controlled shunting movements. Both these locomotives would remain in service until March 1966 when they worked up to Bath whence they formed part of a convoy of dead locomotives hauled from Bath Green Park shed to Pylle Hill sidings, Bristol, by a Peak class diesel on 18th March 1966 en-route for scrap in South Wales.

Both steam engines met their end at Cohen’s scrapyard in Morriston, Swansea in July 1966. In the background Glastonbury Tor looks down on a railway scene that within a few weeks would disappear from the landscape forever after more than a century of service. 20/12/65. RCR 17922.

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The name R C ‘Dick’ Riley will be familiar to several generations of railway enthusiasts. Starting in 1937 Dick Riley captured over 18,000 black and white UK railway images whilst only a relatively small proportion of these b/w views have ever been seen. Now that omission may, in part, be addressed with this new book, the second of a series dedicated to specific railway themes. Dick had a clear passion for all things railway, locomotives, trains of all sorts, infrastructure and railway staff. Examples of all are depicted within, showcasing some of the best of his photography as well as a fascinating selection of his images recorded in the period 1955 through to 1965 on that much lamented railway, the ‘Somerset & Dorset’.

Published by Transport Treasury Publishing Ltd. £14.50