Wednesday 22nd February 2023 to Tuesday 28th February 2023
We start off this week with another ‘no-show’ as the New Measurement Train running as 1Z22 0748 Derby RTC Serco to Bristol Kingsland Road Freightliner Heavy Haul scheduled to visit Weymouth via Yeovil Pen Mill on Wednesday 22nd February 2023 was truncated at Cheltenham Spa. The train would have seen Class 37 locomotives No.’s 37421 and 37610 in Dorset had it not been partially cancelled en-route at the request of the operator. It did make me wonder about the legal obligation, if any, of Network Rail to observe the findings by the Rail Accident Investigation Board (RAIB) and run these trains over the entire rail network. Maybe one day we’ll try and find out. Wednesday did, however, see two other special workings along the Bournemouth to Weymouth section as the Snow & Ice Treatment Train (SITT) and the third and final Freightliner engineers train of the week both ran as planned. The SITT made a return visit to Dorset running as far as Wareham on Monday 27th February.
Keen to get a daylight image of British Rail large logo liveried Class 66 No. 66789 on the SITT as I incorrectly, as it turned out, assumed the loco would be swapped out for another member of the same class, Yoshi and I made the trip to Totton Yard to see the train before its return working to Eastleigh East Yard on Saturday morning.
We also stopped off in Southampton to peer over the road bridge crossing the railway which leads to the Southampton Maritime Container Terminal which is built on reclaimed land and was opened in 1968. Dealing solely in deep sea container traffic the adjacent Freightliner terminal for rail-borne traffic links directly to the South West Main Line (SWML) at Millbrook and Redbridge. Network Rail carried out upgrades, completed in early 2021, allowing trains up to 775 metres in length to gain access to Southampton MCT which is the major rail freight traffic centre in the region. Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of cargo in a shipping container utilising multiple modes of transport such as rail, ship, truck and aircraft without any handling of the contents while changing modes. Direct intermodal services operate from Southampton MCT six days a week to UK destinations such as Leeds and Crewe.
Finally, we paid a visit to Eastleigh in the hope that former Colas Rail and newly outshopped in GBRf livery Class 67 No. 67027 would be in a position for a decent photograph as had been widely reported on social media the previous day. The Class 67 should have departed Eastleigh Arlington works bound for Rugby on the Friday, but brake issues meant it remained stuck in Hampshire. Although I was pleased with my iPhone shot of the Class 66 at Totton, my luck ran out when it came to Eastleigh and the Class 67 as the locomotive had been moved inside a shed for remedial modifications with only the front being visible from the road adjacent to the works. Yoshi and I did, however, get to a catch up with an old pal over coffee, so it turned out to be a very good day after all.
On Sunday, Yoshi, his mama and I made a return visit to the Station Kitchen at West Bay which we last wrote about in November 2022. This time we booked to eat in the old station building which is dog friendly (the carriages are not) and Yoshi joined us for our lunchtime visit. Again, the food was exceptional and our surroundings quirky and fun.
Prior to eating, we took the opportunity to walk the former railway track bed between West Bay and Bridport which is now a footpath and haven for nature. It was much tidier than on previous visits and Yoshi proved himself to be a good boy yet again when he roamed off lead. As the footpath approaches Bridport it rises to meet Burton Road. The original level of the railway crossed beneath the road here at Wanderwell Bridge. The top of the bridge, bore entrance and track bed can still be made out if you look closely. On its way towards Bridport East Street Station, the railway would have passed through Wanderwell and then east of the roundabout junction of Burton Road and West Bay Road. Sea Road South, the A35 Bridport by-pass, now occupies the former track bed and there is no trace left of East Street station, the site now occupied by a garage. Sea Road North has replaced the track bed between East Street Station and Bridport station (also known as Bradpole Road Station).
The railway reached Bridport in 1857 being officially opened on 12th November, just over three years after a public meeting in Bridport Town Hall in October 1854 where it was decided a railway branch line to link the town to the main line at Maiden Newton would be built. The Bridport Railway Company was formed and the necessary Act of Parliament passed on 5th May 1855. The operating licence was awarded by the Bridport Railway Company to the Great Western Railway (GWR) who supplied the steam locomotives and rolling stock before taking over the railway completely. An extension to the line running from Bridport to Bridport Harbour was instigated in 1879 with passenger services commencing on 31st March 1884. In an attempt to attract holiday traffic, the GWR named their new station at the harbour; West Bay, popularising the name by which the area is now commonly known. Passenger services to West Bay ceased in 1930 but the line remained open for freight traffic until 3rd December 1962 when only minimal traffic ran including coal and shingle from the beach. The track on the Bridport to West Bay section, which had not long been relaid with concrete sleepers, was removed in March 1965 having been cut into short lengths and sold for scrap.
Our visit prompted me to dig out my copy of “The Bridport Branch” by B L Jackson and M J Tattershall. It was the first railway text book I acquired back in the 1970’s and I recall thinking it a very expensive tome at the time. Most likely my lovely mum financed the purchase and I was surprised to note the cover price was a princely £2.40. Published by the Oxford Publishing Co. (OPC), a leading publisher of railway books back then, the book was first issued in 1976, only a year after the closure of the branch it tells the history of. I would have missed travelling by train from Maiden Newton to Bridport by a couple of years, my interest in railways really taking hold in 1977. The Bridport Branch had been listed for closure as part of the Beeching plan of March 1963. We’ll take a closer look at “The Reshaping of British Railways”, to give the Beeching plan its proper title, next month following the 60thanniversary of its publication, but it is interesting to learn that a notice was posted on 1st September 1964 for the closure of all intermediate stations between Yeovil Pen Mill and Dorchester West, the latter due to be closed on 4th January 1965. However, at a public enquiry held in Yetminster it was argued that it was difficult to see how Maiden Newton could be closed on that date as the Bridport Branch would still be open and for which no notice of closure had yet been issued. The Minister of Transport’s solution was announced on 22nd April 1965; Maiden Newton and Dorchester West were to stay open along with Yetminster, Thornford Halt and Chetnole Halt while Evershot, Cattistock, Bradford Peverell and Grimstone & Frampton would close from 3rd October 1966.
On our way home from West Bay, we stopped off in the village of Bradpole to seek out the crossing gates and short length of rail embedded in the road which is most likely the last original track remaining from the Bridport Branch. The current gates are not original and were replacements made by local carpenters John Gale and Bernie Joy as a memorial to the railway. An adjacent section of the track bed has been grassed over for local residents to enjoy as part of the Railway Gardens and allotments. In December 2022, concerned at the poor repair of the crossing gates, Bradpole Civil Parish Council appealed for help in finding someone with the expertise to renovate them. Following discussions with a local woodwork firm the Parish Council are seeking funds so that a full restoration project can take place later in 2023 which will see a new gate being constructed as it is felt the existing one is now beyond repair.
The Bridport Community Railway has an ambitious plan to restore the link between West Bay and the main line at Maiden Newton with a sustainable narrow gauge tramway and heritage steam operation alongside cycle and foot paths. In January 2021, one of the founding members of the group behind the project is quoted in the local Bridport News as saying; “Around 80 per cent of the feedback we have received has been generally positive. Ten percent are raving fans and ten per cent think we’re in cloud cuckoo land.”
Another lost railway and victim of the Beeching cuts can be celebrated at The Wimborne Railway Society “Railex” Model Railway Exhibition when the award winning Bournemouth West model layout will be on display. Celebrating the days of steam and the much missed Somerset & Dorset line which ran from Bath to Bournemouth West, the site of which now lies underneath the Wessex Way road, the terminus can be seen in all its miniature glory at The Allendale Centre, Hanham Road, Wimborne on 15/16th April 2023.
For The Record
What is I believe to be the first visit to Dorset of five car Class 701 EMU’s occurred on Tuesday 28th February as No.’s 701509 and 701512 visited Poole working 5Q51 1306 Eastleigh to Eastleigh. Yoshi and I were enjoying our lunchtime walk and completely missed these. I had hoped they would make a return journey to Bournemouth later in the evening, but the associated working did not materialise.
Engineering trains for the Network Rail work being carried out on the Yeovil Pen Mill to Dorchester West section of the Heart of Wessex Line have so far been headed up by a mixture of Freightliner and Colas Rail workings, involving Class 66 locomotives No.’s 66592/ 66537 / 66192 and Class 70 No. 70811.
The Royal Mail have revealed images of a special stamp issue being released on 9th March 2023 to celebrate the centenary of ‘Flying Scotsman’.
The Royal Mint have also announced the release of a special £2 coin featuring an original design by John Bergdahl and colour artwork by Ffion Gwillim. The coin is available in a range of editions all featuring the edge inscription “Live For The Journey”.
From the May timetable change, the first weekday train to the Bristol area terminating at Filton Abbey Wood from Weymouth timed to depart at 0526 will no longer run and will in future start at Yeovil Pen Mill from where the train will depart at 0618.
That brings us to the end of another week. Thanks for reading! Please keep your comments, corrections and observations coming – they are all appreciated…. even the ones suggesting I include photographs and video clips to make things more interesting. A nice idea, but I’ll carry on as I am for now….
