ALL OTHER s&djr BOOKS

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The Somerset & Dorset Railway was a wonderfully charismatic and highly photogenic line, the 71½-mile journey from Bath to Bournemouth involving a slog over the rugged Mendip Hills on gradients of up to 1 in 50, then a dash along the beautiful Stour Valley through picture-book-perfect North Dorset. And then there was the S&D's own ‘withered arm' – the oft-forgotten branch to Glastonbury, Highbridge and Burnham, which had its own ‘branches off the branch' to Wells and Bridgwater. A West Country jewel, the S&D has, over the years, justly been the subject of many books, magazine articles, videos and DVDs – and there's even a 45rpm record knocking about somewhere. So is there room for another addition to the line's already substantial bibliography? Well, yes – Irwell Press is offering something new. Our series of six (!) books includes a substantial proportion of photographs which, to the best of our knowledge, have never been published before. And the photographs are exquisite! The books also include archive 25-inch Ordnance Survey maps of the stations, along with much of the towns or villages they served; so with various other snippets of local interest thrown in (and we have come up with oodles of delightfully quirky snippets!) the books extend beyond ‘hard core' railway matters and include a generous helping of associated local interest as well. We smugly believe that these books will offer something ‘new' even to the most diehard S&D fan. Each of the six books looks at selected stations along the line, extending through the series to every one of the 45 stations on the main line between Bath and Bournemouth, the ‘Withered Arm' to Burnham-on-Sea and the Bridgwater and Wells branches. We also have special features about selected aspects of, not only the S&D ‘proper', but also its appendages: for example, the famous 7F 2-8-0s, Bulleid Pacifics on the S&D, the Oakhill Brewery railway etc etc. And there's even more… There's also a major feature about the run-down and closure of the line; this is accompanied by various extracts from official documents about this most controversial of closures – material which has not been seen in print before.

Book 1 Includes: Bath, Midford, Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Evercreech Junction, Templecombe, Henstridge, Blandford Forum, Bailey Gate, Bournemouth West, Glastonbury & Street, Highbridge + a special feature about the S&D 7F 2-8-0s,.

Book 2 Includes: Bath, Midford, Radstock, Masbury, Evercreech Junction, Templecombe, Sturminster Newton, Poole, Parkstone, Bournemouth West, West Pennard, Glastonbury & Street, Highbridge, Burnham-on-Sea + a special feature about Norton Hill Colliery.

Book 3 Includes: Bath Shed, Wellow, Radstock, Binegar, Shepton Mallet, Evercreech New, Evercreech Junction, Wincanton, Shillingstone, Stourpine & Durweston, Blandford Forum, Corfe Mullen, Branksome, Glastonbury & Street, Shapwick, Highbridge, The Bridgwater branch + a special feature about Bullied Pacificson the S&D.

Book 4 Includes: Bath, Midford, Shoscombe & SingleHill, Radstock, Evercreech New, Templecombe Shed, Stalbridge, Charlton Marshall, Creekmoor halt, Poole, Pylle, Glastonbury & Street, Hghbridge, Burnham-on-Sea, The Wells Branch + a special feature about the Oakhill Brewery Railway at Binegar.

Book 5 Includes: Bath, Tucking Mill, Wellow, Radstock Collieries, Midsomer Norton, Chilcompton, Binegar, Masbury Summit, Shepton Mallet, Cole, Blandford Forum, Spetisbury, Broadstone, West Pennard, Bason Bridge, Burnham-on-Sea, Plus special features about T9 4-4-0s on the S&D and George Jennings Pottery at Parkstone.

Book 6 Includes: (Specially Extended Edition to 64 Pages) Bath, Midford, Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Binegar, Winsor Hill, SHepton Mallet, Evercreech Junction, Wincanton, Templecombe, Sturminster Newton, Bailey Gate and Corfe Mullen, Bournemouth West, Ashcott, Edington Burtle, Highbridge Shed, Plus a special feature about the run-down and closer of the S&D and a look at ‘Post Closure' specials in late 1966 and 1967.

The SOMERSET & DORSET REMEMBERED Part1: Bath to Evercreech Junction  (Hugh Ballantyne) £19.99 The Somerset & Dorset Railway closed completely on 6th March 1966 and this collection of quality colour photographs are the work of the author and cover the period from 1961 to the last day of operation. Steam through to the last, the images capture the atmosphere of this much missed route, with detailed captions adding the background information. 83 colour photos. 88 pages. Landscape hardback

NEW! Lost Railways of Dorset by Leslie Oppitz, published by Countryside Books, ISBN 1-85306-696-6 In this well-researched and excellently written book the author explains the history of each Dorset line from its construction to, where relevant, its closure. The S&D chapter includes a mention of the Shillingstone Station Project.

NEW! Somerset & Dorset Steam Finale by Michael S. Welch, published by Runpast Publishing, ISBN 1-87075-452-2

AA Discovering Britain's Lost Railways by Paul Atterbury published by AA Publishing ISBN 0-7495-2264-X

The Last Years of the Somerset and Dorset by Colin Maggs published by Book Law Publications ISBN 1-901945-04-9

Sutton's Photograph History of Railways - Dorset Railways by Ted Gosling & Mike Clement published by Sutton Publishing Limited ISBN 0-7509-2001-7

This beautiful and interesting length of rural railway has always been relegated to a small section in books on the Somerset & Dorset line. Now it is fully illustrated in an exclusive album, together with the early station at Poole and the long lamented terminus at Bournemouth West. Old tickets, timetables and maps add flavour to this generous helping of steaming through nostalgia. Contents:  Bailey Gate, Blandford Forum, Bournemouth West, Branksome, Broadstone, Charlton Marshall Cole, Corfe Mullen Halt, Creekmoor Halt, Evercreech Junction, Henstridge, Parkstone, Poole, Shillingstone,  Spetisbury Halt, Stourpaine and Durweston Halt, Sturminster Newton, Templecombe – - Lower - Shed - Junction, - Upper Wincanton

BATH TO EVERCREECH JUNCTION 2nd Edition
by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith Published by Middleton Press ISBN 0906520606
One of the most loved railways in Britain, the Somerset & Dorset line had unique features and a special charm. This album recaptures its spirit in the attractive and varied landscape of the Mendip Hills. Tickets, timetables and old maps add to the unpublished photographs of this very exceptional route.  Contents: Bath Green Park, Bath, West of Bath, South of , Binegar, Chilcompton, Evercreech Junction, Evercreech New, Masbury Halt, Midford, Midsomer Norton, Radstock North, Shepton Mallett Shoscombe Halt, Wellow

The SOMERSET AND DORSET: Then and Now Revised Edition (Mac Hawkins) £9.99 This completely revised edition contains many previously unpublished images, 70 odd from the camera of Ivo Peters. These have been painstakingly matched in the present-day by the author the result,190 pairs of 'then and now' photos constitute much more than a piece of railway memorabilia, they form a unique record of the passage of time. 224 pages. Hardback.

Historical Survey of the Somerset & Dorset Railway Track Layouts and Illustration - by C.W. Judge & C.R. Potts published by Oxford Publishing Co ISBN 0-86093-003-3

Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway A View From The Past by Stephen Austin published by Ian Allan ISBN 0-7110-2692-0

The Somerset And Dorset - An English Cross Country Railway by Ivo Peters Published by Oxford Publishing ISBN 0-902888-33-1

British Railways Past and Present - No. 29 - Dorset by Terry Gough & David Mitchell published by Past and Present Publishing ISBN 1-8589-5089-9

The Best of Southern Steam The Final Decade by Alan Postlethwaite published by Sutton Publishing Limited ISBN 0-7509-2457-8

An extra long 96 page 'Discover Dorset' title, and the first book specifically on Dorset's 69 stations and halts to be published. It includes photographs of all but Upwey, of which none is thought to exist. Some stations have vanished without trace, others are derelict or have been adapted to new uses. Their styles reflect those of the different railway companies. Many were built with local materials, making their buildings - from ticket offices to goods sheds - of considerable architectural interest. MIKE OAKLEY ISBN 1 874336 96 2

Joe Murray’s memories (part of the Imperial War Museum collection of recordings) are quoted in the excellent story of the expedition, Defeat at Gallipoll, by Nigel Steel and Peter Hart (Macmillan 1994).

MIKE OAKLEY ISBN 1 904349 09 9

Somerset Railways by Ted Gosling & Mike Clement published by Sutton Publishing Limited ISBN 0-7509-2391-1

For this book, Derek’s son David has selected some 170 photographs from his father’s extensive archive of images covering the line, to record the great variety of passenger and freight operations in these years. Alongside the S&D’s 7Fs the book features the many ex-LMS and ex-SR locomotives that operated the line, as well as the BR Standard types, notably the massive 9F 2-10-0s, often and uniquely, seen on passenger duties there. The photos, many of which have never been published before, are accompanied by detailed captions.

On Somerset and Dorset Lines (Hardcover)  by Robert Robotham In this book Robert Robotham turns his attention to the long closed Somerset & Dorset joint line. He has gathered together a fascinating selection of material recal ling the last decade of steam operation over this route. '

BR STEAM OPERATING 5: Somerset & Dorset Summer Saturday 1957, Bath to Bournemouth & Branches (P Foster & N Kendall) £10.95 The operations of the S&D on Summer Saturdays has become something of a legend with the demands of the passenger service virtually exhausting the resources of the system. At times, trains occupied every block section and in this publication all the facilities required for the Summer service are described with every train and engine movement analysed in graphs and tables plus a running commentary explaining the operations. 42 black/white photos. 64 pages. Softback

BR STEAM OPERATING 4: Somerset & Dorset Bath - Bournemouth and Branches  (P Foster) £10.95  Designed to return the reader to a day in the 1950's on the S&D. Every train is depicted together with details of traffic methods, engine diagrams, carriage workings and much more detailed operating statistics from the District Controller's view. Also includes the allocations and engine transfers for all S&D sheds, plus Bournemouth LSWR, between 1950 and 1960. 21 black/white photos. 64 pages. Softback

MARITIME ACTIVITIES OF THE SOMERSET & DORSET RAILWAY   (Chris  Handley) £13.95   The S&D is remembered for its railway through the Mendips, and not so well known is its activities with shipping, including paddle steamers, screw steamships and ketches. For nearly a century from 1850 the ports at Burnham and Highbridge saw a wide variety of regular ferry services and cargo boats. This book is the result of 30 years research and brings together the story of the ships that played a full and exciting part of the railway's history.   17 maps. 3 scale line drawings. 102 black/white photos. 160 pages. Softback

The Somerset & Dorset railway closed as a through line in March 1966 and this all colour album shows what became of the track, stations and other infrastructure during the immediate years after 1966. Using the authors photographs, the slow demolition of the buildings and lifting of track is graphically illustrated with the final section, from Radstock to Writhlington section not going until 1976. This is an S&D book with a difference and brings back poignant memories of a once working railway. 132 colour photos. 96 pages. Softback

A listing of all known S&D stock with masses of information, intended as a reference source for modellers and historians. The locomotives, carriages, and goods stock are all listed with a selection of photographs from the period. 59 b/w photos. 60 pages. Softback

SOMERSET & DORSET RAILWAY JOINT COMMITTEE APPENDIX TO THE WORKING TIME TABLES: 1st January 1933 £14.95 A facsimile reprint of the appendix to the timetable detailing the rules and regulations and working practices on the S&D. A fascinating document showing how a railway was worked and the complexity of the daily running of the line. Map. 144 pages. Plastic comb-back binding with soft covers

DORSET & SOMERSET NARROW GAUGE (Middleton Press 'Narrow Gauge Branch Lines' Series) (Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith) £14.95  A detailed look at the narrow gauge lines that served the clay workings, watercress growers, brick makers, stone quarries and peat industry in counties of Somerset and Dorset. Many of the lines and their locomotives and stock are now confined to history, but more recent leisure lines are included. Maps, photographs and detailed captions relate the histories of these fascinating railways. 31 maps. 131 b/w photos. 96 pages. Laminated hardback

This is small paperback book full of black and white photos - with two  great pictures of Shillingstone Station.

Track plans for fifty signal boxes along this now closed route, with dates each box went out of use. Ideal reference material for modellers and historians. 64 pages. Softback

HISTORY OF THE SOMERSET & DORSET RAILWAY: Wimborne Junction to Blandford St Mary 1860-1966 (Bill Gomer) £10.00   Memories and old records of the Dorset Railway and its successor, the Somerset and Dorset. 92 black/white photos, maps, diagrams, timetables, tickets and printed ephemera. 148 pages. Softback

For railway modellers, enthusiasts and local historians alike, the Glory Days series is an excellent portrait of railway operation in some of the most attractive  regions of Britain

First published in 1955, and the result of Rolt's investigation and study of reports by H.M. Inspectorate of Railways, this book records the history of railway disasters, covering every major accident from 1840 to 1957 which resulted in a change in railway working practice. It reveals the evolution of safety devices and methods which came to make the British railway carriage one of the safest modes of transport in the world. This edition uses the last text produced by Rolt in 1966 and includes a new introduction by fellow railway historian Professor Jack Simmons.

Further Reading Section

Rupert Brooke

HRH King Edward VII