Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust

The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust
Midsomer Norton BA3 2EY
Telephone
01761 411221 (Sundays and Mondays).
How to find us and contacts

Open Sundays and Mondays. For opening times and special events click here.

ABOUT THE RAILWAY
This a short heritage railway run by volunteers in the foothills of the Mendips in North Somerset. We run trains on a short, but expanding line, currently with diesel trains. There is a gift and bookshop, museum, buffet coach, wartime pillbox museum, signalbox and much more to see. See more.

Diary
The webmaster's regularly updated diary notes of what has been happening on and off the scene.

Updated: 12.05.13

Help raise money with your internet searches
You can help us raise funds simply by using our tailored page for this search engine. See the Fundraising page for more information, or start your internet search here.

We need your stamps!
We can recycle and sell your used postage stamps to raise money for the project at Midsomer Norton. Please see the fundraising page for further information.

Funded with assistance from

Latest news

Running days 2013
May.....	12, 19, 25, 26
June....	2, 9, 16, 22, 23, 30
For more dates and times see here.

Download our Visitor Information leaflet
If you can't get your hands on a copy of our visitor information leaflet, follow this link and download the PDF file.

Quick links
About the S&DRHT
Welcome
How to find us & travel
Station site plan
S&D line map
Opening & events
Merchandise sales
Become a member
Including online purchase & renewals

Volunteers needed
The railway needs more working members. Volunteers are needed in all departments, not just for all sorts of work. If you have skills we could use or time you can offer, please see the volunteering section on the membership page to find out more.

Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust at Washford on the West Somerset Railway. Event diary dates here.

Website design: Ovals
Webmaster:

Current issue of the S&D Telegraph magazine:
Telegraph 39 front cover

Issue 41, March edition of The S&D Telegraph features:

• Steam in 1965 on our line – full-page colour photo
• Track extensions, signals multiplying
• S&DR united at Cole 150 years ago – with maps and photos
• Working Branksome Pottery with an S&D Class 2P loco
• In the beginning: rescuing Midsomer Norton Station in 1995
• All the latest news, views, comment and restoration updates

Become a member and get regular copies of The S&D Telegraph and newsletters.

YouTube videos
Take a look at videos on our YouTube channel, click on the image below to link to our selection.

Latest addition: A run along the phase 2 extension towards the station in March 2013 on a works train, showing the latest progress on tracklaying.

	Take Teddy on the Train event: May 25/26 Our next occasion is the Teddy Bears event on the late May Bank Holiday weekend - 25/26th. Children bringing their bears will be entitled to travel for free on the train when accompanied by a fare-paying adult. The usual parts of the station will be open - main museum, pillbox museum, buffet coach for food and drinks, shop and signalbox. There will be 'Driver for a Fiver' available - drive the diesel loco for a fiver (conditionas apply), and station tours will be available. There's something for the whole family this weekend - come and see our work in progress and enjoy a ittle bit of Somerset by train!
Handing over single line tablet Waiting to enter Devonshire Tunnel Interior Devonshire Tunnel Devonshire Tunnel west portal Interior Combe Down Tunnel	Iconic Bath S&D tunnels now open After many years in planning and construction, the Sustrans 'Two Tunnels' path through Combe Down and Devonshire tunnels, was opened on April 6th. A special gala event held on the Bloomfield Open Space, Bath, adjacent to Devonshire Tunnel's western portal, saw thousands of people turn out on this fine spring day. The event was organised by Two Tunnels and Sustrans staff and volunteers, and the opening itself led by ex-S&D footplatemen, local MP Don Foster, local Olympic Gold medal winner Amy williams, and BANES and Bath City Council chairmen. Amy Williams unveiled a portrait sculpture bench made from pierced steel and portraying herself, WWI veteran Harry Patch and a Roman centurion. The tunnels opening was initiated by the handing over of the original single-line Bath - Midford tablet to a boy picked from a local school, who delivered the tablet to Devonshire Tunnel's western portal to allow the first group of cyclists and walkers through the tunnels. A very exciting day was well attended, thousands of people travelled through the refurbished tunnels and Lyncombe Vale. The tunnels have LED lighting inside - lit until 23.00hrs each day, a new tarmac path and cleaned and repaired walls where required. Devonshire Tunnel is 447 yards long and Combe Down Tunnel is now Britain's longest cycle tunnel at one mile and 69 yards long. Click on the thumbnail images left to see larger versions.
	2013 events and train running timetable We have now added our 2013 event dates, train running dates and timetable to the website, which can be found on the Opening & Events page (right-hand column). The first event of the year is the Easter Weekend open days on March 30/31 - more details for this on the above page.
Doug Hill John Dora	Respected Chairman steps down Doug Hill resigned as S&DJR Company Chairman in December, after five years’ sterling service, also handing over his role as Finance Director. First involved in 2008, managing finances, Doug brought his considerable experience as the West Somerset Railway’s General Manager. He ensured requirements for operating public trains were established, led the project’s reorganisation into the current Trust/Company set-up, and even acted as Operations Director. It’s an understatement to say that Doug often held the project together, for which we are very grateful. We wish him well in his retirement. Taking over as Company Chairman, John Dora is also overseeing all engineering work. John brings a strong railway pedigree as Network Rail’s lead engineer on climate change impact. He left NR in November and is now a private consultant. John first came to the S&D to advise on safety infrastructure, designing a three-stage structure to stop potential runaway vehicles. We persuaded him to stay as a Trustee and engineering adviser, and like others before him, he’s now hooked!
	Track laying latest - January 2013 Progress on track laying at Midsomer Norton, after a mid-winter lull, when lifting machinery was unavailable, has resumed. At the time of writing, around six 60-foot track panels with sleepers have been positioned on the second-phase extension. The track is currently unballasted or levelled, awaiting fresh deliveries of ballast, but constitutes around 1/3rd of the line to be laid on this section and allows the works train and road-railer to be used in laying further track. At this point the line is a single one as it creeps towards Chilcompton. Negotiations are under way with the land owners of the next stretch, which at this rate will be reached within a matter of months. The photo left, which can be clicked on to bring up a larger version, shows the road-railer and Class 08 diesel-hauled works train on the extension on Sunday 28th January.
	See older news stories