Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway

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Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
1926 map of S&DJR
Overview
Status	Disused
Owner	Midland Railway and London and South Western Railway (pre-1923) London, Midland and Scottish Railway and Southern Railway (1923 to 1948) British Rail (post-1948)
Locale	Somerset Dorset
Termini	Bath Green Park Bournemouth West Bridgwater North Burnham-on-Sea
Stations	48
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Services	Bath to Bournemouth, Bridgwater to Bournemouth, Burnham to Bournemouth
Depot(s)	Highbridge Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works; Bournemouth
History
Opened	1854-1874
1862	Somerset Central Railway and Dorset Central Railway amalgamate to form Somerset and Dorset Railway
1876	Joint ownership by Midland Railway and London and South Western Railway commences (later London, Midland and Scottish Railway and Southern Railway)
1948	Railway nationalised under British Rail
Closed	1951-1966
Reopened	1996-present (Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust have relaid 1 mile of line to date)
Technical
Line length	105 miles 45 chains (169.9 km) (1925)[1]
Track length	180 miles 62 chains (290.9 km) (1925)[1]
Number of tracks	Majority single track. 45 miles 3 chains (72.5 km) double track.[1]
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Old gauge	7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge
Highest elevation	811 ft (247 m) between Binegar and Masbury[1]
Maximum incline	1 in 50 between Bath and Midford, Radstock and summit of Mendip Hills, and summit of Mendip Hills and Evercreech[1]

v t e Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
This diagram shows the maximum extent of the line. All distances and timings are cumulative from Bath Green Park railway station.
Legend
km   h:min 0.00 Bath Green Park originally Queen Square 0:00 Bridge over River Avon 0.40 Bath Goods Depot Coal-Gas Works 0.82 Mangotsfield and Bath branch line (MR) to Bristol Temple Meads │ to Mangotsfield 0:01 Great Western Main Line to Bristol Temple Meads │ to London 0:02 Devonshire Tunnel 0:04 Combe Down Tunnel 0:05 Tucking Mill Viaduct 0:06 7.02 Midford 0:10 Bristol and North Somerset Railway (GWR) to Limpley Stoke 0:11 10.88 Wellow 0:17 13.80 Shoscombe and Single Hill Halt 0:22 Writhlington Colliery sidings formerly Foxcote 0:23 17.14 Radstock North 0:26 Bristol and North Somerset Railway (GWR) to Frome 0:29 20.16 Midsomer Norton 0:35 Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust Chilcompton Tunnel 23.32 Chilcompton 0:44 27.46 Binegar 0:52 Summit 247 m above sea level 29.99 Masbury 0:56 81.73 Burnham-on-Sea 2:16 Bristol and Exeter Railway (GWR) to Bristol Temple Meads Windsor Hill Tunnel 78.92 Highbridge 2:11 Highbridge Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works 76.28 Bason Bridge 2:06 70.67 Edington Burtle 1:58 75.10 Cossington 2:04 77.37 Bawdrip Halt 2:09 67.17 Shapwick 1:52 64.09 Ashcott 1:47 Bridgwater Spinx Cement Works Bridgwater cement, lime, brick and tile Works 81.94 Bridgwater North 2:12 Bridgwater (GWR) Bristol and Exeter Railway (GWR) to Taunton 59.75 Glastonbury and Street 1:39 64.57 Polsham 1:47 Cheddar Valley line (GWR) to Yatton 68.60 Wells (Tucker Street) Charlton Viaduct 1:01 68.60 Wells (Priory Road) 1:53 35.16 Shepton Mallet (Charlton Road) 1:02 Shepton Mallet (High Street) 51.24 West Pennard 1:28 Cock Mill Crossing 45.79 Pylle 1:20 East Somerset Railway (GWR) to Witham 1:03 Prestleigh Viaduct 40.07 Evercreech New 1:10 42.04 Evercreech Junction 1:15 42.52 Evercreech Junction 1:16 Heart of Wessex Line & Reading–Taunton line (GWR) 1:23 46.99 Cole (for Bruton) 1:24 53.83 Wincanton 1:33 59.48 Templecombe 1:42 59.64 West of England line (LSWR) to Exeter Central │ to London 1:43 Tower View Common Lane & Depot Gartell Light Railway Pinesway Junction Park Lane 62.52 Henstridge 1:50 Somerset Dorset border 64.92 Stalbridge 1:55 71.31 Sturminster Newton 2:03 76.20 Shillingstone 2:10 Shillingstone Railway Project (under construction) Stourpaine and Durweston Halt 2:16 84.99 Blandford Forum 2:24 Blandford Camp 86.90 Charlton Marshall Halt 2:29 89.42 Spetisbury 2:34 94.83 Bailey Gate 2:42 Southampton and Dorchester Railway to Ringwood 102.88 Wimborne 2:53 97.69 Corfe Mullen Halt 2:49 102.51 Broadstone Junction 2:55 Broadstone Junction 2:57 Holes Bay 104.59 Creekmoor Halt 2:59 Backwater Channel Hamworthy Junction 3:02 South West Main Line (LSWR) to Weymouth Hamworthy (original station) now Hamworthy Goods Depot Poole Quay 108.03 Poole 3:03 110.96 Parkstone 3:13 113.07 Branksome 3:18 Branksome Junction Bournemouth West Junction Gasworks Junction Bournemouth Depot 3:20 115.03 Bournemouth West 3:23 Meyrick Park Halt Bournemouth Central 3:24 South West Main Line (LSWR) to London

The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (now in south-east Dorset but then in Hampshire), with a branch from Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater. Strictly speaking, the main line ran from Bath Junction to Broadstone, as the line between Broadstone and Bournemouth was owned by the London and South Western Railway, while the line between Bath Junction and Bath was owned by the Midland Railway.^[2]

The line was used for freight and local passenger traffic over the Mendip Hills, and for weekend holiday traffic to Bournemouth. Criticised as the "Slow and Dirty" or the "Slow and Doubtful", it closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching axe despite protests from the local community.