The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway

You say that now, wait till they open Burnham on Sea as a container port.

 

Housing development would have seen the Waverly route run through some pretty built up areas - although this appears to be on the back burner at present.

South of Midsomer Norton, its hard to think of any sizeable development where the traffic flow would be northwards. In fact the last 7 words of that sentence might not be needed.

 

I am told you can't get a ship into Burnham this day and age, but then the link would be used for Freight and other traffic that could be generated locally. the promoters are looking at this more of a local freight link rebuild than a tourist railway operation, tourism will help with the bills, but they wont pay for the whole project. it will be modern Diesel's and railcar operations on a day to day basis, with steam at weekends and special workings during the summer time weeks.

 

Aren't we forgetting something here? Burnham is already served by rail. Even in the unlikely event of it ever becoming another container port, all it would need is a short spur from the Bristol-Exeter line to the port!

 

I was about to donate to the Masbury fund, but when I doubted the pipe dream of the 'New S&D' I was called negative, an idiot and various other terms. So I decided they didn't want my money.

Interesting to note with about 8 weeks left to raise the money they only have circa £20,000 in the kitty. Maybe if they treated people with some respect they might be inclined to donate.

I'm 100% behind the MSN Trust at Midsomer, but when the jokers at the NS&D start banging on about peak oil they destroy the creditbilty.

I suggested that any new S&D would need a decent maximum operating speed, ERTMS to maximise capacity and OHL at the very least. Again I was shot down in flames.

Great Western

 

Isn't it the s&drht who have been offered first refusal? Rather than the new s&d? I really hope that it comes off but it is a large sum of money. I`ve made a donation and am keeping my fingers crossed!

 

Check this - it might clarify who's doing what: http://www.sdjr.co.uk/
And this, to be doubly sure: http://www.sdjr.co.uk/Graphics/homepage/news_stories/masburyappeal.pdf
I don't see any mention of the New S&D anywhere.

 

The Masbury project is a wholly promoted SDHT Midsomer Norton project. Which I'm fully beind, however am element of New S&D are doing the Internet/Facebook promoting.

I personally thing a MSN - Masbury project is achievable in the long term (20yrs) but never in a million years, is a whole S&D plus branches ever going to happen.

I've just had a look on the Masbury Facebook page, somebody suggested a smashing idea of liking
Masbury and NSN with a heritage bus to link the two sites. Which of course was cod washed by one of the peak oil bunch, saying 'I don't think a sustainable transport group, should support a non sustainable mode of transport' ! Really this is the sort of rubbish that put me off.
Do the guys at MSN these people are doing to their efforts?

£25,000 has been raised so far 05/07/13.

Great Western

 

The Guys at MSN are aware of the support the new S&D have given, but the thing is the money still goes to MSN, there is a lot going on at MSN as well. The trackbed south of MSN. The trackbed going south is looking very good, they do face the same problem as the blue bell in that they have to clear tons of house hold waste from the cutting before going anywhere else.

From what I can make out it is a big jigsaw at present and I hope some of these bits will in time marry up, but I think it is going to take a couple of years to sort out who is doing what and where you have three basic railway groups doing there thing on the trackbed or near to it if you include the East Somerset Railway and its plan to get back to Shepton Mallett and possible beyond to Wells? Then you have the North Somerset Group who wants to rebuild the link from Radstock to Frome, the guys at MSN want to go to Radstock as well and then on south as far as they can and finally you have the small group at Shillingstone which could in theory built about a 12mile section of the S&D from end to end. I should not miss out Gartell’s either as they too are on the trackbed.

Hope this helps

Colin