'Trespassing' properties demolished on the new Waverly Route!

Quite so Ken-It will be up to the individual communities to decide. I am certainly not condoning draconian methods of ejecting residents or businesses from their hard earned premises.I take your point-I too have reservations about the human cost in this element of re-opening railways. Re-routing could be a possibility and in the case of the S&D this sort of problem could ultimately prevent a full reinstatement of the Bath to Bournemouth rail link. It may even fail to reach any significant objective-who knows? You could be looking at 20/30 years on.


The new S&D appears to have established a starter foothold at it's 2 humble sites-we can only hope that the best will come out of this for everyone.

May the debate continue in one form or the other-hopefully it will remain measured and civil.

 

It is worth noting that all of the 'Community' Railways we have seen so far, and the lines reopened in Scotland and Wales, have all been at worst with the track lifted, and most have been 'mothballed' with the track in place. So the costs of setup are hugely lower than one that would have to compulsorily purchase houses, industrial estates new avoiding lines around unassailable blockages, etc.

 

Jamie-you are absolutely right.

 

Why would re'instating the S&D be the answer to oil running out anyway? how is this going to help???Also if he has so many people joining his blog site as he states the how come he never get any comments posted the the threads he starts? It's a naff site as no one else can start a thread

 

To be fair Dave-re peak oil,I don't think that is what the blogger is saying. As for the running of his blog -I haven't a clue with computers but I get the impression that there is a difference between a forum and a blog and what you can do...ie delete stuff at will etc.

 

I can't make my mind up about Austerity....optimist with rose tinted glasses or something else. You ask why you'd need to prove a need for the railway (your response to my observation about needing to show a considerable demand). Well I would have thought that the answer was pretty obvious. You are proposing a reopening of the S&D to serve the communities along it, and endorsing the use of public money to do so. Or have I misundertood your thrust? If i haven't misunderstood then the NEED will have to be demonstrated, and for the expense involved (which would be many tens or hundreds of millions) the need will have to be considerable. If you can show the need then the rest is comparitively easy.

 

Austerity does seem to defend the New S&D blogger and deny he's him. Some of his answers almost seem as if he is SS. A straight forward answer to a question that questions the costs or feasability of putting the line back is one thing you never seem to get. He's very quick to post links to other lines that are being restored as if it sets the presidents for all others to follow suit. The recent Waverley demolition is like a victory to him but i'm sure the owners of the properties were well compensated. There is a claim on his blog that the owner of the Beechings (Binegar station site) would now be crapping hisself! Why? when nothing is going to happen. I told him of the bridge not far from single hill halt had been converted into a dwelling. Got the usual CPO response blah blah. Will all home owners and businesses realy just up and leave as easily as he makes out? I doubt it

 

I read this thread with mild amusement. I'd love to see the SD&JR resurrected, but a cursory look at Google Earth will indicate to any sane person that only a miracle, mega-bucks and a French-style planning system as regards public works will allow this to happen.

At the Bath end, where would you put a new station? The nearest it can get to Green Park is Bellotts Road (a highly built-up area), whilst the formation's higher-level in relation to the ex-GWR route would preclude a chord into Spa due to lack of space and steep gradients. Then there is the fact most of the northern section is currently a designated footpath/cycleway. Wellow will be a major obstacle in that the Wellow Trekking centre takes up both sides of the formation and uses it as an approach road; a tennis court, and about seven houses have been built over the formation. Then the formation disappears into fields, requiring serious earthworks to be carried out, and entire string of houses between Orchard View and Green Acres (south of Wellow); a further shed of some sort and a small-holding completely obliterates the trackbed near this point. Whilst there is a clear way into Radstock, there are warehouses encroaching the formation, whilst the trackbed has been completely reclaimed to lay out Waterloo Road. A bridge is missing over the A362, and there appears to be another row of houses backing very close to the formation.

Whilst there appears to be a clear run as far as Silver Street in Midsomer Norton, I can't vouch for the obstacles obscured by the trees. Then there is the small matter of fitting a bridge over said street due to the road level having been raised since. Then you'd have to negotiate with said group to run through their site. All of this and I've only reached Midsomer Norton! All I can say to you is good luck in pursuing your ambitions!

 

If the estimated cost to re-open the Portishead branch is £30 to £40 million pounds (which involves relaying about 2 miles of track, upgrading the freight only section, building a couple of new stations and providing new signalling) then I think the costs could be a fair few billions of pounds to re-open the S&D.

 

You are probably entirely correct Bristle.However, the New S&D scheme is currently being put together on a piecemeal basis(like most railway revival efforts)-starting with the 2 stations which are broadly north and south on the line and will be used to promote the project. I get the impression that it is much to early too put a price on the whole enterprise and would be a waste of time just at the moment. This sort of exercise would only be necessary if you were chasing massive finance to help achieve massive goals. Slowly, slowly catchy monkey.The basic scene has been set-the cost is immaterial at this time. Yes there are huge problems ahead which may or may not stuff proceedings-but who knows? I am defending if anything the right to be positive and investigate and push possibility boundaries to the n'th degree. What SS puts on,doesn't put on or removes from his blog is neither here nor there-it's entirely up to him. I don't agree with everything he says but the opinions/views he expresses on his blog, are his own and he's entitled to them.
Rose coloured specs have brought me some success in the past. All you have to remember to do is make sure that you keep well away from being out of your depth,be flexible and make sure that you have the resources to back up your current situation.

 

The 'New S&D' never fails to make me smile - restoring a couple of old stations will actually 'promote' a project to rebuild the line as a modern transport link, with no need to talk about the patently obvious unjustfiable cost because its 'too early' and 'immaterial at this time'.

Im also bemused by how Austerity is 'defending...the right to be positive' about a project justified by a negative, arguably dystopian-sounding future where our current 'greed based economy' is no more and peak oil has rendered road transport uneconomic, sending the developed world back a century. Im not sure 'rose tinted glasses' are quite the right metaphor!

Chris

 

The sort of thing that is frightening is how people like this can so easily get the ear of government - mind you - what do they know about finance and business? And when it comes to people being angered by the likes of the OP's dismissal of rights and ambitions which go right to the heart of people's personal aspirations and concerns, he doesn't understand why others with a more mature view take exception to his lack of empathy with ordinary people's hard fought for, and bought in, rights to their properties and businesses.

Away with the fairies is about right I'm afraid!

 

Will I have to move the Welsh Dresser so that trains can rumble through?

 

I'm sure you'll get a good price from the New S&D for your property if he can work out where to get the money from! lol

 

If he doesn't, somebody else will....I trust he will get the top price.

 

That reminds me of an old song by Rusty Draper!...

Rusty Draper - In The Middle Of The House - YouTube

 

Well at least it makes you happy! So how many stations do you want Christopher- 3,4 even 5 to start promoting the line? What you're saying is a put down of a fair acheivement.Currently the S&D do not have the resources to carry out the dynamic exercise of consultation, financial alignment and super litigation to arrive at any figures just to satisfy those who want to know on a casual basis. If you were to contact one of the railway extension/ reinstate organisations and ask them where they got their money from -they would quite rightly reply MYOBB. I'll say it again-if the community want it -the cost is justifiable.

 

My fault here Chris-quoting a personal view and getting all political. But since you followed on you seem to have cottoned on to my tack admirably. However I'd go for 'Utopia' not' negative Dystopia',considering that a community transport system would struggle against the background of a post apocolyptic scenario. Rose Tinted Specs- unsuitable metaphor? Well I'll give you that one!

 

Is that right Frank? I'll get straight on to SS and advise that he contact the ministry immediately-but as you say what do they (the government?) know about finance and business.

 

Frank this is the New S&D not the Third Reich! As far as I know they do not intend to invade Poland-although they may end up with a few polish workers.
Somerset and Dorset are the 2 most mystical counties in the realm-away with the fairies?-no need they're resident!