Midford May Meeting

MIDFORD

FACEBOOK - S&D - MIDFORD FUTURE

The New S&D will be holding a meeting on Saturday 21st May from 2pm to 4pm at the John James Room, Windmill City Farm, Bedminster, Bristol (near to Bedminster station and 75/76 bus routes) - where Midford station and its future will be the main topic! EVERYBODY (members and potential new members) are invited to attend - hopefully by the end of the afternoon we'll have a team ready to restart clearing at the site and planning the rebuilding of this iconic station! Operating trains is still a long way off, but we do own the site so subject to planning can proceed with rebuilding.

If you are interested in coming please email me on leysiner@aol.com so we have some idea of the numbers!

S&D 50+

MIDSOMER NORTON SOUTH

The Jinty arrives (all via Somerset and Dorset Railway Facebook)

Also in steam - the SDRHT's very own Sentinel (via Somerset and Dorset Railway Facebook)

The last Jinty at Midsomer Norton - July 2005 (pic copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

FACEBOOK - FRIENDS OF THE S&D

The S&D just keeps getting better and better. The next two weekends will be celebrations up and down the line of the original (and now quickly being forgotten!) closure. Midsomer Norton will be leading the way with two engines in steam, the Gartell will be operating 2 foot gauge versions of the last trains and the last Pines, Shillingstone will be showing off its two steam locos and Spetisbury has a small display. Let's see how many of you can visit all four sites (with a stop off at Midford as well of course, with big news from there being announced after all this is over!)

I shall be going down to Midsomer Norton on a sunny day (if available) or a gloomy one if not! There's no way I'm missing this. I was there for thr 2005 visit of a Jinty and it was an amazing experience. I seem to only have the one photo of that event though, it was the year before I switched to digital!

Midford

MIDFORD

24.5.1980

26.9.2013

FACEBOOK - S&D MIDFORD RAILWAY FUTURE

RAILFILE - MIDFORD STATION

One of the most iconic and photogenic stations in the whole of Britain is Midford, just south of Bath. Situated on the single track section that starts just at the beginning of the viaduct and runs to Bath Green Park this was one of the busiest and most intensively worked single track mainline sections in the UK. Although closed with the rest of the S&D in March 1966 the station is now on its THIRD preservation attempt and is now owned for railway use in perpetuity. 

More info (from Wikipedia)

Midford railway station was a single-platform station on the Bath extension of the Somerset and Dorset Railway, just to the north of the point where the double-track became a single track. It served the village of Midford. The station was closed with the rest of the line in March 1966 under the Beeching axe, though it had been unstaffed for some years before that.

There was a small goods yard to the north of the station, towards the entrance to the Combe Down Tunnel, which loaded Fuller's earth from Tucking Mill. South of the station, a signal box presided over the double track junction: the railway then ran across the Midford valley on a high viaduct that still exists.

For about four years from 1911 to 1915, Midford had a second railway station, Midford Halt located on the GWR Camerton Branch, which passed under the S&DJR viaduct.

Services

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Wellow Line and station closed		Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway LSWR and Midland Railways		Bath Green Park Line and station closed

The site today

After a long period in private hands the site is now part of a surfaced cycleway and footpath — the Two Tunnels Greenway. The platform and remains of the goods shed survive.

The station is now owned by the New Somerset and Dorset Railway who have plans to rebuild the station building and relay the track, when the cycleway will be diverted or accommodated. The site has been cleared to uncover the remains of the old station. 

The New Somerset and Dorset Railway

The New Somerset and Dorset Railway formed in early 2009 aims to restore the complete line to mainline operations, so it is possible that Midford will one day see passengers again.

As the initial objectives of the New S&D are focused on the southern end of the line (notably Blandford-Bournemouth), in the short term Midford will be restored as a cafe and information centre, along much the same lines as the existing Shillingstone Station Project.

• 

  The remains of Midford railway station, September 2007
   
• 

  East-west beneath north-south: Camerton branch viaduct (left) dwarfed bySomerset and Dorset Joint Railway viaduct at Midford

Rebuilding Midford!

MIDFORD STATION REBUILDING

MIDFORD FACEBOOK GROUP

We’ve reached that special time in the history of the New S&D when we can begin to rebuild our first station! At the last AGM it was decided that the appeal to raise the money needed to rebuild the iconic station at Midford would be launched in March 2014.

We expect to need somewhere in the region of £40,000. Remember we already own the station so the funds are for the materials etc to rebuild the station buildings, put in services, signage, cosmetic signals etc. The completed station will then become an information point for the rebuilding of the line and will also become a visitor centre. Hopefully there will also be some office/storage space as well!

Donations of any size are welcomed. You can donate using Paypal (to SDRHTSales@aol.com) or by cheque (payable to ‘New Somerset and Dorset Railway’ sent to New S&D (Midford Appeal), 10 Bellamy Avenue, Hartcliffe, BRISTOL, BS13 0HW.

Remember volunteers are always welcome to help with the current clearing and maintenance of the site – for info please email leysiner@aol.com

This is a very exciting time to be involved with the restoration of this iconic station and line!

Please remember we can also take donations in the form of used stamps or coins (please see website http://www.somersetanddorsetrailway.co.uk/fundraising/ for more information).

EVERY PENNY HELPS!