Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust

The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust (S&DRHT) is a heritage railway line in Somerset, England, that runs on a restored section of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The line is approximately 1 mile long and operates from Midsomer Norton South.
==History:==
===British Railways ownership:===
The Evercreech to Bath section of the S&D, the section which Midsomer Norton South was a part of, opened on July 20 1874. It was a final attempt by the S&D to achieve profitability by connecting to Bath and crossing the Somerset Coalfield. This failed however, and the railway became jointly owned by the Midland Railway (MR) and the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). At the 1923 Grouping, the line became jointly owned by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the Southern Railway, as successors to the MR and LSWR respectively.
After nationalization in 1948 the line became part of the Southern Region, the era that the trust aims to preserve after. Following the Beeching Report in 1963 it was announced that the line would close and did so on March 6, 1966.
===Heritage railway:===
The S&D Heritage Trust was formed some 30 years after the closure of the S&DJR in 1966 under the Beeching Axe, headquartered in Midsomer Norton. The station site was sold in 1969 to a local school, and then in 1995 to the Wansdyke district council, who leased it to the Trust to restore to its 1950s condition.
The Trust has since restored the original station buildings, a signalbox and a goods shed. A museum is located in an old horse stable block that houses a collection of S&DJR memorabilia, and there is also a pillbox with World War II exhibits. Having agreed a lease arrangement with the trackbed owners, the Trust has over time relaid the track which now runs for 1 mile from the station up the ruling 1:50 gradient to the infilled cutting towards Chilcompton. The railway bridge over Silver St has been removed, and further extension Southwards will require removal of the in-fill and restoration of the former Chilcompton railway tunnel.
Commercial activities such as catering, retail services and the operation of public trains over the original trackbed come under the control of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway Company Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trust. It is separate to and should not be confused with the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust, which is located at the West Somerset Railway's Washford railway station.
In May 2013 an online appeal was launched to raise £500,000 by 30 September 2013 to purchase the station at the summit of the S&DJR at Masbury. The Trust eventually raised only £80,000 by the deadline, and the site was sold to another party.
==Operations:==
The line has a variety of rolling stock that can be used to provide an arrange of events and running days for the public. On a typical running day, the railway runs a three-coach train with steam at one end and diesel at the other. Some events that the railway has done over the past few years include:
*Visits from local schools or private events such as societies or tourists.
*Santa and Easter specials.
*Pines Express remembered gala; this typically takes place in September to mark the anniversary of the last Pines Express.
==Rolling stock:==
===Steam Locomotives:===
Number & Name 	Locomotive 	Current Status 	Notes 	Livery 	Photograph
No. 5459 'Austin I' 	Kitson and Company 0-6-0ST 	In service. 	The only surviving example of five locomotives working for Austin Motor Company at their Lonbridge Plant. Owned by the Llangollen Railway Trust, it has been on loan to the railway since July 2021 and is now staying for the rest of 2022. 	Austin Motor Company lined green.	
No. 7109 'Joyce' 	Sentinel 0-4-0VBT 	Under repair. 	Similar to the S&DJR Sentinels used on the line at Radstock North and built at the Sentinel Waggon Works, but neither survived into preservation. 7109 differs to these locomotives, however, with the S&D Sentinels featuring a lower cab roof, oval buffers and square windows. Boiler ticket expires 2026 (privately owned).	BR black. 	
No. 92207 'Morning Star'	BR Standard Class 9F 2-10-0	Under restoration.	In 2022, the S&DRHT announced that they had agreed to purchase 92207 for £150,000. It is estimated that the restoration will cost over £500,000 and will likely be complete in the 2030s. 	N/A 	
===Diesel Locomotives:===
Number & Name 	Photograph	Current Status 	Notes 	Livery
English Electric 0-6-0DH D1120 David.J.Cook	 	Under modification.	Built by the English Electric Company in 1966 at their Vulcan Works Newton le Willows. Originally in service with the National Coal Board at Lea Hall Colliery in Staffordshire, it was acquired by the Somerset & Dorset Locomotive Company for preservation before being purchased by the S&DRHT in 2003. Currently it is being fitted with a vacuum brake system to enable it to work passenger trains.	Green
British Railways Class 03 0-6-0DM D2128 	 	Under repair. 	Built Swindon works 1960. 	BR black
British Railways Class 08 0-6-0DE D4095 	 	in service. 	Built Horwich Works 1961. TOPS number 08881. 	BR green, Wasp stripes
===Diesel Multiple units:===
Number & Name 	Photograph	Current Status	Notes 	livery
Class 107 DMU DMCL 52025	 	In service 	Purchased in April 2022 from the Avon Valley Railway	BR green, small warning panel
Class 107 DMU DMBS 52006	 	In service 	Purchased in April 2022 from the Avon Valley Railway	BR lined green, small warning panel
===Previous visitors:===
Number & Name	Locomotive 	History & Current Status 	Livery 	Photograph
No. 80072 	British Railways 4MT 2-6-4T	Visited from the Llangollen Railway September 2016 numbered as 80043 for the duration of the visit as this was the number of a classmate that had worked on the Somerset & Dorset line in the 60s.	BR lined black	
No. 47406 	LMS Class 3F 'Jinty' 0-6-0T	 	BR lined black	
No.41312 	LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T 	Visited from the Mid-Hants Railway in September 2022 as part of their Ivatt weekend gala (Remembering the Pines gala part 2). 	BR lined black	
===Coaching stock:===
British Rail Mark 1 coaches were the principal passenger stock of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway from 1951 until the closure of the railway on 6 March 1966. The railway currently has five of these vehicles, four of which is in service.
Number & Name	Description	Livery 	History & Current Status 	Owner(s) 	Photograph
No. M34527 	Mk1 BSK 	BR lined maroon.	Operational. Built by BR Wolverton in 1955. In 1978 it was withdrawn and converted for use in Tinsley Depot's breakdown train. In 1998 it entered preservation and in 2004 was acquired by the S&DRHT. 	Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust	
No. M26049 	Mk1 SK 	BR lined maroon.	Operational. Built by BR Derby in 1962. Withdrawn in 1983, being sold to a charter company before being sold to Peak Rail and later the Midland Railway. It was then acquired in 2005 by members of the trust before the trust took full ownership in 2021. 	Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust	
No. W9267 	Mk1 BSO 	BR lined maroon.	Operational - is mainline certified. Built by BR Doncaster in 1956. It was acquired by the NYMR railway in 1973, with the trust acquiring it on loan in 2017. This particular coach is historically significant, as it was a part of the last excursion train that ran to Bath Green Park on the S&D the day it closed.	North Yorkshire Moors Railway 	~
No. S1885 	Mk1 RMB 	BR lined maroon.	Operational. Built by BR York in 1953 as a TSO (Tourist Standard Open). It was acquired in 1987 by the Swanage Railway, who converted it to an RMB (Restaurant Miniature Buffet) before the trust acquired it in 2019. Is in use as a buffet car serving light refreshments. 	Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust	~
No. M25572 	Mk1 SK 	BR lined maroon.	Under restoration. Built by BR Wolverton in 1958. It was acquired in 1983 by the Bodmin and Wenford Railway before being sold to a private individual in 2016. The trust acquired it in 2020. 	Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust	~
===Wagon stock:===
Number & Name	Description 	History & Current Status 	Livery 	Owner(s) 	Date 	Photograph
No. S1162S 	SR PMVY 	Operational. 	SR green 	Private Owner	1936 	~
No. M94438 	BR CCT 	Static, used as book shop. 	BR maroon. 	Private Owner	1960 	~
No. DW17639 	GWR Mess van. 	Operational, used as P-Way mess van. 	GWR brown. 	S&DRHT 	1904 	~
No. M44000 	Milk Tanker 	Static, used to store water for steam operations.	United Daries	S&DRHT 	1927 	~
No. DS56286 	SR Queen Mary brake van	Operational. 	SR brown 	Private Owner	1936 	~
No. DS62070 	SR Walrus 	Under restoration. 	N/A 	S&DRHT 	1958 	~
No. B192437 	SNCF Mineral Wagon 	Operational. 	BR grey 	S&DRHT 	1946 	~
No. B160073 	BR 16T Mineral Wagon 	Under restoration. 	BR grey 	S&DRHT 	1958 	~
No. B577004 	BR 16T Mineral Wagon 	Under restoration. 	BR grey 	S&DRHT 	1957 	~
No. B558643 	BR 16T Mineral Wagon 	Under restoration. 	N/A 	S&DRHT 	Unknown.	~
No. B779696 	BR Pal Van 	Operational. 	BR brown 	S&DRHT 	1958 	~
No. B756169 	BR Box Van 	Operational. 	BR brown 	S&DRHT 	Unknown.	~
No. B785169 	BR Box Van 	Operational. 	BR brown 	S&DRHT 	1961 	~
No. M294176 	LMS brake van. 	Operational. 	LMS brown. 	S&DRHT 	1929 	~
No. DB983233 	BR Dogfish 	Operational. 	BR black 	S&DRHT 	1959 	~
No. DB992897 	BR Dogfish 	Operational. 	BR black 	S&DRHT 	1956 	~
No. DB984905 	BR Grampus 	Under restoration. 	N/A 	S&DRHT 	Unknown.	~
No. DB985126 	BR Grampus 	Under restoration. 	N/A 	S&DRHT 	1953 	~
No. DB994445 	BR Sturgeon 	Operational. 	BR black 	S&DRHT 	1959 	~
No. S49208 	SR Eliptical Van 	Under restoration. 	N/A 	S&DRHT 	Unknown.	~
No.321 	Ammunition Van 	Under restoration. 	RNAD Grey 	S&DRHT 	1910. 	~
=== Other stock:===
Number & Name	Description 	History & Current Status	Livery 	Owner(s)	Date 	Photograph
N/A 	Road rail vehicle.	Operational. 	BR Black 	S&DRHT 	Unknown.	~
B40W 	Wickham trolly. 	Operational. 	BR maroon.	S&DRHT 	1956 	
===Former rolling and coach stock:===
Number & Name	Description 	History & Current Status 	Livery 	Owner(s)	Date 	Photograph
No. 255 	 	Under restoration (body only), on modified underframe of a LMS CCT. Was later sold to the Brecon and Merthyr Railway, one of only three surviving vehicles, in 1920 then withdrawn by GWR c. 1930. The underframe of the LMS CCT was later found to be that of a Midland Railway 6-wheeler, making it more perfect for the fitting. Might be painted in an S&DJR livery as the coach is the appropriate type as used on the line.	N/A 	Unknown.	1890 	~
No. 10023 	Mk3a RFB 	Was static in use as buffet car, later sold on to a private owner for non-railway use. 	Plain green 	Unknown.	1980 	~
No. M59664 	Class 115 DMU TCL	Static, was in use as staff canteen. 	BR line green	Unknown.	1960 	~
No. 59664 	Class 115 DMU TCL	Static, was in use as staff canteen. 	BR line green	Unknown.	Unknown.	150px
==See also:==
*Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust
*New Somerset and Dorset Railway
==External links:==
*https://www.sdjr.co.uk/
Category:Heritage Railways
Category:Tourist attractions
Category:Preservation societies
Category:United Kingdom
Category:Railways
Category:UK railways