Researching the Route: The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
To enable us to create the routes for Rail Simulator in an accurate fashion, we sent key members of our team to visit the routes and research them and the area they exist in. In August of 2005 we sent two such members down to research the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway.
Based at a B&B in Chelynch, Andy and Gray spent four days travelling along what is left of the route and visiting local heritage sites. Gray is a keen cyclist, so he was nominated to cycle along as much of the route as he could, taking photographs and notes on what he saw!
Day One.
Gray started out at Bath Green Park Station - The building that was once Bath Green Park station has been renovated and turned into a bistro, however the exterior has not changed significantly since the 1950s.
Using Ordnance Survey maps of the area Gray tried to follow the path of the route through Bath and on out towards Radstock. A stretch of the route has been turned into Linear Park, which is a “nature park”. This means that the plants in the park are those that you would expect to find in countryside in this part of the country; for example Hawthorn and Blackberry bushes, wild roses and brambles. Linear Park stretches along what was the original track bed of the route and winds its way along for several miles.
Following the route up into the Mendips, Gray travelled through Midford, getting some good shots of the Midford Viaduct and on into Wellow (where the station building has been converted into a private residence).
Gray finished the first days cycling at Radstock, where Andy had spent the day at the Radstock Museum (www.radstockmuseum.co.uk). Radstock Museum has a collection of S&DJR Railway artefacts and memorabilia, as well as a model railway of the route
Day Two.
Carrying on from Radstock where he had finished the previous day, Gray spent some time photographing the town and talking to local residents that remembered the town as it was when the S&DJR was still running. Heading out of town he was able to retrace the route of the line through the Radstock section of Linear Park.
Next stop was Midsomer Norton, where there is a heritage centre run by the Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust. (http://www.sdjr.co.uk). Here Gray and Andy (who met him there) were able to take many shots of the station and it’s surrounds as well as talking to the friendly volunteers that were working at the site that day.
From Midsomer Norton Gray continued along to the Chilcompton Tunnels and on to Chilcompton itself. Beyond Chilcompton it got harder to follow the line, the only clear signs of the old route being the remaining bridge abutments.
North of Shepton Mallet Gray managed to discover where the old line ran through the tunnelled section, although he received a fair few cuts and grazes fighting through the overgrowth to find it – he said it was worth it!
Following that there is the Shepton Mallet viaduct as you come into the town, followed by the impressive Charlton Viaduct on the other side.
Day Three.
Day three took Gray on through to Evercreech and Evercreech Junction, which he found with a little help from signs for the ‘Evercreech Junction Trading Estate’! He went on through Cole and the Pitcombe Viaduct, finishing the day at Wincanton, having travelled an impressive 30 miles.
Day Four.
Day four was the final stretch from Wincanton through to Templecombe. Wincanton posed quite some difficulty for Gray as the area has been greatly developed since the days of the S&DJR and little evidence of the route remains. In Templecombe however Gray was able to find more evidence of the old S&DJR and it’s surrounds, including the old station which remains in use to this day.
All in all Gray cycled approximately 80 miles in these four days and took approximately 700 photos. From these and our other research materials (books, websites, and SME input) our artists have recreate the key features from along the route and our content team have created a fairly reasonable representation of the route as it existed back in the early 1950s.
Rail Simulator Team