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Somerset & Dorset

An Historical Survey of the Somerset & Dorset Railway0000-00-00
Colin Judge & Chris Potts£19.99134 pagesOPC1979
I still have copies left of this by now out of print 4th (1998) printing, describing the whole S&D system by means of detailed track and signalling diagrams together with a good selection of photographs. This remains the ultimate and best guide to the S&D's infrastructure yet published.

Bath Green Park to Bristol0000-00-00
Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith£14.9596 pagesMiddleton Press1999
The usual combination of large scale OS map extracts and photographs from this publisher, taking us on a journey along the Midland route from Bath. Mangotsfield junction is particularly well covered, as are the complicated arrangements in Bristol. Photographs are predominantly historic, current views show Barton Hill Depot, the waste transfer station and the preservation activities at Bitton.

Bournemouth To Evercreech Junction0000-00-00
Mitchell and Smith£14.9596 pagesMiddleton Press1987
Starting at Bournemouth West this book takes us up the previously neglected stretch of line as far as Evercreech Junction. The vast majority of photographs were previously unpublished and reveal a very different sort of S&D to the Northern Extension. Of particular interest is the volume of freight shown being handled by pick up goods at intermediate stations, especially Blandford, which remained open until 1969 for freight traffic.

Burnham To Evercreech Junction0000-00-00
Mitchell and Smith£14.9596 pagesMiddleton Press1989
The S&D's branch, including the "twigs" to Wells and Bridgwater are here surveyed in the usual style of the publisher. Highbridge Works and the wharf are well covered, with old OS map extracts and pre grouping shots being used to good effect. There is even a view of one of the Eclipse Peat Company's narrow gauge Listers crossing the SD line on the level, together with the results of a collision at this point, overall this book is a delightful record of an often overlooked piece of railway.

Ivo Peters His Films Revisited, The S&D Part One0000-00-00
Julian Peters£16.9574 pagesJulian Peters2002
A fresh look at Ivo's film of the Northern part of the line, from Bath to Masbury. Narrated by Ivo's son Julian, and re-masterd using the latest technology, this is a truly excellent production showing much fresh material and being more intelligently put together than the original film selection. If you had to have just one S&D "movie" then this should definitely be it. Also available as a video at the same price.

Ivo Peters His Films Revisited, The S&D Part Two0000-00-00
Julian Peters£16.9560 pagesJulian Peters2002
Much the same comments apply to part two as one, except that Ivo was less attracted and further away from the southern section, and the coverage is therefore a little patchy, a few locations being briefly represented by still photographs. Still interesting and good value, but not quite as good as part one. One particularly good sequence however covers in detail shunting a up pick up goods at Shepton Mallet. Also available in video format at the same price.

Life on the Railway0000-00-00
John Owen£16.95200 pagesMillstream1989
A massively under-rated book, still available at the price at which it was published over ten years ago. It is a complete description and history of all the Midland and S&DJR lines in and around Bath, centred on the magnificent station of Green Park and its extensive yards and associated industries. Uniquely, it gives full details; working methods, photographs and plans, of S&D private sidings on the single line section in addition to other backwaters such as the "Malt factory sidings". It also covers the "human" side of operating these lines in some detail, and the whole story is backed up by excellent photography, including the work of John Stamp, a professional raiolwayman on the S&D. The book is further distinguished by the authors own lucid drawings and diagrams. If you are an S&D devotee and don't have this book then you ought to purchase it now, before it finally goes out of print.

The Mangotsfield to Bath Line0000-00-00
Colin Maggs£12.95176 pagesOakwood2005
A considerably expanded edition of the 1992 editon, covering the 12 mile long Midland Railway branch line that ran from the outskirts of Bristol to a grandiose neo classical terminus in Bath. Double tracked throughout and forming the northern link to the famous Somerset and Dorset line, the variety and volume of traffic carried on this line in its heyday and up until the 1960s was staggering. Even the closure of the S&D in 1966 couldn't extinguish it, freight lingered on into the 1970s when the final customer had other arrangements made for them so that the whole could be closed. This book is a densely packed record, with good photographic coverage.

Maritime Activities of the Somerset and Dorset Railway0000-00-00
Chris Handley£13.95160 pagesMillstream2001
I found this a very enyoyable read, the story is highly interesting and puts some real "flesh" onto the bones of the Somerset and Dorset Railway's earlier history. Optimisim dogged by numerous setbacks and diluted by continual financial crises eventually produced a highly successful operation at Highbridge Wharf, which contributed to the railway's fortunes over a long period of time. This book is the result of years of interest and research, and contains a real wealth of detail, including an astonishing number of highly relevant photographs, especially given the relative antiquity of much of the subject matter. I find myself left with a real appetite to know more about the rest of the railway's operations over this interesting period and a distinct feeling that the "British Railways" era was just a minor postscript to a magnificent story about which we know too little.

Radstock Coal and Steam (Vol 2)0000-00-00
Chris Handley£16.95160 pagesMillstream1992
Volume 2 concentrates on the locomotives, train workings, track plans and signalling of the S&D in Radstock. I was not sure that there was much else to show or say after volume 1, but this book proves that there was. Full scale drawings of all structures and staggeringly detailed photographs make this completion of Chris Handley's labour of love ideal for modellers.

Radstock Coal and Steam (Vol 1)0000-00-00
Chris Handley£16.95160 pagesMillstream1991
An extremely comprehensive history of the Somerset and Dorset in Radstock which includes the line out to Shoscombe and Single Hill Halt and all of the collieries in the area. This is a beautiful book which has been meticulously researched by Chris Handley providing fascinating details and maps of a Radstock which is alas no more.

On Somerset and Dorset Lines0000-00-00
Robert Robotham£14.9979 pagesIan Allan1995
One copy left (Jan 2008) of this now out of print all colour Somerset and Dorset book, one of Ian Allan's successful "landscape format" books. The photos are well chosen, and depict both the main line and the branch to Highbridge. Although the captions are a bit "off the mark" in places the selection of views was quite inspired and the colour rendition is well done and quite natural, all of which makes the book ideal for modellers of late era S&D and Southern Region.

The Somerset and Dorset Railway 1935-19660000-00-00
Mike Arlett and David Lockett£22.50192 pagesLightmoor Press2008
Norman Lockett, an accomplished photographer in his own right, was a friend of Ivo Peters and often accompanied him on his photographic expeditions. On this basis I was afraid that this might have been rather a "familiar" collection, but in fact rather the opposite is the case. There are two principal reasons for this; firstly Norman started photographing the S&D from 1935 and (apart from the war) photographed the line extensively before 1950 and secondly he visited quite a few "non Ivo" locations. Both of these aspects of Norman's photography have been fully exploited in this book and the authors have also gone back to the original glass plate negatives for reproduction, often using the full uncropped image to good effect. The result is very pleasing, a good reference for modelling detail and a terrific record of a couple of more obscure parts of the S&D - most especially the "branch" between the GWR main line and Church Street in Highbridge. There is also a rare shot showing Downside ground frame very clearly - all in all this is a very worthwhile addition to any S&D library.

Somerset and Dorset Steam Finale0000-00-00
Michael S. Welch£10.9972 pagesRunpast2001
Whilst drawing on some familiar sources, including the colour rail archive, this all colour collection features a good number of refreshingly unfamiar viewpoints and subjects. There are a good number of very late views, including the classic "Bude" and "Biggin Hill" combination on Saturday, but the most unusual are those of a military train that was double headed south from Blandford by two standard 4 tanks in late July of 1966 - quite amazing photographs.

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