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The SOMERSET & DORSET RAILWAY Bath to Bournemouth The Main Line and Branches


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3 minutes ago, phil_sutters said:

As the railway stopped using the jetty in around 1905 and the lifeboat stopped using the main track for launches by 1930, rails on it after that would have been an irrelevance.  However there were still traces left as late as 1967, as can be seen in Chris Handley's book.

The lifeboat hut still exists as it became the local scout hut, but is now a takeaway.

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21 hours ago, PenrithBeacon said:

If the S&DJR is your thing then it might be worth the £35, otherwise best wait until it's remaindered. 

 

It's rare to find a decent Irwell title 'remaindered'.

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On 21/07/2021 at 22:26, PenrithBeacon said:

 

If the S&DJR is your thing then it might be worth the £35, otherwise best wait until it's remaindered. 

 

 

A personal view on the price.

 

When the OPC book was published in 1979 it cost £5.95.  For that you got 136 printed pages, including a system map, gradient profiles for Bath to Bournemouth West (!) and Evercreech Junction to Burnham, two Appendices but no Index.

 

More to the point you also got around 230 images, 60 track diagrams and 50 signal box diagrams.  Captions… well, they were brief; mostly single lines of text.

 

For  want of any better measure all this equated to 23 pence per printed page.

 

If you were to publish the same book today, the Bank of England Inflation calculator suggests the price would now be £31.00.

 

But you cannot get the same book today, and if you want a feel for how the SDJR was laid out and enjoy the more informative captions we expect these days, then the Derek Phillips/Irwell Press book is your go to option.  As Strathwood points out, your £35.95 for 350 printed pages will set you back around 10 pence per printed page.

 

So it seems to me that despite some issues, you do actually get quite a good bargain from this book and if the SDJR is your ‘thing’ then it’s worth investing in a copy.

 

Regards

TMc

23/07/2021

 

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Well ....I wish that I'd ordered my copy from either @Not Jeremy or @Strathwood instead of direct from the publishers as it's still not arrived yet ....and I reckon that my Postman thinks that I'm stalking him !! :resent:

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Well the book has arrived here in Bath and I have had a quick but complete canter through.

 

Verdict - utterly wonderful.

 

Lots of pictures I have not seen before, those of  John Eyers via South West Circle particulary drew my eye - lots of lovely modelling detail.

 

So much to like, brilliant modellers shots as mentioned above, a few of the beautiful GA Richardson images also included, some good examples of Ivo's work and a good sprinkling of pre BR, I could go on.....

 

As observed re Bath Junction plan, OK a bit mixed over dates, but I can't find anything else "wrong" - I'm not looking for problems mind you. 

 

The writing is nice, the captions are good, the negative review above is incredibly mean spirited and wrong headed, just ignore it.

 

The book will most certainly not get remaindered, more likely reprinted at a higher price owing to demand.

 

I'm adding it to my collection, and thank you very much to Derek, Chris and George for producing it, a really nice book on a great subject.

 

Simon Castens

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1 hour ago, watfordtmc said:

 

A personal view on the price.

 

When the OPC book was published in 1979 it cost £5.95.  For that you got 136 printed pages, including a system map, gradient profiles for Bath to Bournemouth West (!) and Evercreech Junction to Burnham, two Appendices but no Index.

 

 

 

Regards

TMc

23/07/2021

 

It must have gone up pretty quick because I bought a copy soon after release and there is an OPC price sticker taking it up to £7.95!:o

 

IMHO the two works should not be directly compared. They are looking at the S&D JtRy from different viewpoints.

The OPC book is purely an Historical Survey of the railway & structures and any trains in view are "extras". A lot of locations do not have any trains in the photos. To expect it to feature the LSWR stations and the actual services on the line is unfair, it's not part of it's remit.

 

The new one is a wider sweep of the subject, covering more aspects and is probably a better bet for anyone wanting a starter on the subject of the S&D JtRy

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It does seem to me that there are plenty of aspects of S&DJR infrastructure and operation which could be interesting and rewarding subjects for new research - even into the final decade. So there is scope for publications that go beyond the regurgitation of previously published information of which folk complain.

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On 21/07/2021 at 14:22, melmerby said:

You must have a different OPC book to me as mine has all the Templecombe tracks.............:nyam:

 

 

 

 

That's interesting as this new book suffers from the same problem as my 1979 Judge and Potts, albeit with a note added in this book that the missing tracks are featured on the previous page.

 

This is not a criticism of this new book by the way, the situation arises as it has utilised the artwork from the earlier book courtesy of Colin Judge, which adds hugely to its value despite odd glitches noted above.

 

In the meantime I keep seeing more things that are unbelievably good, not least a whole sequence of shots taken at Highbridge in the 1930s by Dr Ian C Allan, including a Fox Walker in light steam in the works - fantastic! And the first full frontal view I have ever seen of Highbridge East B  box - just crying out to be modelled....

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12 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Careful Now....

image.png.dc6bd4c75803699149fd8422ee9c44f0.png

I'd better not mention the "pulled off" signal at Branksome on page 234 then, oops, I just did

 

I know, let's have a shameless plug instead:o - the book is now up on my website, my more detailed take on it is here

 

It's the heat don't you know..........

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2 hours ago, Not Jeremy said:

 

That's interesting as this new book suffers from the same problem as my 1979 Judge and Potts, albeit with a note added in this book that the missing tracks are featured on the previous page.

 

 

Did you find your lost Templecombe diagrams in the OPC book?

It's all there in 5 pieces with a small simplified diagram to show you how it all fits together. :yes:

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2 hours ago, melmerby said:

Did you find your lost Templecombe diagrams in the OPC book?

It's all there in 5 pieces with a small simplified diagram to show you how it all fits together. :yes:

Look hard at page 66, upper diagram, right-hand side.

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1 hour ago, 4069 said:

Look hard at page 66, upper diagram, right-hand side.

Ah! I see the confusion now. You expect to see track on the silhouetted bit.

But the track stops at the vertical line and is continued on page 63 bottom left at the vertical line, none of the track diagram is missing.

It's quite clear to me.

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My copy arrived from the publishers this morning ....only for me to have my wife confiscate it as a birthday present for next week ! :shout:

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On 23/07/2021 at 13:27, Not Jeremy said:

I'm adding it to my collection, and thank you very much to Derek, Chris and George for producing it, a really nice book on a great subject.

 

Simon Castens

Me too.....

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On 21/07/2021 at 15:19, phil_sutters said:

Chris Handley's 'The Maritime Activities of the Somerset & Dorset Railway' has a map of Burnham from 1903. There are two lines running on the pier, that on the south side ran the whole length of the structure, the other was a shorter siding, about a third of the length, leaving the main line at the start of the pier. There is also a photo in 1908 of P&A Campbell's steamer the 'Waverley' calling to pick up a large crowd of passengers, probably for a pleasure cruise across to Barry or Penarth. By that time the pier was not owned by the railway. Their interests in it finished in 1905. The photo shows the junction of the two lines on the pier.

Thank you for the heads up on this book. It arrived this morning and a brief look through it shows that it is a very good indeed. 

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On 25/07/2021 at 20:38, Gilbert said:

Me too.....

I've just received my extremely well packaged copy courtesy of the Titfield Thunderbolt - thanks to Simon for the postcard with a personal message and a bookmark.

Chris

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I have just received my copy of The Somerset and Dorset Railway by Derek Phillips. Irwell Press. Excellent with many photographs that I havent seen before. There are comments on here regarding the Bath Junction track plan incorrectly dated as 1930. But in my copy of the book the plan is correctly dated as 1921

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My copy arrived with me today in Australia, dispatched by Strathwood books on 27 July - pretty impressive delivery speed!

 

I have only had a quick flick through but my first impression is that it's a superb book and nicely put together.  Having been a Somerset & Dorset enthusiast for more years than I care to remember, I have collected a significant number of books on the line. Some of the images in this new book are easily familiar to me (mostly the Ivo Peters' ones) but many are new and a significant number are from different viewpoints of recognisable places, which to me just adds another dimension to my love of the line.

 

I am very glad to be able to add it to my library; worth every penny in my opinion.

 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

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My day has arrived ....and previously unopened confiscated book is now in my hands ! :read:

 

A steady first look through gets a big thumbs up from me, full of great quality photos nicely spread across the eras. There are more S&DJR photos than I was expecting and I've already found myself reaching for the magnifying glass to look deeper into some.

 

Highlights for me so far are the study of Sturminster Newton, which I hope to build in my loft in a couple of years time (3mm scale) and (more than I could have hoped for) a fine study of 0-4-4t No.12 which will be the next 3mm S&DJR loco that I build, the parts for which are (somewhere) on my workbench !

 

A great start to my day. :imsohappy:

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I'm glad I took the plunge as it is indeed a very fine book. Nice to see evidence of actual proof-reading, in the correction to the Bath Junction plan date from the pre-publication image posted at the start of this thread. One wonders if that actually cost any sales- it was certainly a close-run thing for me, but the positive things said by people on here tipped the balance.

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A tip off for those sitting on the fence about this latest Somerset & Dorset title is that we have now sold over 78% of the print run since it was released less than 30 days ago.

 

Further details can be found here:

 

https://strathwood.co.uk/collections/new-titles/products/the-somerset-dorset-railway-bath-to-bournemouth-the-main-line-and-branches

 

Hope this helps,

 

Kevin

SOMERSET AND DORSET (1).jpg

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This fantastic work has now sold out from its first reprint within six months since its launch, the third and FINAL print run has been authorised by Irwell Press and is expected within our Bedford warehouse around 10 January 2022. Already orders are building up for those who have previously missed out, don't be one of those left behind when this final print run sells through.

 

Full Details: https://strathwood.co.uk/products/the-somerset-dorset-railway-bath-to-bournemouth-the-main-line-and-branches

 

1885857344_SOMERSETANDDORSET(1).jpg.bd874ef0a108c8ce1feef57267d8619a.jpg

 

Kevin

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