RailWest Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 It is said that the station at Wimborne was once the busiest junction in Dorset, not surprising when you consider that it was possible to travel by train from there direct to Southampton, Salisbury, Bournemouth, Dorchester and of course Bath. The actual Wimborne Junction was a key point in the early S&DJR, yet it fell into decline from the late 1880s onwards (after the opening of the cut-off to Broadstone), lost its passenger service in 1920 and closed altogether in 1933. In many ways it seems to have almost vanished from S&DJR history and little is written about it.From a signalling viewpoint it was a complex location, with interactions between the separate S&DJR and L&SWR signal-boxes at Wimborne Junction, plus the L&SWR box at Wimborne station itself, and even the little Oakley Crossing ground-frame. A detailed history of the whole ‘Wimborne’ signalling installation is a complex task and not one that I shall be tackling for some while yet! However I have tried to make a modest start specifically with the S&DJR ‘Wimborne Loop’ box and a new web-page has been uploaded to www.railwest.org.uk .This page is just a ‘basic starting point’ – see the Author’s Note at the top of the page. There are a number of ‘unresolved issues’ which, for the time being, I have deliberately not mentioned in any detail, both for simplicity and in order not to delay publication any further.As usual, any comments and/or additional information always welcome!Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffers Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Hi Chris I have seen very, very few photographs on the Corfe Mullen Junction to Wimborne Junction part of the S&DJR. There is one, I think, in Robin Atthill's Pictorial History of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, the photo being on approach to Wimborne Junction. A book by George Webb (?) - title escapes me (and I cannot hunt it down at the moment as my railway library is currently hiding behind a myriad of boxes as a result of scene-shifting due to house extension building work) - has a couple of photos purporting to be of Lake Crossing. Geoff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arun Sharma Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Can't imagine that you're not aware of this but just in case..... Have you seen "Branch Lines Around Wimborne" by Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith pub. by Middleton Press. Has quite a lot of info and pictures as well as maps relating to Wimborne Junction and the routes radiating from it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailWest Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 ....which is why that book is listed in the References at the foot of the new web-page :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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