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Exploring the S&D


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I have long since moved away from Bath however I used to cycle under the S&D at Lower Oldfield Road as it climbed out of Bath towards Peasedown as I went to pick up the papers to do my morning round in the early 60's. I knew if I was late as a heavy freight (often 9F hauled) would beat me to the road tunnel.

I went to school at the City of Bath Boys School and I hated cross-country. Our normal school route passed by the eastern portal to the Lyncombe Vale Tunnel. Skipping off the running route, I could run through the tunnel and emerge much further down the return leg of the cross-country course. I was never foolish enough to rejoin the pack, just tag along at the rear and hope I got wet / muddy enough not to cause a stir. Perhaps that is why I have a soft spot for the S&D?

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I have long since moved away from Bath however I used to cycle under the S&D at Lower Oldfield Road as it climbed out of Bath towards Peasedown as I went to pick up the papers to do my morning round in the early 60's. I knew if I was late as a heavy freight (often 9F hauled) would beat me to the road tunnel.

I went to school at the City of Bath Boys School and I hated cross-country. Our normal school route passed by the eastern portal to the Lyncombe Vale Tunnel. Skipping off the running route, I could run through the tunnel and emerge much further down the return leg of the cross-country course. I was never foolish enough to rejoin the pack, just tag along at the rear and hope I got wet / muddy enough not to cause a stir. Perhaps that is why I have a soft spot for the S&D?

 

Sounds like a scene from "The Railway Children".

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I hated cross-country. Our normal school route passed by the eastern portal to the Lyncombe Vale Tunnel. Skipping off the running route, I could run through the tunnel and emerge much further down the return leg of the cross-country course. I was never foolish enough to rejoin the pack, just tag along at the rear and hope I got wet / muddy enough not to cause a stir. Perhaps that is why I have a soft spot for the S&D?

Lucky a train never came along when you were running through it, you would have been a real life "Finishing Line" runner!!!

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I walked from Bath Junction to Stalbridge in 3 chunks in 1989,1990,1991.  And I've never climbed so many fences, scrambled up/down so many embankments, nearly put my hand on a sleeping adder, forced my way through unpassable undergrowth, nearly got arrested at Templecombe, misstakenly walked through gardens, in all my life.  Getting through the razor wire across the trackbed by the quarries near Binegar was challenging too !

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I walked from Bath Junction to Stalbridge in 3 chunks in 1989,1990,1991.  And I've never climbed so many fences, scrambled up/down so many embankments, nearly put my hand on a sleeping adder, forced my way through unpassable undergrowth, nearly got arrested at Templecombe, misstakenly walked through gardens, in all my life.  Getting through the razor wire across the trackbed by the quarries near Binegar was challenging too !

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Wow, Steve, that is a superb collection - many thanks for the link. Interesting to see the variety of dates that the collection have been taken on. The point rodding near Wimbourne must have been quite a 'find'...!

 

I love the photos of BGP in 1975, which is exactly how I remember it, wondering at the time what would become of the place...

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Wow, Steve, that is a superb collection - many thanks for the link. Interesting to see the variety of dates that the collection have been taken on. The point rodding near Wimbourne must have been quite a 'find'...!

 

I love the photos of BGP in 1975, which is exactly how I remember it, wondering at the time what would become of the place...

Thanks, glad you like them.  Whenever I was anywhere near there, I couldn't resist taking more photos.  Would like to cycle parts of the route sometime, especially now it is more cycle friendly.

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Particularly useful for me Steve are the close ups of the remains of Bridge 171 over the Stour. I've never seen any close up pictures of it.

 

I'm so glad that I've seen them so that I can undo some mistakes in the model before it is too late!

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"The point rodding near Wimborne must have been quite a 'find'...".

 

I'm puzzled about that, as it seems to be out-of-sequence from the rest between Spetisbury and Corfe Mullen. Any more details available please as to its (more or less) exact location? I wondered if it was near the old Carter's Siding?

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"The point rodding near Wimborne must have been quite a 'find'...".

 

I'm puzzled about that, as it seems to be out-of-sequence from the rest between Spetisbury and Corfe Mullen. Any more details available please as to its (more or less) exact location? I wondered if it was near the old Carter's Siding?

I sequenced the photos according to 'The Somerset & Dorset Then & Now' by Mac Hawkins.  The Winborne branch is classed as 26 on the rear cover, whereas Corfe Mullen Halt is classed as 27 as it occurs after the junction with the Wimborne Branch.  Whilst my photographs of the crossing occur before the junction with the branch and, as such, are technically out of sequence, because they relate to the village of Corfe Mullen I kept to the numerical sequence of Mac Hawkin's book.  Hope that makes sense ;-)  If I recall, the point rodding was on the approach to the station, not that far from the terminus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Particularly useful for me Steve are the close ups of the remains of Bridge 171 over the Stour. I've never seen any close up pictures of it.

 

I'm so glad that I've seen them so that I can undo some mistakes in the model before it is too late!

 

 

Glad I have been useful :-)

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Thanks for the reply, Steve. I understand your comments about Mac's book and the numbering, but I'm still lost as to where you saw this rodding! Which 'station' and what 'terminus' please? Any chance of a rough grid-reference perhaps please???

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Thanks for the reply, Steve. I understand your comments about Mac's book and the numbering, but I'm still lost as to where you saw this rodding! Which 'station' and what 'terminus' please? Any chance of a rough grid-reference perhaps please???

Me too!

 

Can you lighten us a little more please Steve. When did you take the picture?

 

Regards,

Peter

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