Blandford Camp Railway

[bike2steam]

With the success of the recent Blandford show behind us, and the bulk of work on the Blandford layout completed, thoughts have turned to our next project, again suitable for a semi-permanent display in the Town Museum. 2019 will see the centenary of the completion of the 2 mile branch from the junction with the S&DJR main-line to the camp then recently taken over by the fledgling RAF. Research is going to be taxing as there is very little information on the line, all buildings being wooden to RAF standard designs of the time, so there may be a little license as ideas may have to be taken from elsewhere. Things like size, scale, and gauge are to be decided, watch this space.

[RailWest]

By coincidence, while I was looking at the archive material in the exhibition, another visitor came to ask a question about the Camp Railway. It appears that the camp was originally an air force camp - is that correct?

 

As you say, information is very limited. I do not know, for example, whether the ground-frame installed for the new junction was covered or not, tho' I would assume that it was - needless to say, despite much searching I have never seen a picture of it, either from that period or in later years when it was retained for the up siding.

[PaulRhB]

With the anniversary being marked next year for the start of WW1 it sounds an ideal time to advertise the project locally to see what information can be found. I'll ask a few of the people I know who may have info or ideas of who might.

[bike2steam]

 - needless to say, despite much searching I have never seen a picture of it, either from that period or in later years when it was retained for the up siding.

 So far, searching has only uncovered ONE picture, we're sure there must be more, time will tell, so it's a case of more help the better (thanks Paul S).

 From 1915 the camp was originally a Royal Navy regiment camp, quickly put together for the Gallipolli campaign which was a total disaster, the various brigades from the RN camp at Blandford were best described a being wiped out, with very few returning making the need for the camp unnecessary. In 1918 it was turned over to the RFC/RAF as a stores, the railway was built to bring those stores in, and out, where after completion it was known as the 'Powderpuff Line' as most of the passengers using it were the women that worked there, who applied their make-up on the way to work. Because of it's remote location, it was moved elsewhere with the line being ripped up by 1928.

[RailWest]

As an aside, in the late 1970s (?) I once spent an 'interesting' week on an IT course at Blandford Camp. It rained heavily for much of the time, and when I came to drive home on Friday evening it became evident that most of the water had made its way into the electrics of my old Anglia :-(  I think I got half way to Shaftesbury before I could get the car out of 2nd gear and above about 25mph without it 'dying' !

[bike2steam]

As an aside, in the late 1970s (?) I once spent an 'interesting' week on an IT course at Blandford Camp. It rained heavily for much of the time, and when I came to drive home on Friday evening it became evident that most of the water had made its way into the electrics of my old Anglia :-(  I think I got half way to Shaftesbury before I could get the car out of 2nd gear and above about 25mph without it 'dying' !

I trust you went via the 'top road' to save going round those godawful bends on the A350??

[RailWest]

Indeed - I almost always go that way, tho' on my trip to the exhibition I came via the main road for various reasons and realised then just why I remembered it as being so bad on the last time I'd gone that way! Why does there always seem to be a milk tanker crawling along there holding us all up?????

 

Nice too to see the newly-fenced stretch of 'trailway' trackbed across the fields south of the Durweston bridge traffic-lights.

[bike2steam]

 

Nice too to see the newly-fenced stretch of 'trailway' trackbed across the fields south of the Durweston bridge traffic-lights.

Yep, near enough all the old track-bed between Stur, and Blandford is now a foot/cycle path, pity most of that bit from Stourpaine (National Route 25 no less) has been laid with sharp granite that shreds some cycle tyres  .

[tingleytim]

Departing a little further from the camp branch, I had the pleasure of riding to Stur after the Blandford exhibition on the Saturday, remembering just in time that I ought to remove my car from the school grounds before leaving!  The route is accessible from the Milldown overbridge.  The downhill gradient is much fiercer than pre-1966 as the route ducks down under the by-pass but after that the formation is closer to railway days and the 1 in 70 or so is now a pleasant way to pick up speed on two wheels. The bridge under the A350/A357 junction near Durweston involves a vigorous dip on either side, after which there is a diversion through Stourpaine village where the route misses the site of the former halt.  I was too late for the café at Shillingstone station but a volunteer managed to find me a bottle of water for which I was very thankful!  There is another diversion off the railway formation from the bridge over the Child Okeford Road for about a kilometre.  I took a picture of a southbound train in 1965 from the Hammoon road overbridge about two miles before Stur.  48 years growth has changed the scene completely!  After reading the SDRT’s info board at Stur, my return began with a reminisce with a local resident, out with his family, who used to run from his classroom to see the southbound Pines. I encouraged him to visit Milldown School on the Sunday.

So far as I know, my tyres were unscathed, though being off-road tyres they have survived stiffer tests than this!