Somerset & Dorset Station Question

[DavidLong]

Could anyone confirm that the attached photos are of Evercreech New station? It isn't possible to read the station nameboard but it looks like one long word followed by a short one which would seem to fit the bill! I think that I took the shots in August 1967 when we stayed at a farm near Templecombe. All of the track appears to be in place and, if my estimate of the date is correct, this would be nearly eighteen months since the line closed and I am not sure when track lifting took place on the S & D.

 

 

 

 

David

[buffalo]

It is Evercreech New with its distinctive cheese store on the down platform. The station closed in March 1966, the goods shed, sidings and signal box having been closed a couple of years earlier. Track lifting would have been a couple of years after your visit IIRC.

 

Nick

[Angelus]

Hi David,

 

It would seem to be Evercreech New. This link is to a similar photo to yours also taken in 1967

 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/672725

 

Terry

[Blandford1969]

Lovely post closure shots of Evercreech New for sure. Shame there is not one of the roadside, one of the rarest views of the whole line (next only to the rear of Wincanton - only 1 known view)

 

Thanks for sharing them with us, have you got any more of the line, or at Templecombe where you were staying?

 

Duncan

[DavidLong]

Hi David,

 

It would seem to be Evercreech New. This link is to a similar photo to yours also taken in 1967

 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/672725

 

Terry

 

The Geograph photo is labelled as 1967 but the station seems to have deteriorated compared to my photograph. Note the differing condition of the fence behind the platform. My parents and I were certainly in the area in August 1966 as my notes record me being at Swindon, Bristol TM, Bleadon & Uphill and Taunton (I had understanding parents!) so it may be that the photos were taken a year earlier than my estimation of 1967.

Mind you, how we turned up at Evercreech New I have no idea other than the fact that I was mainly responsible for planning our road journeys and had been since around the age of 10! My father was incapable of driving and reading road signs at the same time and relied on me to give precise directions on where we were going. This led on one occasion to us going down an alleyway between some terraced houses in Preston when he misunderstood my direction to "take the next turn on the right"

 

David

[DavidLong]

Lovely post closure shots of Evercreech New for sure. Shame there is not one of the roadside, one of the rarest views of the whole line (next only to the rear of Wincanton - only 1 known view)

 

Thanks for sharing them with us, have you got any more of the line, or at Templecombe where you were staying?

 

Duncan

 

Sadly not, Duncan but I'll return to that point. I did make some notes at Templecombe when I visited both stations on Sunday August 6th 1967. I looked over the S & D station and yard and noted that the station buildings, goods shed and loco shed were still intact and that the signal cabin was in good condition. Some LSWR (?) signals were also noted. The through S & D lines were intact as was the connection to the Southern main line. My 16 year old self described the Southern station as 'inelegant'. Some tracks had been taken up in the S.R. yard although the double track was still in place on the main line. I commented that speed limit signs and colour light signals had been placed within the tracks of the down (?) line. D6341 was in the yard on a demolition train along with a small private shunter which I speculated was probably connected with some demolition work.

Now photographs. As I have mentioned in some other threads my camera was a Kodak Brownie 127 which took a magnificent 8 shots per reel! This, along with processing costs, somewhat limited my photography. A couple of days later we visited Salisbury and I wandered around the shed which was stuffed with steam locos that had been withdrawn the previous month and I took a couple of priceless shots. On returning home from holiday I took the film to Boots for developing who, sadly, lost it. They offered a new film in compensation which was, of course, no compensation at all. So, to answer the question, I may well have taken some photos at Templecombe but, due to Boots' ineptitude, we shall never know!

 

David

[Angelus]

Hi David,

 

I did spot the deterioration in the fence but there was also the possibility that the Geograph photo date was wrong. The weeds in the permanent way pointed to it being after closure. Anyway lovely atmospheric pictures!

 

Terry

[Captain Kernow]

Superb photos, David, and many thanks for posting them.

 

In response to the track lifting, you could do worse than check out the 'Sabotaged & Defeated' series of books by Jeffery Grayer. I believe that track lifting at Evercreech took place within 12 months of your photos, but this would merit being checked.

[Blandford1969]

Hi David,

 

What a shame about your photos being lost, still thanks for sharing what you have.

 

Kind regards

 

Duncan

[DavidLong]

Many thanks for the kind comments and help in confirming the location. I was quite pleased with the quality of the scans as the Brownie was hardly a sophisticated piece of kit and produced photos that are only 5" x 3.5". I scanned them and cropped the resultant scan to produce the results seen here.

 

David

[rcmacchipilot]

Thanks for posting