The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway is perhaps the most-loved and much-missed of all the railways that succumbed to the closures of the 1960s. For more than a hundred years it survived with the help of partnerships with larger, more secure companies, namely the Midland Railway and the London & South Western Railway. Later, after the grouping in 1923, the line came under the control of the LMS and the Southern Railway.
This variety of companies involved in its running meant that during its lifetime, the small pool of locomotives needed to service the line was supplemented by the best each partner could offer. So from the beginning to the end there were a myriad number of types of locomotive running over the Mendips, providing a lively variety of motive power.
This heavily illustrated book traces the unique and fascinating history of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The story is divided into 6 main chapters:
- A Line Created and Remembered
- Locomotives in the Early Years (1854-1875)
- The Midland Years Part 1 (1876-1903)
- The Midland Years Part 2 ((1904-1922)
- The LMS Years (1923-1947)
- A Long Goodbye (1948-1966)
Although the main emphasis of the book concerns the locomotive fleet, the narrative also relates the history of the company and describes how the changes in ownership influenced the company’s fortunes as well as its locomotive policy.
Hardback. 248 pages.