Somerset and Dorset add on?

[aaran84]

hi all. I am just writing to you to see if anyone is in the process of building an expansion of the current route that is on railworks. I tried to build the S&D on trainsim but I am really poor at this type of thing. So I was just writing to see if anyone has started one or could possibly create such a route. I was mainly interested in the branchline to highbridge via glastonbury. Thank you for your time. I'll be very interested in the outcome.

[almark]

Someone was building it south from Templecombe,but it disappeared?

[stuart666]

Someone was building it south from Templecombe,but it disappeared?

Yes, but looking back at the forum I think the latest date it was mentioned was 2007, so I think you can sadly conclude it died a death.

Aaran, Im sure its not what you want to hear, but the best solution would be to have a go yourself. I think the western half of the S and D was fairly flat, so it would be a good first project. And there no such think as a lack of documentation of the S and D fortunately...

[aaran84]

thank you very much. I will try my best. I will let you know of my progress but may need help with buildings. But i will give it a whirl.

[stuart666]

I personally am most interested in the Burnham on sea section. I visited it numerous times when I was a kid, and the large patch where the old station used to be was very evident. Terribly sad. I dont think the town ever really recovered from it being ripped out. Most people seem to go to Weston Super Mare now.

Good luck on your project anyway. One book I can recommend is 'The Somerset and Dorset, then and now by Mac Hawkins. Gives photographs of the entire line as it was, and what it looks like now (or as it did in 1995). Some very useful map sections too.

[aaran84]

thank you for the book suggestion. I will have a look for it. Does it give any information about the height of the land or relief of it? Or can you suggest another book or website. If not i guess i would need an OS map and use that

[stuart666]

There isnt much in the way of elevation data, just sections of os maps usually showing plan data. Its still quite useful though. The best way Ive found is to use present day OS maps. The topography usually doesnt change. The alternative is to do what ive done and try to find old maps in second hand book shops. The problem with those is that they are in imperial, and arent always that accurate anyway. Im doing swindon and trying to put in the old tobacco factories, its amusing to notice they are not even on the map. They appear to still have still been classified in the mid 30s from their role as armament factories in ww1.

This site might be useful to you, particularly the google earth file.
http://www.sdjr.co.uk/pages/general.html

This one too.
http://www.nevard.com/sdjr/glastonbury.htm

Looking at google earth, much of the trackbed of the burnham section still appears to be quite visible and not built on, which suggests the best way of getting it right is to use that RW decal tool. I cant say for certain the Glastonbury branch is untouched, but it will probably prove useful for sections of that.

Also, use DEM. It will make things a lot easier, and as its relatively flat in that area, you probably wont need to manually do much except create embankments and cuttings.

Very last of all, have a look at this. There is still hope....
http://www.somersetanddorsetrailway.co.uk/

[aaran84]

thank you so much for your help. But what is DEM?

[stuart666]

I forget the exact term, but in essence its digital height data. There are a number of threads on here that give good locations for such data, but the most useful appears to be the Nasa data that you can download for free.

Basically it will solve the problem of having to create lots of hills. Anything smaller than a field, such as a ditch or cutting, you will still have to make manually though.

[AndyM77]

I forget the exact term,

Digital Elevation Model - I think - haven't looked it up, so is a pure guess at this point..

[Neptune50006]

I personally am most interested in the Burnham on sea section. I visited it numerous times when I was a kid, and the large patch where the old station used to be was very evident. Terribly sad. I dont think the town ever really recovered from it being ripped out. Most people seem to go to Weston Super Mare now.

When I was very young I lived in Burnham-on-Sea. I remember often walking into the town with my Mother. We used to walk down a track to get to the sea front. There was this strange concrete structure which went up a ramp, along for a bit and then down another ramp. It had three or four parallel grooves running along the front of it. I often wondered what it was. It was only later that I realised we were walking along the track bed of the old S&D, and the strange concrete structure was the platform!

[stuart666]

Well Done Andy, that probably exactly what it means. Well thats what Ill use now anyway.

Neptune, there is actually a very good John Betjeman film called 'Return to Evercreech Junction', where he travels along the line to Burnham on sea in the early 60s when it was still just about open. I think even when it was made the old station was semi derelict, and possibly only a short step away from what you remember it as.

Do you remember the concrete ramp at the sea front? I seem to remember it still with the rails in (though I may be misremembering it). Supposedly before the Severn Tunnel was built (maybe even before the Severn Rail Bridge) that was where they loaded the ferry with carriages to take across the River Severn. Its probably the only major structure left of the station, which is odd because it was probably last used in the 1870s, if they didnt use it for cargo that is.

Im a GWR fan, but its hard not to be impressed by the S and D. Professional little outfit, and bags of character. Im not surprised modelmakers do it so often.

[stuart666]

I think this is it here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDrQkg8l ... re=related

[Neptune50006]

Thank you for posting that film Stuart. I've not seen that one before.

I remember the big open space where the railway used to be, although I didn't know what it was at that time. I also remember the ramp, although I can't remember it having the rails in it. My Dad had a small boat with an outboard. He used to launch it from the ramp. I looked on Google Earth yesterday and see that the trackbed is now a road! We left Burnham in 1973 or 74.

It would be nice if the RW version could be extended to Burnham-on-Sea.

[windberg]

I built the track from Evercreech to Burnham last year. But I need a building designer for some special Highbridge branch stations, boxes etc.. Also I need a lot of more information about the branch i.e. speeds, signaling ...