If the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway was still open...

[LUYMun]

In 1966, British Railways closed the famous Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR), spanning from Bath and Burnham-on-Sea to Bournemouth, a victim under the infamous Beeching Axe. But in an alternative timeline, if the S&DJR was kept open, what would the line be right now?

 

[A0]

In 1966, British Railways closed the famous Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR), spanning from Bath and Burnham-on-Sea to Bournemouth, a victim under the infamous Beeching Axe. But in an alternative timeline, if the S&DJR was kept open, what would the line be right now?

Probably a secondary line being run with Sprinters at best.

It's telling that the journey times on the S&D from Bournemouth to Bath weren't significantly quicker than the alternatives which survived.

Not sure the Burnham branch would have survived in any case - most of the 'coastal' branches that survived either did so because the route had a significant amount of freight to support it - e.g. Felixstowe - or because the alternative road routes really were too far e.g. Whitby. Neither applies in Burnham's case. I think Burham's more akin to Bridport which succumbed in the early 70s.

 

[jamesr]

I guess the northernmost and southernmost half an hours would be viable commuter services. However, at the southern end I’ve always thought (Southampton -) Bournemouth - Templecombe - Yeovil - Taunton (- Exeter etc) would open up a whole host of interesting journey opportunities, some of which aren’t there on the current network. I think i may have said this before here.

However, in truth, it’s difficult to imagine it would be much busier than Yeovil - Weymouth for the most part, which has never seemed to be busy enough to deserve any kind of properly regular service. The real problem with the S&D is there wasn’t a decent size town on it for the most part.

 

[A0]

I guess the northernmost and southernmost half an hours would be viable commuter services. However, at the southern end I’ve always thought (Southampton -) Bournemouth - Templecombe - Yeovil - Taunton (- Exeter etc) would open up a whole host of interesting journey opportunities, some of which aren’t there on the current network. I think i may have said this before here.

Thing is though Southampton - Exeter (and those destinations) can be made with 1 change at Salisbury - which was quicker than anything via the S&D.

And Templecombe, whilst a junction, was a tiny little place - hardly a destination.

The 'gap' on the south coast really was Dorchester - Axminster which was planned by the Southampton & Dorchester railway but never materialised.

 

[PTR 444]

Remember that when the S&DJR was active, the more important Castleman Corkscrew Route between Brockenhurst and Hamworthy would have been fully functioning as well. Assuming both routes had survived the Beeching cuts, there would probably be a Southampton - Templecombe service via Brockenhurst, Ringwood and Wimborne, and a Bournemouth West - Templecombe service via Broadstone Junction. One of these would probably have continued to Exeter via the WofE line, with the other going to Bristol via the rest of the S&DJR.