BRITISH RAILWAY PICTORIAL: The Somerset & Dorset Line

Even though it is now 40 years since the closure, in March 1966, of the Somerset & Dorset Railway between Bath and Bournemouth, the line’s popularity remains undiminished. From Grouping until Nationalisation, it was jointly controlled by the LMS and SR. Even after Nationalisation, the S&D retained that unique identity which somehow marked it out. It was busy with both freight and holiday traffic and the famous 7F 2-8-0s, designed specifically for use over the line were still at work.
Among the many photographers drawn to the Somerset & Dorset was Derek Cross, who made many trips to record both passenger and freight services along the route in its final years. For this book, Derek’s son David has selected some 170 photographs from his father’s extensive archive of images covering the line, to record the great variety of passenger and freight operations in these years. Alongside the S&D’s 7Fs the book features the many ex-LMS and ex-SR locomotives that operated the line, as well as the BR Standard types, notably the massive 9F 2-10-0s, often and uniquely, seen on passenger duties there. The photos, many of which have never been published before, are accompanied by detailed captions. 

Author: David Cross 
Format: PB 96 pages
Publisher: Ian Allan Ltd
Pub date: Nov 2006
ISBN 13: 9780711030848

List Price: £14.99