Gartell Railway

John 'C.J.' Penny on duty at Common Lane signalbox. An open day at the GLR will require the 'bobby' to make over 1000 lever movements. Note the Stevens lever frame... Midford lives!


'C.J.' at work turning GLR No.6 'Mr.G' on the turntable at Common Lane ready for a wedding special, whilst John Gartell takes a ride...

Two more recent pics of the Gartell Railway, courtesy of John 'not C J' Penny!

The Gartell railway runs for a short distance on the trackbed of the Somerset and Dorset Railway and is well worth a visit. Their website gives details of the line and opening days.

Originally posted on somerset and dorset

Radstock rejoined ...

I've no idea why in 2008 this should be needed anywhere, least of all a large urban area like Radstock/Midsomer Norton, but here we go!

We now have little time, perhaps only two weeks in which to save the land required for this link for use as a proper connection to the national network. If you feel strongly about ‘green’ transport or regeneration of the small rural town of Radstock, please go to www.northsomersetrailway.com/ and sign the petition. Of course, if you have already done so, please accept my thanks and apologies.

I am sure you will understand if I ask you to pass on this message to your friends and colleagues.

Yours sincerely,

George Bailey
North Somerset Railway, North Somerset Heritage Trust

Originally posted on somerset and dorset

towards the new steam age ...

It's no big secret that oil is running out, Peak Oil is a phrase on everybody's lips these days. Peak Oil will see the end of road transport, air travel, plastics and a whole lot more. It will also be the death-knell for both network and heritage diesel trains. But a less-familiar term also being bandied about is Peak Coal. As oil runs out and a desperate world switches to coal for its energy then coal production will also soon peak. This is going to create a very tight squeeze on coal for heritage railways.

However, steam can be generated by other means - not the mad scheme by the Ffestiniog a few years ago to use oil-burning (now of course reversed) - but by burning wood and perhaps even other biofuels. Already a few new-build and prospective lines in the UK are looking at wood-burning, it's also been discussed (informally) at the Somerset and Dorset.

There's no reason why wood-burning wouldn't work. Technically it requires more cleaning of the insides, but this is a good thing! Steam in the UK has always used coal because it used to be a cheap and readily available home-produced fuel. Peak Coal will see the end of this. Other countries with large forests used wood-burners in the past - Russia, Canada, USA and Finland for example.

The future is steam, if we survive the rigours of the end of fossil fuels of course. Even a nuclear power station is a huge steam engine - uranium is processed to produce heat to boil water to drive turbines. The railways everywhere will have to look to electrification (using renewables) or steam for lightly-used routes, steam burning wood. The forests will help stabilise the climate and will provide a cheap, local, carbon-neutral (with replanting) and renewable energy source for the new generation of steam trains. Railways will be far more heavily used with no competition from the dying road network. The rail network will expand enormously.

What this means for heritage railways is unclear. Heritage railways in the future will need to provide real transport in addition to their tourist role in a more difficult world, steam won't have the same novelty value when it's everywhere, but I'm sure the heritage railway community is already taking these changes on board and will adapt very well to the new conditions.

Expect many diesel locomotives to appear at bargain prices in the market over the next few decades!



For wise words see here!

somerset and dorset reborn

One of the UK's less-well known restoration projects is the Somerset and Dorset Railway down at Midsomer Norton. At the same time it is the UK's most ambitious set-up with eventual restoration of the Bath to Bournemouth line as a heritage and, most importantly, transport link as its aim.

Public passenger trains on a short section from Midsomer Norton South towards Chilcompton will begin in summer 2008, medium term objectives are restoration through the tunnels to Chilcompton station and northwards to Radstock. The line will then be extended north and south from these points.

At the moment the site is open on Sundays and Mondays, with Saturday opening starting in the next few weeks. There is a fully-stocked shop, secondhand shop and excellent catering coach and patio.

The S&D is also very keen to actively involve younger enthusiasts with a myspace and bebo site, and hopefully summer evening discos on the patio throughout this summer.

Our current workaday engine is No 10 (pictured above), a Sentinel is under construction and long-term hire of steam locomotives will begin with the reopening.

Check out our website and blogsite.