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The New Somerset and Dorset Railway, formed in early 2009, aims to restore the complete line of the

Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (now in south-east Dorset but then in Hampshire), with a branch from Evercreec ...

as a modern transport system for the 21st century. The group also has a heritage aspect, to encourage future use by steam specials, etc. Work is currently (December 2017) concentrated on five sites,

Midford Midford is a village approximately south-south-east of Bath, Somerset, England. Although relatively small, it extends over 2 counties (Wiltshire and Somerset), is part of two unitary authorities (Wiltshire and Bath and North East Somerset) and i ...

Midsomer Norton Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Bath and North East Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, west of Trowbridge and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of around 13,000. ...

- Gartell -

Shillingstone Shillingstone is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum. In the 2011 Census the civil parish had 479 households and a populat ...

Spetisbury Spetisbury () is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour and the A350 road, southeast of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the civil parish had 224 households and a population of 555. Spetisbury vil ...

. Some of these are operated by independent groups.

Midford

Midford station, which is owned by the New Somerset and Dorset Railway, is being restored as a cafe and information centre.

Spetisbury

Work on the restoration of Spetisbury station started in May 2012.''Right Lines'' (magazine of the New Somerset and Dorset Railway) No.4, September 2012, page 2

Other groups

Other groups are restoring other parts of the railway. These include: * The

Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust (S&DRHT) is a heritage railway line in Somerset, England, that runs on a restored section of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The line is approximately 1 mile long and operates from Midsomer N ...

Midsomer Norton railway station Midsomer Norton railway station (originally ''Midsomer Norton'', later ''Midsomer Norton and Welton'' and finally ''Midsomer Norton South'') was a station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway between and Shepton Mallet. It served the town o ...

* The

Shillingstone Railway Project North Dorset Railway (previously known as the Shillingstone Station Project, the North Dorset Railway Trust and the Shillingstone Railway Project) is a heritage railway based at Shillingstone railway station on the former Somerset and Dorset Jo ...

Shillingstone railway station Shillingstone railway station was a station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR), serving the village of Shillingstone in the English county of Dorset. Shillingstone is the last surviving example of a station built by the Dorset Ce ...

* The

Gartell Light Railway The Gartell Light Railway is a privately run narrow gauge railway located at Yenston in the Blackmore Vale, south of Templecombe, in Somerset, England. It operates a narrow gauge railway running for , partly along the track of the old Somerse ...

, a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

which runs partly along the track of the old Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway Some of the track has been restored as a surfaced cycleway and footpath: the

Two Tunnels Greenway The Two Tunnels Greenway is a shared use path for walking and cycling in Bath, Somerset, England. The route links National Cycle Route 24 south of Bath with National Cycle Route 4 in the town centre, and is designated as National Cycle Route 244. ...

on much of the track from

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

including Devonshire and

Combe Down Tunnel Combe Down Tunnel is on the now-closed Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway main line, between Midford and Bath Green Park railway station, below high ground and the southern suburbs of Bath, England, emerging below the southern slopes of Combe ...

s, and some of the track south of

Sturminster Newton Sturminster Newton is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It is situated on a low limestone ridge in a meander of the River Stour. The town is at the centre of a large dairy agriculture region, around which ...

as the

North Dorset Trailway North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

References

External links

* Heritage railways in Somerset Heritage railways in Dorset {{England-rail-transport-stub