Locomotives of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway- A Definitive Survey 1854-1966

Although closed to traffic in 1966, this unique railway line still lives in the minds of many, some too young to remember it in its heyday. For more than 100 years it courted disaster and could on a number of occasions have succumbed to overpowering financial pressures, but it survived with the help of partnerships with larger, more secure companies, namely the Midland Railway and the London & South Western Railway. After the grouping in 1923, the line came under the control of the LMS and the Southern Railway. Unfortunately, the line suffered in later years from inter regional rivalry between the Western and Southern Regions of British Railways, which led to its eventual closure. The variety of companies involved in its running meant that the small pool of locomotives needed to service the line was supplemented by the best each partner could offer. This heavily illustrated book traces this unique and fascinating history and brings to life this singular, much missed and loved railway.