S&DJR official photographs

I have located this photo at Glastonbury, with difficulty as Flickr maps are still spooked by entering 'Glastonbury' in the search box, because 1242 has 'To be returned to Glastonbury' on the solebar above the far wheel. There looks to be a large brick works in the distance. If someone can confirm its existence in the 1920s that would help to confirm this location. The date is pure guesswork. Someone who knows about the numbering of the Derby photos could probably help pin that down more accurately. This photo also appears in Atthill's Picture History of the Somerset & Dorset Railway.

Used initially to transport horse-drawn carriages, whose owners rode in the train, these were painted in the lined blue of the passenger carriage stock with which they were marshalled. Later they may have carried motorcars. My drawing from this photo is at www.flickr.com/photos/phil-seaford/6882707463/in/set-7215...

This brake van is similar to No.34 in Highbridge in its heyday, but the handrail is higher the tare weight of 10.12.1 is painted at the right end, rather than stamped 10.12.0 at the left. 20 has S&DJR 20 stamped at the left end, whereas 34 has a large makers plate slightly left of centre. 20 has buffers that are more like loco ones but 34's are more standard wagon models. A model of no.21 is at www.flickr.com/photos/phil-seaford/8510561404/in/photostream It is interesting to note that this has been manually trimmed round or masked to remove background details. Most, not all, of the official photos follow this practice.

This van was fitted with brake pipes and screw couplings and painted in lined blue livery as part of the passenger train rolling stock. The S&D had little or no other stock* with this style of panelling introduced on the Midland Railway around the turn of the century. Perhaps this van was bought in from Derby. I can only remember seeing one other picture of 'square' panelled S&D stock and that was an old workman's train carriage. * I have now spotted a proper scale drawing of this vehicle which was a 5 ton 25 ft Fruit & Milk Van, in Peter Tatlow's Historic Carriage Drawings - Volume Three - Non-passenger Coaching Stock - page 106. It appears that the S&D had 12 - nos. 7 -18. The Midland Railway had approximately 90 virtually identical. Although this looks unlined, looking closely at the original print, it seems likely that the paintwork was well weathered and the lining had dulled down, so as to be inconspicuous against the more obvious light and shade of the panelling. After all the S&DJR and 11 are almost invisible. To see my model of this van in the S&DJR blue livery please go to www.ipernity.com/doc/philsutters/26452597

An interesting layout with four and a half Third class compartments, two First class and a toilet between Third and First. I can't recall where my information came from, but I have noted on the back that it was built in 1904 at Highbridge and withdrawn in 1930, by which time it had been number 5731 in the Southern Railway carriage stock list. The length was shown as 46ft. I have now turned up a drawing in an article by Jem Harrison, that appeared in Model Railways in July 1980, of a '46ft 6 compt. compo luggage lav'.. That looks identical to this coach except that the half compartment at the left is now a luggage compartment with double doors and no windows. So that may be where I got the dimensions from.

This quite grand saloon was built at Highbridge in 1886 and lasted until August 1932. In addition to the lavatory compartment with its elegantly frosted window at the left end, this carriage appears to have a compartment, of third class proportions, with access from the main saloon, possibly for staff. Finally there was a half compartment with double doors, possibly for luggage accompanied by portering staff - having windows implies that someone is being allowed a view out!

Built at Highbridge for work in the Radstock colliery branches, 26A was delivered in October 1895. Full details of its specification and history can be found in Bradley & Milton's Somerset and Dorset Locomotive History. Note the jack carried on the footplate. Colliery lines were not the best running surfaces and derailments were a common occurrence, so having a jack on board helped with re-railing. No need for a bunker, surrounded with coal as it would have been.

Built as a tender engine at the Geo.England Hatcham Works at New Cross in South East London. Initially numbered 6, it was renumbered 26A in June 1876 and converted to a side tank locomotive early in 1884, but when it needed a new boiler it was withdrawn in January 1889.

A model of this mail van is at www.ipernity.com/doc/philsutters/26356097

A drawing of this van appeared in Model Railway Constructor in September 1965 and Roche has a drawing of a similar design G/106, in use on the Midland Railway, with a X framed sliding door. There was a grounded body of this type of van on Highbridge Wharf in the 1960s. Note that the two centre upright frame pieces on the ends taper outwards and are proud of the bufferbeam.

This is a London & South Western Railway design, a drawing of which was published in the November 1970 issue of Railway Modeller.

Although of cattle wagon No. 12, there is on plate 100 of Mitchell & Smith's Burnham to Evercreech Junction an end view showing that there was lettering on the end S&DJR - No.12 with the tare weight under the number and undecipherable lettering under the S&DJR. It is undated but has a look of pre-WW1 times. I note as lettering on wagon ends seems fairly rare.

This print has had minor digital restoration work, to remove a black mark in the area around the '41'. Built in 1886, Colin Maggs dates this photo to 19.7.1904, when 141 was 'lifted' i.e. overhauled.

Although when rebuilt as a tender engine in 1888 no.1 it had a straight chimney with a polished cap and a tall round-topped polished brass dome, it was fitted with this chimney and dome just before 1900. The earlier 0-6-0 appearance can be seen in Bradley & Milton's Somerset & Dorset Locomotive History, on page 189.

It is hard to date this photograph accurately as no.15 was reboilered in 1905 & 1910, no. 46 in 1903 & no. 51 in 1903. No1 was converted back into a saddle tank in 1908. (46 is ahead of 15 and 51 is beyond no.1 which is the nearest loco. This is what I have gleaned from using a magnifying glass on the original photo., but of course I could be mistaken. The cast brass numerals are viewed along the cabsides.) 14/8/2015 - I now notice that Colin Maggs, in 'Highbridge in its heyday' dates this as being pre-1895