Midsomer Norton railway station
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Midsomer Norton railway station (originally Midsomer Norton & Welton, later Midsomer Norton Upper and finally Midsomer Norton South) was a station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway between Bath Green Park and Shepton Mallet. It served the town of Midsomer Norton. The station was immortalised in 1964 in the song "Slow Train" by Flanders and Swann. It closed in 1966 with the closure of the S&DJR under the Beeching Axe.
The S&DJR station was on a fairly steep slope which took the railway up from the valley floor at Radstock into the Mendips, heading south to the summit of the line at Masbury. It had extensive gardens which were cultivated by the station staff and won many prizes. The station buildings are still well-preserved.
Midsomer Norton & Welton was also the name of a second station on the Great Western Railway line from Bristol to Frome via Radstock (originally the Bristol & North Somerset Railway). This station was in the valley at Welton. It closed in 1959 with the closure of the line to passenger traffic and has now been demolished.
The Station is now preserved by the Somerset And Dorset Railway Heritage Trust who have returned full size steam locomotives to the station in recent years and plan to run passenger trains in the near future.
[edit] External link
- http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/
- http://www.sdjr.co.uk Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust restoring Midsomer Norton South station
- http://somersetanddorset.blogspot.com/ Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust blogsite (official)
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