This substantial shed served the considerable freight needs of the Cumbrian port, with two heritage preservation attempts failing after its 1968 closure.

Sixty years ago this month, on March 6 1966, the Western Region achieved two major goals with the end of both steam power and the Somerset & Dorset route – bringing a mighty era to a rather grubby end.

When I had last spent time in the area in August 1963, most passenger services and just a few longer distance freight trains had started to be diesel-hauled, with local freight trip working still a st

Steam Railway meets up with Gavin Collins, Chairman of the North Dorset Railway, and Phil Jacques, the line’s Operations Manager, to talk about what this S&D anniversary year (and beyond) holds for the expanding heritage line.

Overhauls, restorations and running notes

While several locomotives with Somerset & Dorset links have survived into preservation, two of the line’s biggest survivors, ‘7Fs’ Nos. 53808 and 53809 will be missing this anniversary due to overhauls.