S&D to star in Stur (again!)

The Trust is also working with the Town Council on a refurbishment of the commemorative garden alongside the Exchange, on the old railway alignment (plaque on the garden's gates shown right). The Council also wants to improve the interpretation material about the railway provided for the public at the start of the North Dorset Trailway, which also uses the S&D alignment (see story of 18 April).

	An undated [post Easter 1936] pre-nationalisation view captures a milk train and shunting/marshalling activities being performed by an unknown 3F 0-6-0 in the commodious goods yard at Sturminster Newton. The time of day is close to 2.30pm GMT around March-April as the trees are without foliage. A few of the available Working Timetables for the 1936-1949 period were scrutinised but no specific service could be identified, although the yard activity clearly depicts this to be a period when shunting could occur. The lack of tail lamp(s) shows that the train was probably working towards Templecombe, even though it rests on the wrong road. A close inspection of the ground in front of the ex-LSWR milk vans shows signs of water deposits on the barrow crossing, probably when the 0­6­0 was blowing steam during uncoupling. The 0­6­0 was either returning or retrieving additional vehicles from the yard or the milk factory sidings, the latter being favoured, especially as the milk churns on the Down platform are now next to the milk van, probably in the process of being loaded. Comparison with another station view taken on the same occasion shows that the wagons and vans behind the Down platform had been deposited by a 1914-built 2­8­0 around an hour earlier.
	To the north of Sturminster Newton the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway crossed the River Stour. Viewed from the footbridge an unknown rebuilt small Johnson 4­4­0 (not No.67) conveys an unknown northbound local service across Bridge No.171, the wrought iron lattice girder sandwiched between two pair of flood arches. This class of 4­4­0 received the Deeley pattern boiler between 1908-11, its distinctive forward positioned dome giving the locomotive a hunched back appearance. The leading vehicle is an L&SWR 24ft luggage (or fruit) van built between 1896-8 and is clearly oil lit, a feature that persisted for many years/decades on these non-passenger vehicles, whilst the fitting of spoked wheels at this pre-WWI period was a rarity.
	An undated Dr Budden (of Blandford) photograph captures an unidentified Midland-built 440 passing through Sturminster Newton station with a northbound fast passenger. The locomotive was one of the four 440's delivered in May 1891, numbered 15-18. They differed from their Midland counterparts in that they were fitted with 5ft 9in coupled wheels. Although evident here they would lose the redundant fourth lamp iron on the smokebox door as well as reducing the height of the lettering on the buffer beam, features that were rectified before 1895. Knowing that the picture was taken by Dr Budden and that he was active along the S&D during August 1892 it is possible that this view may have been taken during that period. As the time of day was around 2.00pm and based on the July 1892 Working Time Book the northbound through service can be identified as the [No.32] Bournemouth-Bath fast passenger passing through Sturminster at 2.21pm whereas the southbound through service [No.22] Bath-Bournemouth fast passenger appears to have lost time as it was meant to stop at 2.11pm and then stopping at Shillingstone at 2.16pm at which point the northbound crossed its path. An unknown member of staff holds the large loop and pouch, the latter containing the Electric Train Tablet (ETT), for the fireman to collect so as to gain access to the Sturminster-Stalbridge section. A fraction earlier the fireman had already surrendered the Shillingstone-Sturminster ETT to the signalman, who can be seen returning to his signal box. Other known 'exchange' views for this period show a simultaneous manoeuvre performed by the signalman and fireman, so one wonders if the person(s) involved had yet to perfect the art or were other factors involved, such as a temporary injury - an exchange was decreed to be at 10mph (4mph at night). Whilst researching this particular image a comparison was made against another vintage view of the station, possibly taken by Dr Budden and probably on the same occasion, albeit an hour earlier, in which a lady could be seen. It is believed that she may have been a Nanny/Governess as the above view almost certainly shows the same lady with a small child, curled upon her lap, whilst listening attentively to a member of the railway staff.
	A charming, yet quiet view of Sturminster Newton station looking northward on 4 July 1961.