Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway - History - Traffic On The Line

Traffic On The Line

The local traffic was bucolic in its nature, during the 40's and 50's the area was put to wheat production and agricultural traffic was always a priority with Crane Valley watercress being popular as were strawberries and other soft fruit, today the Avon Valley is a shadow of its former self with commuter housing and horses a priority for the local landowners. Diversionary traffic on the line was heavier than might be expected - the Pines would use the line when the 'other' S&D was unable to provide a path - one episode with Lapford running out of coal as it entered Daggons Road with a down Pines and more than once a York-Bournemouth train was routed through.

Other traffic included newspaper trains and pigeon specials (Fordingbridge was a favourite site for release). In addition, there was a large grain warehouse owned by Dukes who eventually took over the station yard after closure. One of the problems endured by the line was a constant shortage of stock, this was exacerbated in the 1950s with the wholesale withdrawal of pre-grouping coaching stock and desperate measures were necessary. Salisbury received an articulated SECR railmotor P+P Isle of Sheppey set after its withdrawal from the Portland branch. This was employed on workmen's specials from Idmiston-Salisbury as well as the Salisbury and Dorset and a well known photograph shows it entering Fordingbridge with a Salisbury-Bournemouth West local behind a T9.

Most, if not all of the motive power on local services for the line was the responsibility of Salisbury shed, suitable locos are: T9s, SR Moguls, 700s, Qs, Q1s, Bulleid light Pacifics and in the final years, both BR 4MTs. Curiously I have no photos of tank locos working the line although until 1959 Salisbury's carriage pilot, a non-auto fitted M7 was rostered on a Sunday-only service. Other locos were permitted but never officially used - V class but not SR 4-6-0s. Wartime traffic is a mystery due to the strict security restrictions but presumably LNER ambulance trains and their charges would have traversed the line.

At the start of the 1950s, the line was almost the exclusive preserve of ex-LSWR motive power, Salisbury L12s, S11s, T9s and 700s. By 1952 there were six passenger trains each way on weekdays, the first was the Salisbury-Weymouth 03:52 which included a newspaper van 01:25 ex-Waterloo, during the 1952 timetable longer distance trains started to use the line New Milton-Swansea, but by 1953 a Bournemouth West -Cardiff service was hauled by U class 31622 as far as Salisbury and on the same day a New Milton-Swansea train was in charge of BR 4mt 76016. In 1958, the last M7 duty on the line was performed by 30673 but this was a Sunday only service and by 1959 this ceased as an economy measure. It was not unusual to see double-heading on the branch, a particular example being the 07:42 Bournemouth Central-Salisbury but this was only for pathing purposes, the normal train being two coaches. However this particular service also saw the use of ex-SECR L Class 31771 on 21 March 1952, this loco having been transferred from Ashford to Eastleigh. In 1959, more ex-SECR locos displaced by the electrification of the Kent coast started to move westward, E1 Class 31497 became a regular performer on the 07:15 Salisbury- Bournemouth West. Other ex-SECR locos include N class 31835 from Exmouth Junction, transferred to Salisbury in 1964.

The line was able to accept Bulleid light Pacifics but not larger locomotives:

34106 Lydford - 16 September 1956 on an excursion to Weymouth with both Pullman and BR coaches 34052 Lord Dowding - 14 December 1958 Salisbury-Bournemouth West 34107 Blandford Forum - 14 March 1958 Bournemouth Central-Salisbury 34051 Winston Churchill - 15 June 1959 - Salisbury-Wimborne Cattle train 34091 Weymouth - 2 May 1964 Last day of services