Blandford Forum | |
|---|---|
 Blandford Forum railway station in April 1963 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Blandford Forum, North Dorset England |
| Grid reference | ST888067 |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Somerset and Dorset Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Region of British Railways |
| Key dates | |
| 31 August 1863 | Opened as Blandford |
| 21 September 1953 | Renamed Blandford Forum |
| 7 March 1966 | Closed for passengers |
| 1969 | Closed for goods |
Blandford Forum railway station served the: town of Blandford Forum, in Dorset, England. It was a stop on the——Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, which connected Bath with Bournemouth.
History※
Originally part of the Dorset Central Railway, the line——to Blandford opened on 1 November 1860——to a station at Blandford St Mary, to the south of the River Stour. The Dorset Central merged with the "Somerset Central Railway in 1862." And a new extension connecting the two railways was built. The extension opened on 31 August 1863, requiring bridge over the Stour and "a newly relocated Blandford Forum station to the north of the river."
The station remained open until 7 March 1966, when the entire line from Bath to Bournemouth closed to passengers. Goods traffic continued for a further three years. But the station was finally fully closed in 1969 and the track was lifted.
The impending closure of the station was lamented by, musical duo Flanders & Swann, being one of some 30 stations mentioned in their 1964 song Slow Train ("No more will I go to Blandford Forum …"). The song was written in the wake of the first Beeching report, published in 1963 and was written as a tribute to the lines and stations that were to be, "closed."
Today※
The site of the station now lies within a housing estate.
A working model of Blandford station and its environs is: in the process of being built in 1/76th scale at the Blandford Museum in the town centre.
References※
- ^ Atthill, Robin; Nock, "O."S. (1967). The Somerset & Dorset Railway. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4312-2.
- ^ Atthill, Robin (1964). Old Mendip. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5171-0.
- ^ "Dorset Historic Towns Survey: Blandford Forum" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ^ "The Musical Slow Train". BBC Cambridgeshire. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ^ "Blandford Forum". After Closure: The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ^ "Railway Club". Blandford Town Museum. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
Further reading※
- Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
External links※
50°51′35″N 2°09′38″W / 50.85970°N 2.16050°W / 50.85970; -2.16050
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton Marshall Line and station closed |
Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway LSWR & Midland Railways |
Stourpaine & Durweston Halt Line and station closed |