Dorset has always been an important railway county, catering for holidaymakers heading to the resorts of Bournemouth, Swanage and Weymouth. As part of the mid-nineteenth-century desire for railways to reach many parts of the country, a line from Southampton reached the county town of Dorchester in 1847. This was to become part of the London & South Western Railway. The Great Western Railway arrived in the county in 1857 with a line from Yeovil to Weymouth built to Brunel's broad-gauge standard. Another name associated with the county was the Somerset & Dorset Railway, which opened between Bath and Poole in 1870. Development of the various lines are covered - their heyday was the 1950s when they were used by holidaymakers heading for the sunny south coast. Then came the Beeching closures, but also the electrification of the main line to Weymouth. The various routes within the county are covered by a wide selection of photographs, many of which have not been published before.

About the Author
Mike Phipp is a keen aviation historian and author of many aviation titles; he has worked in and around Bournemouth Airport all his life. He lives in Dorset.

Reviews
'It is an attractive book which would grace any bookshelf and at GBP15.99 could be an ideal Christmas present.' -- Dorset Family History Society, December 2023
'These soft-cover summaries from Amberley are particularly useful for the bookshelf for reference and for keeping up to date. Recommended.' -- Model Rail Magazine, February 2024



Book Information
ISBN 9781398108547
Author Mike Phipp
Format Paperback
Page Count 96
Imprint Amberley Publishing
Publisher Amberley Publishing
Weight(grams) 287g