The Bristol and North Somerset Railway was a railway line in the West of England that connected Bristol with Radstock, through Pensford and further into northern Somerset, to allow access to the Somerset Coalfield. The line ran almost due south from Bristol and was long.
Opened in 1873, it joined with an existing branch from Frome to Radstock, and was later worked with it as a single entity. In 1882 the Camerton Branch was opened by the Great Western Railway to serve collieries at Camerton; it was later extended to Limpley Stoke, on the Bath to Trowbridge line. It closed to passenger traffic in 1925.
The line's primary traffic was coal, and travel to work commuting into Bristol. Both of these traffic sources substantially declined in the 1950s, with the Camerton Branch fully closed in 1951. Passenger traffic ceased on the rest of the entire line complex before the Beeching Axe in 1959, with complete closure of the line in 1973 following the closure of the last colliery in the Somerset Coalfield at Kilmersdon.
History Getting an act of Parliament for the line The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway (WS&WR) was established in 1845 to build a network of lines, running from near Chippenham on the Great Western Railway (GWR) to Salisbury and Weymouth.Derek Phillips, The Story of the Westbury to Weymouth Line, Oxford Publishing Co., Sparkford, 1994, At that time Radstock was the most important mining centre of the Somerset Coalfield, and the included in its plans a branch from near Frome to Radstock. The found raising money for its ambitious network difficult, and the company sold its lines, not all of which were complete, to the on 14 March 1850, confirmed by the Great Western Railway Act 1851 (14 & 15 Vict. c. xlviii) obtained on 3 July 1851. The opened the Radstock branch to mineral traffic only on 14 November 1854, built to broad gauge.E T MacDermot, History of the Great Western Railway, volume I 1833-1863, published by the Great Western Railway., London, 1927
As early as 1863 the board of the had resolved to create a standard gauge line from Bristol to Salisbury through the district,I.e. standard gauge; in the conflict between the 's traditional track gauge known as the broad gauge and standard gauge, the latter was often referred to as narrow gauge for contrast.E T MacDermot, History of the Great Western Railway, volume II, published by the Great Western Railway, London, 1932, page 66 and there were numerous independent schemes to serve the important colliery sites north of Radstock, and link them to the city of Bristol.
These schemes came to nothing until in September 1862 when promoters formed an agreement to make a line from Bristol, with connections to other lines there, to a junction with the newly formed Somerset and Dorset Railway near Bruton,The Somerset and Dorset Railway was formed on 1 September 1862 by the amalgamation of the Somerset Central Railway and the Dorset Central Railway; it ran from Highbridge to Templecombe and Blandford to Wimborne, with plans to connect the two portions of line; the Bath extension was opened on 20 July 1874 and became the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway on 13 July 1876. See Atthill and Nock. running through the colliery areas of Pensford and Clutton, and with a branch to Camerton, where there were further collieries. It was to connect at Bristol with both broad gauge and narrow gauge lines, as well as having a tramway to the City Docks at the Floating Harbour.
The proposal became a parliamentary bill, and the (26 & 27 Vict. c. clxviii) received royal assent on 21 July 1863: it was to be called the Bristol and North Somerset Railway, with capital of £275,000 and borrowing powers of £91,000.Mike Vincent, Through Countryside & Coalfield, Oxford Publishing Co, Sparkford, Ernest F Carter, An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles, Cassell, London, 1959
This appeared to serve the objective admirably; the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth had a branch to Radstock, and the network also served Salisbury; if the gauge of their Radstock branch were mixed, the desired through route to Salisbury would be created via Radstock at minimum cost. However, when the Bristol and North Somerset Railway (B&NSR) approached the to explore the 's willingness to work the line, and to run passenger trains on their Frome—Radstock line, the 's reaction was cool.
A series of proposed extensions Following this success in Parliament, the company immediately set about proposing extensions as bills for the 1864 session: from onward from the authorised Camerton branch to Bath; from the main line to Shepton Mallet, to join the East Somerset Railway there; and various branches in Bristol and at the docks there.
Three bills followed for the 1865 session: for a railway from Radstock passing Writhlington (where there was an important colliery) and through Wellow and Midford to Monkton Combe, on the Bradford on Avon to Bathampton line; for a line from Farrington Gurney to Shepton Mallet and the East Somerset line again; and from near Hallatrow to the Midland Railway Bath branch, joining it between Weston and Kelston, west of Bath, connecting with the Great Western Railway (GWR) line in passing.
In 1866 the and the Bristol and North Somerset Railway (B&NSR) jointly submitted a bill for a line from Mells through Nettlebridge, south of Radstock, to Chilcompton.
In 1869 the obtained an act of Parliament, the (32 & 33 Vict. c. cxi), confirming its powers to build the harbour tramway at Bristol.
None of these lines was built by the company; only the line from a junction with the immediately east of Bristol Temple Meads to Radstock was built.Vincent provides the only available source material for these parliamentary efforts; presumably all these bills were thrown out. Vincent says (page 45) that the and together "deposited a joint act in 1866"; an act of Parliament can't be deposited; it is not clear whether he means they submitted a bill in 1866 for the 1867 session of Parliament, or that they obtained the act of Parliament in 1866.
The Somerset and Dorset Railway (S&DR) was independent at this time, and the made overtures to that company about an alliance or merger. This seemed to be a more fruitful way forward, and parliamentary bills were deposited to authorise the merger, and a physical connection at Shepton Mallet, but in May 1866 it emerged that the had undertaken to route major traffic flows via the Bristol and Exeter Railway, with which it connected at Highbridge. This frustrated any advantage for the in merging, and its Bill was withdrawn.
Construction, and collapse Having obtained its authorising act of Parliament, the Bristol and North Somerset Railway Act 1863, the company appointed its engineer, James Frazer, and a contractor, Bethell and Walton. However Bethell and Walton asked for an advance of payment, but only got some shares in the company. They had what is now called a cash-flow problem, and further requests for cash came from them, with little work output to show. On 9 April 1864 they were given a formal ultimatum by the company secretary, at which they declared that they would not continue with the work. A firm called Lawrence and Fry took over the works, while Bethell and Walton issued demands for payment for work done. The company itself was desperately short of money as subscribers had failed to respond to calls, and land acquisition was proving unaffordable; then on 27 June 1864 it was announced that Lawrence and Fry had become bankrupt. Lawrence subsequently approached the company in his private capacity, and a deal was struck enabling him to work as the company's contractor.
The company's money shortage meant that little real progress seems to have taken place; perhaps the company's management focus had been on parliamentary work on extensions. In July 1866 the banking firm of Overend, Gurney and Company failed, and this triggered a financial crisis; many people lost large amounts of money, and obtaining share subscriptions for new construction became, for a time impossible. The Bristol and North Somerset Railway Company found that raising finance was now impossible, and the company "collapsed". At a shareholders' meeting on 4 May 1867, the board disclosed that the company was now in the hands of creditors. Moreover, of the authorised share capital of £275,000, only £16,080 of shares had been applied for and issued; more had been given free to unfortunate suppliers and contractors in payment. Individual directors had given personal surety for company borrowings in the amount of £180,000; this was twice the authorised quantum. The liabilities were said to amount to £300,000, and sums expended could not be made to equate to work actually completed. The company secretary John Bingham became embroiled in claims of improper dealings. The "collapse" of the company was complete.
A new company
Many people had lost a lot of money, but the area still needed a railway line, and a new Bristol and North Somerset Railway was created, authorised by an act of Parliament, the (31 & 32 Vict. c. clxxviii) of 31 July 1868. The engineer was William Clarke and his first task was to assess what physical works had actually been made. As well as doing so, he proposed a simplification of the route at Radstock making a northerly sweep and avoiding housing in the town centre, and joining more directly into the terminus. This required another authorising act of Parliament, the (33 & 34 Vict. c. cxxx), and it was obtained on 14 July 1870.Vincent describes this as the B&NSR (Deviation at Radstock) Act of 30 November 1869, but that must be the date of deposition of the bill.
On getting the Bristol and North Somerset Railway Act 1870, the company sought offers from contractors and John Perry and Sons of Stratford quoted £90,000 to complete the line, and was awarded contracts. The intention was to open at least between Bristol and Pensford by the following spring of 1871. Further problems were encountered with the quality and rate of progress of the construction, but at length the line was ready for the Board of Trade inspection. Col. Rich visited the line on 2 September 1873. His report alluded to a great number of detail matters, but he approved the opening.
Opening at last The opening of the line took place on 3 September 1873. It was built on the standard gauge, and it was worked by the Great Western Railway (GWR).
The new Bristol and North Somerset Railway (B&NSR) line met the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway (WS&WR) line at Radstock, but that was a broad gauge line, so there was a break of gauge at Radstock. The opening of the activated a neglected obligation on the : in February 1874 the board recorded that:
By the terms of an Agreement with the Bristol and North Somerset Company and the principal Colliery Proprietors of the Radstock District, this Company is under engagement to lay the narrow gauge between Radstock and Salisbury on or before 3rd September next ... In view of this obligation, the Directors ... consider that the convenience of the public will be best met, and the interest of the Proprietors best secured, by the alteration from Broad to Narrow Gauge of all the Lines in the district which these railways accommodate.Directors' report, quoted in MacDermot volume II page 67
In fact the entire Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth network, 131 miles of line, now property, was to be converted to standard gauge, triggered by the opening of the line. The standard gauge was ready for the first time on 22 June 1874.
The continued with the upgrading of the Frome to Witham line, making it ready for passenger operation; this included laying a west curve at Frome to reach the station there; the mineral line connection faced Westbury. On 5 July 1875 following an inspection by Col. Yolland, the line opened to passengers. There were five trains between Bristol and Frome via Radstock daily, with two on Sundays.