Association of Model Railway Clubs Wales & West of England

The line from Bridgwater to Edington was opened on 21 July 1890, being built by an independent company, the Bridgwater Railway Co. The station building was built of local brick with and had the appearance of an LSWR design. It stood at right angles to the two-bay island platform, upon which a canopy was built covering half its length. The goods yard, complete with shed, had ample facilities to handle many commodities including coal, bricks, tiles and livestock. A single road engine shed of brick construction was also built, together with a 50ft turntable in front of its entrance. The shed, although extended in 1898 to accommodate two locomotives, was not used to stable locomotives overnight and was subsequently leased to the Co-op in 1928 for use as a store. Up until 1942 there was a 1056yd extension from the cattle dock that swung through 180o to provide access to the brickworks and wharf facilities and the east bank of the river Parrett.

 

When the line to Edington was finally closed in 1954 a new spur was laid from the S&D yard to connect it to the GWR docks branch. The goods yard remained in use until 7 July 1962 and the docks branch finally closed on 2 January 1967.

 

The layout is set in the Edwardian period of 1904 with all the stock being modified kit or scratchbuilt items representative of the glorious prussian blue days of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The buildings and structures are accurate models of the prototypes, built from drawings and photographs and are scratchbuilt from laser cut mdf and plasticard. Operations are to a sequence representing, in compressed form, a typical days working on the branch during the golden age of the S&DJR.