A new ‘railway heritage walk’ has been launched this week along the route of the former Somerset and Dorset Railway line between Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge.
Burnham-On-Sea Railway Heritage Group held a ceremony at Highbridge Railway Station on Friday (August 28th) to formally launch the walking trail, which was attended by over 30 people.
Mayor Cllr Mike Facey and Sedgemoor District Council Chairman Cllr Peter Clayton unveiled two display boards at the station featuring historical images and the story of the rail line.
The walk’s route starts on Burnham’s South Esplanade and runs to the station in Highbridge, following the former route of the S&D line.
It passes railway memorabilia along the way such as the buffers at the top of Pier Street, a replica signal box, and the station name board in Old Station Approach, plus a replica signal and information boards.
The group’s Ann Popham said during Friday’s launch: “This date was chosen for our launch because in 1854 the railway line opened from Highbridge to Glastonbury with a public opening. It went on to employ lots of local people with different jobs.”
“It is nice to see local train drivers here today and I hope they have some jolly good memories of the old days.”
“We would like to thank all those that have helped us get this railway heritage trail together with photos and information for the display boards. We are a very small group of three, but we all get on well and do our jobs in our own ways.”
Mayor councillor Mike Facey said: “I’m really pleased to see this trail being launched – it’s wonderful to see something like this that links our two towns together. It’s great to see our local railway heritage being preserved in this way.”
Cllr Peter Clayton added: “Thanks go to the members of Burnham-On-Sea Railway Heritage Group for all their work on this – the trail is a wonderful idea that celebrates our local rail history. I look forward to walking the route.”
Among those present at Friday’s launch were Terry Fry, a train driver who used the S&D line from 1956-1963, plus residents and local historians.
A free leaflet has been produced giving full details about the route of the walk, which are available from Burnham’s tourist information centre on The Esplanade.
