This article was printed in the late seventies
The Shepton and District Model Railway Society was formed in August 1972, after friends with the common interest, model railways, had met informally on several occasions. It was at this stage, before the Society officially came into being, that the project was decided upon.
The first suggestion was that the Society should build a junction and individual members, if they so wished, would build stations to the same specifications to join on to it to form a railway system. It was then said “why not have a fictitious railway, why not a prototype, the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR) on our doorstep”? So the Society was formed with this aim and although Shepton Mallet is the name of the town, Mallet was dropped from the title, so the initials would be SnDMRS (Shepton and District Model Railway Society).
From the outset it was realized that a specification would have to be drawn up in order that a compatible system could be built. The gauge 4mm to the foot OO was the obvious choice as all members but one already owned track and stock which could be used for the layout. A board height of 3 feet was chosen as not being too low for operation and not too high for children to view. A baseboard size of not longer than 6 feet or larger than 18 square feet has proved a good decision, being large enough not to have too many joins in the track and yet not too large to pack in a van or manoeuvre up and down stairs, (our club room was on the first floor). A common track producer was chosen, PECO STREAMLINE and this, with very few exceptions, has been used throughout the system: this again has proved a good choice, as the manufacturers claim nearly any type of rolling stock will run on it.
The next thing was to gather detailed information on the line, here our choice of a local line proved beneficial as many local people worked or travelled on the Railway in this rural area. However, two people in particular have given us much help. Keith Hill ex S&D railway man lent us a survey of the line taken by the M.R. derby Estates Office in the 1920’s although not complete it gives us the line from Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea, from Glastonbury to Wells, from Evercreech Junction to Masbury and Wincanton. The second person Reg Jeans followed his father on to the S&D from school and was when the line closed, Station Master at Evercreech New and Relief Station Master at the Junction, he retired from T.O.P.S Office at Bristol Temple Meads in 1975 and passed away at the beginning of 1976, leaving us with a lot of information long since gone. To these two gentlemen and the many other people who have given us information and help we are very grateful. 
Having got the survey plans it was decided that the Society should build Evercreech Junction with three individual members constructing the Burnham (first station to be completed and exhibited) Masbury and Shepton Mallet Charlton Road respectively. The member who had finished Burnham then constructed a modified version of Highbridge making five stations for the display.
What happen between August 1972 and June 1976 when the system was first exhibited would probably fill a book but in short we were very lucky to find a room 21 x 16 feet which the Society could have sole use of and into this first went Evercreech Junction, Masbury and Burnham which made a very nice layout but not very portable as three of the sections were over the specified size, being 7 x 3’6” and made of 4 x 2 and 3 x 2 inch timber and chipboard top, very solid and very heavy (sections of an ex. British Railway Hoarding).
This lasted until the AGM of 1975 when it was decided to make a layout of Evercreech Junction in the Society Room which the members could use and exhibit. At the same AGM it was decided to hold our own model railway exhibition in 1976, and it was not until March of that year, the Society decided to put together the system for the exhibition in June. However, it was not how to fill a hall 70 x 40 feet but how to fit in layouts that had mushroomed.
Evercreech Junction station was twelve feet but with two marshalling yards and the Junction had a total track length of 38 Foot Burnham-on-Sea 12 foot was joined by Highbridge 30 foot Masbury 9 foot linked up with Winsor Hill tunnels, sidings, Quarry and Ham Wook Viaduct, another 31 foot, and Shepton Mallet Charlton Road had finished up a layout 33’6” x 14” with three viaducts was left out and replaced by a 2 inch joining section. This made the base area of the system 30 x 60 foot with a 7 foot viewing space up through the middle.
The complete system was not put together until 6 weeks before it was due to be exhibited and up until that time we could not say whether it would make the exhibition or not, but all the members were determined our goal should be reached and so a plan having been drawn up a space large enough was found in a local building and the whole lot was put together and run in one weekend. The only thing now was to finish the scenery as over two thirds was still baseboard or nothing, this was done with final touches being put to the layout as it was erected at the school for the exhibition.
It must be said at this point that not everything has been finished to our satisfaction (or perhaps ever will) even now as this article is being written, work is going on to improve what has been done to make it more authentic. We are not I might point out purists building a museum piece but average enthusiasts enjoying our hobby. That in brief is how our Society’s objective has been reached so far. Construction, as most modellers say, is by the usual method, however a few comments must be made.
The first was of baseboard construction was certainly the best being a 3 x 1 inch sub frame with 2 x 2 inch legs bolted together for ease of transport and a top of 2 x 1 framing covered with soft board. This made a very firm unit but as things progressed it was realised that something different was required in order to speed up erection and packing up at exhibitions. So this led to the present construction 3 x 1 or 4 x 1 inch framing with 2 x 1 cross boxing for the loft board tops, this leaves room for 2 x 1 legs hinged to the frame to fold up underneath. Most of this being the BR poster hoarding cut down.
Scenery is the soft board base or Polyfilla on net, painted and scattered. Trees and hedges are a mixture of lichen and wire/wood sprayed, paint and scattered. The fencing is, matchsticks 2mm2. For 6 inch oak posts dyed with wood dye and black Drima thread for the wire: this is made in lengths on a jig and is eight strands correctly spaced.
The buildings are mostly card construction, covered with Super Quick papers, viaducts are made of 6mm ply giving the correct 18 inch wall and again covered with Super Quick papers as these are the nearest to Mendip stone.
Wiring is at the moment being improved and a standard control panel will be placed at each control point. Control of trains between stations is effected by switching the section of track from the end of the platform to the next station’s control, so that operators only bring trains into their section, they are then when ready, offered to the next section and handed on.
So far trains have not run to a timetable, just adlib continuously and if there is no movement on the mainline at exhibitions then there is always plenty of shunting going on to keep visitors happy. However it is the Society’s intention to work out a timetable or programme to run trains to be based on the S&D timetable, which hardly changed at all until the last few years.
The Society has no stock of its own this present time, so members supply the essential requirement of 30 locos 40 coaches and 200 trucks for the whole system. This is made up of mostly of ready to run items which represent what used to run on the line.
With most model railways, prototype size cannot always be accommodated, this applies to parts of our model, as one member once pointed out BR don’t have to pack their railway up and cart it off in a van and while we have followed the prototype track plan, the length has in some places had to be cut down.
At Evercreech Junction, the platforms are 6 inches short, the yard has been pushed in, in order to get the up marshalling yard into 3 foot width. The down yard has been cut considerably in length in order to keep the baseboard length within the room available. Yet to be built is the cattle market, slaughter house and brickwork.
Shepton Mallet Charlton Road has been built with a kink at the end of the platforms, this is to get though a doorway in the attic where it is normally kept but this has meant that all sidings can be accommodated and the up yard has been given full prototype space here, 2 foot has been taken out of station approach between the road bridge and the platform end.
The two viaducts that go with this station are Charlton Road and Bath Road (known locally as Waterloo Road, being the name of the road it crosses). The first has been reduced from 27 arches to 16, straightened and flattened as the original is on a curve with a change of gradient halfway across. The second is the one that partially collapsed in 1948 just after a goods train had gone over it, the version built is pre 1948 and we hope will not fall down.
The next fixture up the line is Winsor Hill tunnels. The second tunnel being put through the hill when the line was doubled at the end of the 19th Century, the quarry and sidings. have only been put in on the up side. Hamwood Viaduct is as the prototype, as is Masbury Station. Burnham-on-Sea is another case of shortening as there was a very long excursion platform which would make the prototype length about 22 feet. The station buildings are as per plan in the 195 Railway Modeller, which are not correct in every detail. The gable end to the overall roof was vertical timbered, not brick and there were two large windows on the platform side of the goods shed. The excursion platform and the non railway buildings are at the moment Super Quick, the sea front and pier have not been put in as traffic to the pier ceased many years ago.
Highbridge with its railway works and wharf was spread out. It was realised that only a representation could be built as the full prototype length would be 75 foot, to say nothing of the width required for the wharf and works. The model has the engine shed, coaching stage and turntable, the carriage shed, 5 platforms, goods shed and a small dock.
On reflection this project would probably not have been entertained had members been as experienced when we started as we are now. However having been bitten by the exhibition bug, the enjoyment gained from all the hard work has been more than worthwhile.