Wimborne & East Dorset Railways Study (Colin Divall and Peter Russell)

This presentation, given to the RCHS SW Group on 26th November 2022, covers a long-running study of the history of the railways in the East Dorset district centred on the market town of Wimborne. The study includes a supporting website started in early 2022 and runs from just before the dawn of the railway age, through the decades of development and operation, to the closures, dismantling and redevelopment. Both Colin Divall andPeter Russell grew up in the area in the 1960s and 1970s, when the lines were closing, and developed an intense fascination for them. Colin worked briefly as a railway operations management trainee and is Emeritus Professor of Railway History at York University, while Peter was an academic at Heriot-Watt University but worked mainly in policy planning in local government. Since retirement, they have collaborated on this study, also involving associates who have knowledge of the area and various specialist aspects of railway history.