William Joseph Pike met with George Stevenson in Birmingham in 1846 whilst on business to give advice on the needs of a new pottery. George Stevenson told William that Railways were able to carry a ton of goods for three halfpence and half a farthing for the truck. At the time cost of freight from Poole to Bristol by vessel was 10s a ton with 10s expenses.

Brothers William Joseph Pike and John William Pike built a tramway to Ridge from Furzebrook around 1840 and extended it to Creech and converted to steam by buying Purbeck’s first locomotive “Primus” in 1866 

In 1844 William Joseph Pike was chosen to represent Isle of Purbeck on the committee for the Southampton to Dorchester Railway. Click here to see minutes of that meeting and note the "cheers"

William Joseph Pike along with John Mowlem and other clay merchants proposes Swanage Branch line a couple of times without success. The first being 1847 and in 1863

In 1852 William Joseph Pike proposed with others that a railway from Bristol to Poole should be built. Below is his speech in support of the South Midlands Union Railway Company (It wasn't built, but the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway was built and achieved many of the goals of the SMURC)

W. J. Pike of Wareham, said, that as a warm advocate of the proposed line of railway he should perhaps be excused if he addressed a few remarks to the meeting, and he would first say that since he had been in the town that day he has been much struck with the advantages which would be conferred on it by being connected with a railway. He had conversed on the subject with Mr. Barnes, the seconder of the proposition submitted to the meeting, and had gleaned from him on the cost of carriage of wool to the Midland manufacturing districts there would be a saving of 20s a ton by the construction of the proposed line. There was a very great quantity of wool annually produced in this county, and if they had better access to the markets, the producers of that wool would doubtless get a better price for it than they now did; again, there was a very good market for barley at Bristol, and Dorsetshire was celebrated for its barley, which by this means would fetch an enhanced price; these circumstances should be inducements, amongst may others, to the farmers to look on the scheme with a favourable eye, and as the landowner would in his turn reap an advantage it should also operate on him. He could not suppose that people were now so blind as to oppose every thing that should not be proved to be of immediate advantage to themselves, but that they would now look somewhat at the public good. The gentleman who submitted the resolution to the meeting, did not, give the line a fair character as regards it being a paying line. – it must be remembered that railways could now be made at a much less cost than a few years ago, when there were but very few engineers and contractors, now their name is legion, and as unfortunately for them they had but very little to do they would work at much less profit than when there was more to be done and less competition for it; when they had to seek work instead of work seeking them; they could also afford, from the greater cheapness of materials, the reduction in price of iron, and of duty on timber, to work at a much lower price getting an equal profit. If the line was made in a fair manner, and at moderate cost he had no fear whatever but it would be a good line. It might also be borne in mind that at present it was with difficulty that anything like fair interest could be obtained for money, they doubtless knew that money lying at a banker’s brought in nothing, he had found it to his cost. Running through such a rich and thickly populated agricultural district as this would, it must pay. There was at present a very large traffic carried on in wool, barley, and cattle, and this would of course be increased with increased facilities for transport. There was also a prospect of increased commercial intercourse with France, already was it said that negotiations had taken place between the governments of the two nations upon this subject, and in the event of opportunities being offered for the interchange of the productions of the two countries an enormous business must spring up, and this line would form the most direct means of conducting it, and Poole would doubtless become a shipping port to a considerable extent for Somerset coal and the manufactures of the North and the Midland districts. He might state that he was an exporter from Poole, of clay for the potteries, to a very large extent, in the course of a year as much as 70,000 tons were shipped away from the port, of which 40,000 tons went to Liverpool, and having been carried about 600 miles by sea, conveyed from thence 40 miles back inland. This costs so heavy a sum that if the proposed railway were completed, as large a quantity would doubtless be conveyed on it from the terminus at Poole to its northern extremity, if they carried at the same rates as other railways now did. Although there was not now a large passenger or goods traffic direct on the road between this part of the country and Bristol, they must not consider that, but remember that the railway would create a traffic for itself, the passenger traffic now from Poole and that part of the country went up the South-Western to Basingstoke, and crossed thence to the Great-Western, and the heavy traffic went round the Land’s-end by water. If the landowners on the line would, as he hoped, facilitate matters and endeavour to promote the views of the originators, and the opposition in Parliament should not be very powerful, the line ought to be made at a very reasonable cost. Landowners too frequently opposed railways, fearing they would interfere with their residencies, or pleasure grounds, spoil a view or something else of the kind; such considerations ought not to operate when a proposal was made for the public good. He hoped the line would be warmly supported, as he believed it calculated to be of unmixed good to the whole district,- it would be advantageous in every point of view. He would conclude his remarks by the expression of a hope that the landowners, farmers, and tradesmen of all the places along the line would show their interest in it by rendering facilities and taking shares according to their ability.

The Provisional Directors of the South Midlands Union Railway Company were

Sir John Guest, Bart, MP Dowlais House , County of Glamorgan, and Canford Dorset
J.S.W.S.E.Drax, Esq, MP., Charborough Park, and Holnest House, Dorset
H.D.Seymour, Esq.,M.P. 39 Upper Grosvenor Street, Knoyle, Wilts: and Northbrook Lodge, Devon. 
Thomas Horlock Bastard, Esq., Charlton, near Blandford
John Clavell Mansell, Esq., Spetisbury 
R. Legard, Esq., Mayor of Poole
W. Voss, Esq., Purbeck and at the Staffordshire Potteries
W.J.Pike Esq., Purbeck and at the Staffordshire Potteries
M. Fisher, Esq., Blandford
Phillip Barnes, Esq., Blandford
W. Rolles Fryer, Esq., Lytchett
W, Tory Mackrell, Esq., Spetisbury

The route of South Midlands Union Railway of 1852, left the Midland Railway's Birmingham to Bristol line at Mangotsfield and following a route through Keynsham, Radstock, Holcombe, Stoke St Michael then close to the route ultimately followed by the S&D through Blandford to Poole. The scheme was abandoned due to considerable opposition and physical difficulties

The Dorset Central Railway emerged from meetings in Blandford and Poole in 1854, with part of its heritage coming from the abortive South Midlands Union Railway.

The Dorset Central Railway amalgamated with the Somerset Central Railway in 1862 to become the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway