Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway

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Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway

Legend Chippenham Thingley Junction for GWML Lacock Halt (1905-1966) Beanacre Halt (1905-1955) Melksham (1848) Broughton Gifford Halt (1905-1955) Holt Junction (1857) Holt (1861-1966) Semington Halt (1906-1966) Seend (1858-1966) Bromham and Rowde (1909-1966) Devizes (1857-1966) B&HER to Reading Staverton Halt (1905-1966) Bathampton Junction for GWML Bristol and North Somerset Railway (Camerton Branch) (1910-58) Limpley Stoke (1857-1966) Freshford (1857) Avoncliff (1906) Bradford-on-Avon (1857) Bradford Junction Trowbridge (1848) Westbury (1848) Dilton Marsh (1937) Warminster (1851) Heytesbury (1856-1955) Codford (1856-1955) Wylye (1856-1955) Langford (1856-57) Wishford (1856-1955) Wilton (1856-1955) Salisbury (1856) connection with LSWR Frome (1851) Mells Road (1887-1959) Radstock (1875-1959) Witham (1856-1966) East Somerset Railway to Wells Bruton (1856) Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway Castle Cary (1856) Sparkford (1856-1966 ) Marston (1856-1966) Yeovil Pen Mill (1856) former line to Taunton Yeovil Town 1967 rationalisation link West of England Main Line Yeovil Junction Clifton Maybank goods Thornford (1936) Yetminster (1857) Chetnole Halt Evershot Cattistock Bridport branch (1857 to 1975) Maiden Newton (1857) Grimstone Viaduct Grimstone and Frampton (1857 - 1966) Bradford Peverell & Stratton Halt (1933 - 1966) Dorchester (1857) Dorchester Junction L&SWR main line Start of joint line with L&SWR Monkton and Came Halt (1905 - 1957) Bincombe Tunnel Upwey Wishing Well Halt (1905 - 1957) Upwey (original station) (1871 - 1886) Abbotsbury branch (1885 to 1952) Upwey Junction (1886) Radipole Halt (1905-1984) Portland Branch Weymouth Harbour Tramway Weymouth Weymouth Quay

The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Chippenham, Wiltshire with Weymouth, Dorset, England. Branches ran to Devizes, Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury in Wiltshire, and to Radstock in Somerset. The majority of the line survives today as the Wessex Main Line and the Heart of Wessex Line. The only line closures have been the branches to Devizes and Radstock, although a number of smaller stations were closed as part of the Beeching Axe. Radipole Halt was then closed in 1984 when the platforms became unsafe.[1]

[edit] Chronology

• 1845 Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth authorised by Act of Parliament
• 1846 Exeter Great Western Railway promoted to link WS&WR at Yeovil with Exeter
• 1847 The economic recession following the Railway Mania makes fund raising impossible
• 1848 Railway opened from Thingley Junction (Chippenham) to Westbury, Wiltshire
• 1850 Company taken over by the Great Western Railway

  Line opened from Westbury to Frome, Somerset

• 1851 Branch opened from Westbury to Warminster, Wiltshire
• 1854 Branch opened from Frome to Radstock, Somerset, for goods traffic only
• 1856 Salisbury branch completed; main line extended to Yeovil
• 1857 Main line completed to Weymouth

  Branch opened from near Trowbridge through Bradford to join the GWR at Bathampton

  Bristol and Exeter Railway makes a junction with the line at Yeovil

  Branch opened to Devizes

  Bridport Railway opened from Maiden Newton

• 1862 Berks and Hants Extension Railway opened from Devizes to Hungerford, Berkshire
• 1886 Abbotsbury branch line opened from Upwey

[edit] References

• Beale, Gerry (1992). "Dorchester". Great Western Railway Journal 4: 135–151; 168–172. Wild Swan Publications. 
• MacDermot, E T (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, volume I 1833-1863. London: Great Western Railway. 
• Butt, R V J (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Limited. 
• J.H. Lucking ,. Railways of Dorset. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society 1968.  ISBN(no ISBN)